la mini-lección: el condicional perfecto con el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo

Today we are going to cover the conditional perfect tense in Spanish and its use with the past perfect subjunctive. 

 

The past perfect subjunctive is used when we express past hypotheticals, conditionals, and past actions that take place before other past actions. 

 

The conditional perfect is used to express possibility in the past, actions that could or would have taken place as a consequence of the previously mentioned hypothetical past.

 

For example:

Si hubiera estudiado más, habría aprobado el examen.

(If I had studied more, I would have passed the exam.)

 

¿Si hubieras podido, habrías vivido tu vida de otra manera?

(If you had been able to, would you have lived your life in another way?)

 

*The order of the clauses can be exchanged without any alteration in meaning.

 

For example:

Habría aprobado el examen si hubiera estudiado más.

(I would have passed the exam If I had studied more.)

 

The past perfect subjunctive is conjugated with the verb haber in the imperfect subjunctive plus the main verb. 

 

The ending of the verbs -ar is replaced with -ado and the ending of the verbs -er, -ir is replaced with -ido.

 

Let’s look at an example with the verb beber:

 

Yo hubiera/hubiese bebido

Tú hubieras/hubieses bebido

Ella, él, usted hubiera/hubiese bebido

Nosotr@s hubiéramos/hubiésemos bebido

Ellas, ellos, ustedes hubieran/hubiesen bebido

 

The conditional perfect is conjugated with the verb haber in the conditional plus the main verb. 

 

The ending of the verbs -ar is replaced with -ado and the ending of the verbs -er, -ir is replaced with -ido.

 

Let’s look at an example with the verb beber:

 

Yo habría bebido

Tú habrías bebido

Ella, él, usted habría bebido

Nosotr@s habríamos bebido

Ellas, ellos, ustedes habrían bebido

 

Note: The use of the imperfect subjunctive form of haber (hubiera) in the conditional perfect is widespread and accepted.

 

For example:

Yo hubiera bebido.