Portuguese B2: What had happened: the pluperfect · Grammar

The pluperfect, usually tinha + past participle, says what had already happened before another moment in the past: Quando cheguei, o filme já tinha começado. Written Portuguese also has a one-word form ending in -ra: ele chegara (he had arrived). Irregular participles: feito, dito, visto, posto, escrito, aberto.

• já — already
• ainda não — not yet
• tinha feito — had done
• tinha dito — had said
• tinha visto — had seen
• tinha posto — had put
• antes — before
• entretanto — meanwhile

• Já tinha saído quando ligaste. — I had already left when you called.
• Nunca tinha estado em Lisboa. — I had never been to Lisbon.
• Ainda não tinham chegado. — They hadn’t arrived yet.
• Entretanto, tinha começado a chover. — Meanwhile, it had started to rain.