Voltooid verleden tijd (plusquamperfectum)
Past perfect: had gedaan, was gegaan
B1 · Intermediate · ≈ 24 min · setting: Tilburg, Eindhoven, Eindhoven
When we tell a story about the past, there are almost always two layers: what happened — and what happened even before that. For the earlier layer, we need the past perfect (plusquamperfectum): had / was + past participle. The form is constructed exactly like the present perfect, except the auxiliary verb is in the past tense.
1. Form
Tijd
imperfectum
Met hebben
ik werkte
Met zijn
ik ging
Meaning
simple past
Tijd
perfectum
Met hebben
ik heb gewerkt
Met zijn
ik ben gegaan
Meaning
past with a connection to the present
Tijd
plusquamperfectum
Met hebben
ik had gewerkt
Met zijn
ik was gegaan
Meaning
past before another past
| Tijd | Met hebben | Met zijn | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| imperfectum | ik werkte | ik ging | simple past |
| perfectum | ik heb gewerkt | ik ben gegaan | past with a connection to the present |
| plusquamperfectum | ik had gewerkt | ik was gegaan | past before another past |
The participle does not change at all: gewerkt remains gewerkt. Only the auxiliary verb changes: heb → had, ben → was.
| Persoon | hebben | zijn |
|---|---|---|
| ik | had gewacht | was vertrokken |
| jij / u | had gewacht | was vertrokken |
| hij / zij / het | had gewacht | was vertrokken |
| wij / jullie / zij | hadden gewacht | waren vertrokken |
| Persoon | hebben | zijn |
|---|---|---|
| ik | had gewacht | was vertrokken |
| jij / u | had gewacht | was vertrokken |
| hij / zij / het | had gewacht | was vertrokken |
| wij / jullie / zij | hadden gewacht | waren vertrokken |
In the plural, it's hadden and waren. There's nothing else to remember.
2. When to use this tense
The past perfect (plusquamperfectum) almost never stands alone in a sentence. It appears when there is a second point in the past, and it shows that an event happened before that point.
De trein was al vertrokken, toen ik op het perron kwam.
The train had already left when I got to the platform.
FirstDe trein was al vertrokken,Thentoen ik op het perron kwam.Ik had mijn pas thuis laten liggen, dus ik moest terug.
I had left my card at home, so I had to go back.
FirstIk had mijn pas thuis laten liggen,Thendus ik moest terug.Wij hadden gegeten, en daarna gingen we wandelen.
We had eaten, and then we went for a walk.
FirstWij hadden gegeten,Thenen daarna gingen we wandelen.
The train had already left when I got to the platform.
I had left my card at home, so I had to go back.
We had eaten, and then we went for a walk.
The word order in the sentence is flexible: the “earlier” event can come first or second. The tense indicates the sequence, not the position.
Three typical situations
Toen ik bij de huisarts kwam, was de wachtkamer al volgelopen.
When I arrived at the doctor's, the waiting room was already full.
Event before the moment of arrival — past perfect.
Ik kon niet betalen, want ik had mijn pinpas vergeten.
I couldn't pay because I had forgotten my card.
Explaining a reason: the reason happened earlier.
Ze vertelde dat ze net was verhuisd naar Eindhoven.
She said that she had just moved to Eindhoven.
Reporting: something that happened before the moment of telling.
3. With nadat — an almost obligatory combination
In a subordinate clause, the two verbs at the end can be placed in two orders, and both are correct: nadat we hadden gegeten and nadat we gegeten hadden. The first (the “red” order) is more common in writing, the second (the “green” order) in speech.
Dialoog — Waarom het misging
A colleague explains why they were late for a meeting.
- Bas
Je was er gisteren niet. Wat was er gebeurd?
You weren't here yesterday. What happened?
- Alex
Een klein drama. Ik had de wekker wel gezet, maar op de verkeerde dag.
A small drama. I had set the alarm, but for the wrong day.
had gezet — before the moment of waking up.
- Bas
Au. En de trein?
Oh. And the train?
- Alex
Toen ik op station Tilburg aankwam, was die net vertrokken. De volgende ging pas een halfuur later.
When I arrived at Tilburg station, it had just left. The next one wasn't for another half an hour.
- Bas
Had je niet even kunnen bellen?
Couldn't you have called?
- Alex
Mijn telefoon was onderweg leeggelopen. Nadat ik een oplader had geleend, was de vergadering al afgelopen.
My phone had died on the way. By the time I had borrowed a charger, the meeting was already over.
Nadat + past perfect is a classic combination.
- Bas
Nou, dan heb je een goed verhaal. Volgende keer stuur je gewoon een appje.
Well, at least it's a good story. Next time, just send a message.
4. Common mistakes
✕ Not like this
Toen ik aankwam, is de trein al vertrokken.
✓ Correct
Toen ik aankwam, was de trein al vertrokken.
When I arrived, the train had already left.
Why: The train left before I arrived: for this “earlier” you need was + participle, not is.
✕ Not like this
Ik was mijn pas vergeten thuis.
✓ Correct
Ik had mijn pas thuis vergeten.
I had left my card at home.
Why: thuis comes before the participle, not after it. Either auxiliary works here: had vergeten and was vergeten are both correct.
✕ Not like this
Nadat we aten, gingen we weg.
✓ Correct
Nadat we hadden gegeten, gingen we weg.
After we had eaten, we left.
Why: After nadat, you need the past perfect, otherwise the sequence of events is lost.
✕ Not like this
Hij had naar Eindhoven gegaan.
✓ Correct
Hij was naar Eindhoven gegaan.
He had gone to Eindhoven.
Why: Verbs of movement that involve a change of place use zijn → was.
✕ Not like this
We hadden geweest in het dorp.
✓ Correct
We waren in het dorp geweest.
We had been to the village.
Why: zijn conjugates with zijn: was/waren geweest.
Woordenlijst
nadat
after
Nadat ik had gebeld, kwam er meteen iemand.
inmiddels
by that time, meanwhileneutraal
De winkel was inmiddels gesloten.
al
already
Ze waren al vertrokken.
net
just now
De bus was net weg.
leeglopen
to run out of battery, to empty
Mijn telefoon was leeggelopen.
laten liggen
to leave behind, to forget (an item)
Ik had mijn sleutels op kantoor laten liggen.
achteraf
in retrospect, afterwards
Achteraf bleek dat ik het formulier verkeerd had ingevuld.
uiteindelijk
in the end
Uiteindelijk was alles goed gekomen.
| nadat | after Nadat ik had gebeld, kwam er meteen iemand. |
| inmiddels | by that time, meanwhileneutraal De winkel was inmiddels gesloten. |
| al | already Ze waren al vertrokken. |
| net | just now De bus was net weg. |
| leeglopen | to run out of battery, to empty Mijn telefoon was leeggelopen. |
| laten liggen | to leave behind, to forget (an item) Ik had mijn sleutels op kantoor laten liggen. |
| achteraf | in retrospect, afterwards Achteraf bleek dat ik het formulier verkeerd had ingevuld. |
| uiteindelijk | in the end Uiteindelijk was alles goed gekomen. |
had of was
Kies het juiste hulpwerkwoord.
Choose the auxiliary verb.
- 1De trein al vertrokken toen ik aankwam.
The train had already left when I arrived.
- 2Ik mijn pinpas thuis laten liggen.
I had left my bank card at home.
- 3We nog niet gegeten, dus we gingen eerst naar de keuken.
We hadn't eaten yet, so we went to the kitchen first.
- 4Zij net verhuisd naar Eindhoven toen we haar leerden kennen.
She had just moved to Eindhoven when we met.
- 5De buren het pakketje aangenomen, gelukkig.
The neighbours had accepted the parcel, fortunately.
- 6Hij in Eindhoven geweest voordat hij naar Tilburg kwam.
He had been to Eindhoven before coming to Tilburg.
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