El pretérito pluscuamperfecto: forma y uso

[A] Forma

Este tiempo se forma con had y el participio de pasado:

Afirmativa: I had/I’d worked etc.

Negativa: I had not/hadn’t worked etc.

Interrogativa: had I worked?

Negativa interrogativa: had I not/hadn’t I worked? etc.

[B] Uso

[1] Ann has just left. If you hurry you’ll catch her; When I arrived Ann had just left. I’ve lost my case; He had lost his case and had to borrow Tom’s pyjamas. He had left his case on the 4.40 train. [2] a) Bill was in uniform when I met him. He had been a soldier for ten years/since he was seventeen, and planned to stay in the army till he was thirty; Ann had lived in a cottage for sixty years/ever since she was born, and had no wish to move to a tower block. b) The old oak tree, which had stood in the churchyard for 300 years/since before the church was built, suddenly crashed to the ground; Peter, who had waited for an hour/since ten o’clock, was very angry with his sister when she eventually turned up. c) He had served in the Army for ten years; then he retired and married. His children were now at school; He served in the army for ten years; then retired and married. His children are now at school. [3] Tom was 23 when our story begins. His father had died five years before and since then Tom had lived alone. His father had advised him not to get married till he was 35, and Tom intended to follow his advice; I had just poured myself a glass of beer when the telephone rang. When I came back from answering it the glass was empty. Somebody had drunk the beer or thown it away; He met her in Paris in 1977. He had last seen her ten years before. Her hair had been grey then; now it was white, o bien: «He met her in 1967 and again ten years later. Her hair, which had been grey at their first meeting, was now white.» Tom’s father died when Tom was eighteen. Before he died he advised Tom not to marry till he was 35, and Tom at 23 still intended to follow his advice; He met her first in 1967 when her hair was grey. He met her again in 1977/He didn’t meet her again Til 1977. Her hair was now white. She heard voices and realized that there were three people in the next room; She saw empty glasses and cups and realized that three people had been in the room, (ya no estaban allí). He arrived at 2.30 and was told to wait in the VIP lounge; He arrived at 2.30. He had been told to wait in the VIP longe.

1 El pluscuamperfecto («past perfect») es el equivalente pasado del pretérito perfecto («present perfect»).

Presente: Ann has just left. If you hurry you’ll catch her.

Pasado: When I arrived Ann had just left.

Presente: I’ve lost my case.

Pasado: He had lost his case and had to borrow Tom’s pyjamas.

A diferencia del pretérito perfecto el pretérito pluscuamperfecto no está restringido a acciones cuyo tiempo no es mencionado. Podríamos, por lo tanto, decir:

He had left his case on the 4.40 train.

2 El pretérito perfecto puede usarse con «since»/»for»/»always» etc. para una acción que comenzó en el pasado y está todavía continuando o tan solo acaba de terminar en el momento en que se habla. El pretérito pluscuamperfecto puede usarse igualmente para una acción que empezó antes del momento de hablar en el pasado, y que

(a) estaba continuando todavía en ese momento, o

(b) cesó en ese momento o justo antes de él.

Pero notar que el pretérito pluscuamperfecto puede también usarse:

Ejemplos de los tipos (a), (b) y (c) se dan abajo:

(a) – Bill was in uniform when I met him. He had been a soldier for ten years/since he was seventeen, and planned to stay in the army till he was thirty

– Ann had lived in a cottage for sixty years/ever since she was born, and had no wish to move to a tower block. (El pretérito pluscuamperfecto continuo «had been living» sería también posible aquí.)

(b) – The old oak tree, which had stood in the churchyard for 300 years/since before the church was built, suddenly crashed to the ground. (El pretérito pluscuamperfecto continuo «had been standing» sería también posible.)

– Peter, who had waited for an hour/since ten o’clock, was very angry with his sister when she eventually turned up. («had been waiting» sería posible.)

En (c) no podemos usar ni since ni el pluscuamperfecto continuo. Notar también que el pretérito pluscuamperfecto en (c) carece de equivalente en pretérito perfecto. Si ponemos el último verbo de esta oración en presente los otros tiempos pasarán a pasado simple.

He served in the army for ten years; then retired and married. His children are now at school.

Estas estructuras se muestran abajo en forma de diagrama, con la línea AB para la acción en pretérito pluscuamperfecto, y TS para el tiempo de hablar en el pasado:

(a) /_________________________________TS_________________________/

A B

(b) /_________________________________TS/

A B

3 El pluscuamperfecto es también el equivalente pasado del pretérito perfecto y se emplea cuando el narrador o el hablante vuelve la vista atrás a una acción anterior desde un cierto punto en el pasado:

Tom was 23 when our story begins. His father had died five years before and since then Tom had lived alone. His father had advised him not to get married till he was 35, and Tom intended to follow his advice.
I had just poured myself a glass of beer when the telephone rang. When I came back from answering it the glass was empty. Somebody had drunk the beer or thown it away.
He met her in Paris in 1977. He had last seen her ten years before. Her hair had been grey then; now it was white. O bien,
He met her in 1967 and again ten years later. Her hair, which had been grey at their first meeting, was now white.

Pero si nos limitamos a dar los acontecimientos en el orden en el que ocurrieron no es necesario el pretérito pluscuamperfecto:

Tom’s father died when Tom was eighteen. Before he died he advised Tom not to marry till he was 35, and Tom at 23 still intended to follow his advice.
He met her first in 1967 when her hair was grey. He met her again in 1977/He didn’t meet her again Til 1977. Her hair was now white.

No hay vuelta de la vista atrás en los dos ejemplos de arriba, así que no hay razón para el pluscuamperfecto.

Notar la diferencia de significado en los siguientes ejemplos:

She heard voices and realized that there were three people in the next room.
She saw empty glasses and cups and realized that three people had been in the room. (Ya no estaban allí.)
He arrived at 2.30 and was told to wait in the VIP lounge.
He arrived at 2.30. He had been told to wait in the VIP longe.

En el tercer ejemplo recibió sus instrucciones después de su llegada. En el cuarto las recibió antes de la llegada, posiblemente antes de que el viaje comenzara.

Publicado por fernandosantamaria