Language/Slovenian/Grammar/Pluperfect-tense

Slovenian - Grammar- Tenses - Pluperfect Tense

Welcome to this Slovenian Grammar Lesson on the Pluperfect Tense!

The pluperfect tense is one of the four main past tenses in Slovenian, the others being the perfect tense, imperfect past tense, and historical present tense. The pluperfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past.

Forming the Pluperfect Tense

To form the pluperfect tense in Slovenian, we need to use the auxiliary verb "biti" (to be) or "imeti" (to have) in the imperfect past tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here is how to form the pluperfect tense in Slovenian:

	"Biti" Conjugation	"Imeti" Conjugation
1st person	sem bil/a imel/a + past participle	sem bil/a imel/a + past participle
2nd person	si bil/a imel/a + past participle	si bil/a imel/a + past participle
3rd person	je bil/a imel/a + past participle	je bil/a imel/a + past participle

The past participle of a verb in Slovenian is formed by adding the suffix -l to the stem of the verb. For example, the past participle of the verb "govoriti" (to speak) is "govoril".

Let's take the verb "govoriti" as an example and form the pluperfect tense:

	"Biti" Conjugation	"Imeti" Conjugation
1st person	sem bil/a imel/a govoril/govorila	sem bil/a imel/a govoril/govorila
2nd person	si bil/a imel/a govoril/govorila	si bil/a imel/a govoril/govorila
3rd person	je bil/a imel/a govoril/govorila	je bil/a imel/a govoril/govorila

As you can see, we use the auxiliary verb "biti" or "imeti" in the imperfect past tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Usage of the Pluperfect Tense

The pluperfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past. It is often used in conjunction with the perfect tense or imperfect past tense to provide a more complete description of past events. Here are some examples:

1. Ko sem prišel domov, sem že bil pojedel kosilo. (When I came home, I had already eaten lunch.)
2. Ko so prispeli, je že bil končan koncert. (When they arrived, the concert had already finished.)
3. Preden smo odšli, smo že bili pogledali film. (Before we left, we had already watched a movie.)

In each of these examples, the pluperfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past. Note that the pluperfect tense is often used in conjunction with the perfect tense or imperfect past tense to provide a more complete description of past events.

Conclusion

The pluperfect tense is an important tense in Slovenian grammar, used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past. It is formed using the auxiliary verbs "biti" or "imeti" in the imperfect past tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. The pluperfect tense is often used in conjunction with the perfect tense or imperfect past tense to provide a more complete description of past events.

It's important to note that the choice between using "biti" or "imeti" as the auxiliary verb depends on the verb being used. Verbs of motion and other intransitive verbs use "biti", while transitive verbs use "imeti". For example:

1. Bil sem že prebral knjigo. (I had already read the book.)
2. Imel sem že pripravljene kovčke. (I had already packed my bags.)

In the first example, the verb "biti" is used because "knjiga" is not an object that can be possessed. In the second example, the verb "imeti" is used because "kovčki" is an object that can be possessed.

It's also worth noting that the past participle can be modified to agree in gender and number with the subject. For example:

1. Bila sem že opravila vse naloge. (I had already completed all the tasks.)
2. Bil sem že prebral vse knjige. (I had already read all the books.)

In each of these examples, the past participle has been modified to agree with the subject in gender and number.

In summary, the pluperfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past. It is formed using the auxiliary verbs "biti" or "imeti" in the imperfect past tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. The choice between using "biti" or "imeti" depends on the verb being used, and the past participle can be modified to agree with the subject in gender and number.

Other lessons

• Pronouns
• Tenses
• Questions
• Conditional and future tense
• Possessive Pronouns
• Conditional perfect tense
• Conjugation of verbs in the past tense
• Present Tense
• Negation
• Imperfect past tense
• Simple past tense
• Future Tense
• Singular and Plural Nouns
• Complex sentences and subordinations
• Perfect tense
• Comparative and Superlative Adjectives