Learn about Spanish "ya" with the pluperfect tense in Spanish
In Spanish, "ya", meaning "already", can be used with El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto. Read and listen to these examples:
Ya habías entendido la explicación cuando el profesor te lo explicó.You had already understood the explanation when the teacher explained it to you.
Miguel había salido de casa ya cuando se acordó de las llaves.Miguel had already left the house when he remembered his keys.
Ya nos habíamos acostado cuando llegó el paquete.We had already gone to bed when the parcel arrived.
Cristina había pedido ya la sopa cuando yo llegué al restaurante.Cristina had already ordered the soup when I arrived at the restaurant.
Notice how we place "ya" either at the beginning of the verbal structure or right at the end of it. It cannot be placed between haber and the participle the way it is in English.
One could even place ya after other elements of the main sentence. See all the correct options here:
- Carmen ya había comprado un coche nuevo.
- Carmen había comprado ya un coche nuevo.
- Carmen había comprado un coche nuevo ya.
- Carmen había ya comprado un coche nuevo.
Carmen had already bought a new car.
See also:
- El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto
- Use of ya in Spanish with the present perfect tense (El Pretérito Perfecto)
- Using ya/ya no meaning now/already/finally/any longer
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