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Pluperfect vs present perfect
If I go somewhere and I want to say, “I’ve been here before” or “I’ve never been here before,” is it better to use he estado or había estado? In other words, if the event is taking place at the time of utterence, should the pluperfect be used rather than the present perfect?
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In this type of context, Spanish and English use parallel forms: use the present perfect: "he estado aquí (anteriormente)" or "nunca/jamás he estado aquí (anteriormente)".
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Ya estuve aquí antes
Ya he estado aquí antes Ya había estado aquí antes Nunca estuve aquí antes Nunca he estado aquí antes Nunca había estado aquí antes Regional difference. Perfect: past fact which has present consequences. Simple: past fact. It's a harsh, straight to the point way to say it. Pluperfect: It is the usual way in its negative form. It's a gentle way to state it is as a past experience set in its moment. |
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