Spanish · Chapter 30 · Lesson 8 · Grammar primer
The pluperfect: había hablado
The imperfect of haber plus a participle for the past-before-the-past: cuando llegué, ya había salido. Its partners ya and todavía no, and how it differs from the preterite.
The short version
The pluperfect is only for the earlier past
Reach for había plus a participle only when one past action jumps behind another. Two events in plain sequence take two preterites: entré y me senté. Take away the earlier-than relationship and the pluperfect disappears. Ya and todavía no are its natural signposts, marking which side of the 'by then' line you are on.
Cuando llegué a casa, mi hermano ya había cenado.
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