Conjugating verbs in the pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo is quite easy. However, more challenging seem to be the use of this form. When do we use el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo? Easy again: we use this form to indicate the anteriority of the action. Since we already know that the subjunctive is used in the subordinate clause, it is then clear that the action of the subordinate verb will be anterior to the action of the verb of the main clause. One need to add that the main verb will have to be in the present, future or in the pretérito perfecto de indicativo.

Let's now do an exercise in which you will have to decide which of the two subjunctive tenses you need to use: the presente de subjuntivo or the pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo. Press Tab to check your answer. You might wish to use one of the two following on-line helpers to complete your ejercicio: conjugador and acentos en español. ¡Suerte!