What is the pluperfect tense in German and how do I form it ?

The pluperfect tense describes things or events that had been true or had happened at one point in time before something else happened. The pluperfect tense has two parts to it: it is always formed with the imperfect tense of “sein” (to be) or “haben” (to have) and the past participle. Verbs that need “haben” in the perfect tense will also need “haben” in the pluperfect tense. Example: Ich hatte (“haben” in the imperfect tense) gelesen (“lesen” in the past participle). “Ich hatte gelesen” translates to: I had read. Example 2: Du warst (“sein” in the imperfect tense) geschwommen (“schwimmen” in the past participle). “Du warst geschwommen” translates to: you had been swimming.