The perfect conditional / perfect subjunctive tense

The pluperfect subjunctive is used to express a hypothetical possibility in the past.

It tells us what would have happened, what you would have done, what you wish had happened

To form use: hätte / wäre + past participle:

ich wäre gegangen: I would have gone
ich hätte gesagt: I would have said

Wenn ich dich gesehen hätte, hätte ich dir das Geld gegeben – If I had seen you, I would have given you the money.
Ich hätte den Tisch decken sollen - I should have laid the table
Wenn das Wetter schön gewesen wäre, wären wir zum Strand gegangen - If the weather had been nice, we would have gone to the beach
Wenn ich mehr Geld gehabt hätte, hätte ich mir die CD gekauft - If I had had more money, I would have bought the cd.


Note – the Perfect Conditional is quite uncommon, e.g. ich würde gemacht haben (I would have done – ich hätte gemacht)