We use the pluperfect to refer to an event that occured before another past event.
ik | had/was + pp | we | hadden/waren + pp
je | had/was + pp | jullie | hadden/waren + pp
hij | had/was + pp | ze | hadden/waren + pp
Suppose we are at the theatre. We are watching a play that you have already seen before.
Tomorrow, I will say: "Yesterday, we watched a play that you had already seen before." The event of watching a play is in the past but you had already seen it before this past event. For this past-past event, we use the pluperfect.
Toen wij aankwamen, waren de meeste gasten al gearriveerd. | When we came, most guests had already arrived.
Anderlecht heeft de wedstrijd gewonnen maar dat hadden we al voorspeld. | Anderlecht has won the match but we had already predicted that.
Nadat we hadden uitgelegd dat we onze vlucht hadden gemist, lieten ze ons in de vertrekhal slapen. | After we had explained that we had missed our flights, they let us sleep in the departure hall.
_Voorspeld_ is the past participle of the [inseparable compound verb](#/lesson/Verbs.Co08) _voorspellen_ and _uitgelegd_ the past participle of the [separable compound verb](#/lesson/Verbs.Co04) _uitleggen_.