The pluperfect is used for actions which have taken place before some point
of time in the past. It is formed from the past tense of ol/la (ol/i/n, ol/i/t, ol/i,
ol/i/mme, ol/i/tte, ol/i/vat), followed by the past participle (§61).
Ol/i/n juuri tul/lut kotiin, kun soitit.
I had just come home when you rang.
Ol/i/mme tul/leet kotiin…
We had come home…
Hän ol/i opiskel/lut suomea ennen kuin hän tuli Suomeen.
He had studied Finnish before he came to Finland.
Tenses 159
Kalle ol/i odotta/nut kymmenen minuuttia kun tulin.
Kalle had waited/been waiting ten minutes when I came.
He ol/i/vat odotta/neet…
They had waited…
