The Past Perfect Passive
When you want to describe a passive event that had already happened before another action in the past, you use the past perfect blive-passive.
To form it, use var blevet followed by the past participle of the main verb. Just like the present perfect passive (which uses er blevet), the past perfect uses var (was) rather than havde (had) as the helper verb.
| Before the guard woke up, the safe had been emptied. | Før vagten vågnede, var pengeskabet blevet tømt. |
| The woman reported the thief after the display case had been opened. | Kvinden anmeldte tyven efter at montren var blevet åbnet. |
Adding the Agent
If you want to mention who (or what) performed the action, use the preposition af (by). This works exactly the same way as in other passive constructions.
| Who had the window pane been smashed by? | Hvem var ruden blevet smadret af? |
Investigating the Scene
This structure is especially useful for setting the scene of a crime, explaining what had been done before the investigation even began. Notice how var blevet pairs with the past participle to piece the timeline together:
| The surveillance had been turned off even though the museum had guards. | Overvågningen var blevet slukket selvom museet havde vagter. |
| Both the display case and the safe had been destroyed. | Både montren og pengeskabet var blevet ødelagt. |
| Sixteen fingerprints had been found at the crime scene. | Seksten fingeraftryk var blevet fundet på gerningsstedet. |
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