The Pluperfect Passive
To talk about what had been done before another event in the past, use the pluperfect passive. This tense is especially useful for describing historical events or archaeological discoveries.
To form it, replace the present-tense auxiliary verb on with its past-tense equivalent, oli. The main verb takes the passive past participle form (ending in -tu/-ty or -ttu/-tty).
- Perfect passive: on tehty (has been done)
- Pluperfect passive: oli tehty (had been done)
Because the passive voice does not specify a grammatical person, the auxiliary verb is always the singular oli, even with plural subjects.
| The ancient temple had been destroyed in the war. | Muinainen temppeli oli tuhottu sodassa. |
| These ancient discoveries had been made in the excavations. | Nämä muinaiset löydöt oli tehty kaivauksissa. |
Discoveries and Excavations
The pluperfect passive naturally emphasizes the action and the object receiving it, rather than who did it.
| The treasure had been buried in a deep grave. | Aarre oli haudattu syvään hautaan. |
| An important discovery had been made in the excavations. | Kaivauksissa oli tehty tärkeä löytö. |
Asking "If" or "Whether"
To form an indirect question—such as wondering if or whether an object had been hidden—attach the question suffix -ko/-kö to the auxiliary verb. Oli becomes oliko.
| We asked if the gold had been hidden in the temple. | Kysyimme, oliko kulta kätketty temppeliin. |
| The man asked if the letter had been hidden in the cellar. | Mies kysyi, oliko kirje kätketty kellariin. |