Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Cuando llegamos, ella ya había perdido el recibo. - When we arrived, she had already lost the receipt.

"Llegamos" can be either present (we arrive) or preterite (we arrived). Here, the context with "había perdido" (past perfect) forces a past reading, so it’s preterite: "we arrived." There’s no accent because both the present and the preterite forms for "nosotros" look the same in -ar verbs.

Why is it "había perdido" and not just "perdió"?

"Había perdido" is the past perfect (pluperfect). It’s used to express an action completed before another past reference point. The reference point here is "cuando llegamos" (when we arrived). So "she had already lost it before we arrived." Using "perdió" would put the loss at the same time as another past point, which doesn’t fit the meaning "by the time we arrived."

Do we need "ya"? What does it add?

"Ya" means "already" here and makes the timing explicit: by that time, the loss had happened. Without "ya," the sentence is still correct, but "ya" is very natural in Spanish for this meaning and often clarifies that the earlier action was completed.

Could I say "Cuando llegamos, ella ya perdió el recibo"?

That sounds off in Spanish. With "cuando llegamos" as a past reference point, Spanish strongly prefers the past perfect for the earlier action: "Cuando llegamos, ella ya había perdido el recibo." If you want two simple past events in sequence, you usually wouldn’t use "ya" with that "cuando" clause: e.g., "Llegamos y ella perdió el recibo" (we arrived and then she lost it), which has a different meaning.

Can I change the clause order?

Yes. "Ella ya había perdido el recibo cuando llegamos" is equally correct and means the same thing. Spanish allows either order; the comma is not needed when the main clause comes first.

Where can "ya" go, and what about object pronouns?

With a direct object pronoun: "Cuando llegamos, ella ya lo había perdido" (lo = el recibo).
"Ya" typically goes before the auxiliary: "ya lo había perdido."
You can move elements for emphasis: "Cuando llegamos, ya lo había perdido ella."
In compound tenses, the clitic pronoun goes before "haber" (había), never attached to the participle: not "había perdidolo."

Why is it "perdido" and not "perdida," even though the subject is "ella"?

With "haber" (compound tenses), the past participle is invariable: it does not agree in gender or number with the subject. So it’s always "había perdido," not "había perdida." Agreement happens with "estar" in adjectival uses (e.g., "estaba perdida"), but not with "haber."

Do we need "ella," or could we drop it?

You can drop it: "Cuando llegamos, ya había perdido el recibo." However, without "ella," it can be ambiguous who lost the receipt (she? we? someone else?). Spanish often includes the subject pronoun to clarify a change of subject between clauses.

Is the comma after "Cuando llegamos" required?

It’s standard and recommended when the subordinate clause comes first. If you flip the order ("Ella ya había perdido el recibo cuando llegamos"), you typically don’t use a comma.

Is "recibo" the best word in Spain?

It depends on the context:

For a shop receipt in Spain, "tique" (or "ticket") is very common.
"Recibo" is a general "receipt" (often for payments, utilities, rent).
"Factura" is an invoice (tax-valid document). So for a store slip, Spaniards might say "tique": "había perdido el tique."

Could I say "Para cuando llegamos, ella ya había perdido el recibo"?

Yes. "Para cuando…" means "by the time…" and pairs naturally with past perfect. It emphasizes the idea that before your arrival, the loss had already occurred.

Shouldn’t "cuando" trigger the subjunctive?

Only when referring to an anticipated or future event: "Cuando lleguemos, ella ya habrá perdido el recibo." In past time with known events, you use the indicative: "cuando llegamos."

Could I use the imperfect "llegábamos" instead of "llegamos"?

"Cuando llegábamos" means "while we were arriving/approaching" (background, ongoing action). It can work if you want that nuance: "Cuando llegábamos, ella ya había perdido el recibo." Most of the time, the punctual arrival point is better captured by the preterite "llegamos."

What about "se le había perdido el recibo"? How is that different?

"Se le había perdido el recibo (a ella)" uses the accidental "se" construction. It frames the loss as something that happened to her (less blame/agency). "Ella había perdido el recibo" presents her as the agent. Both are correct; choose based on tone.

Why "había" and not "habían"?

Here "haber" is an auxiliary that agrees with the subject: "ella había." If the subject were plural, you’d use "habían": "Ellos ya habían perdido el recibo." Don’t confuse this with existential "haber" (there was/there were), which is always singular in the past: "Había dos recibos."

Can I say "Al llegar, ella ya había perdido el recibo"?

Yes. "Al llegar" = "upon arriving." It’s a concise alternative to "Cuando llegamos" and works well with the past perfect here.

Could I express the idea with "tener" instead of "perder"?

Yes, with a slightly different focus: "Cuando llegamos, ella ya no tenía el recibo" (she no longer had it). "Ya había perdido" highlights the loss event; "ya no tenía" highlights the resulting state. Both are natural depending on what you want to emphasize.