Él había guardado la cartera dentro del cajón.

He had put the wallet inside the drawer.

Breakdown of Él había guardado la cartera dentro del cajón.

• él: he
• el cajón: the drawer
• dentro de: inside
• la cartera: the wallet

Questions & Answers about Él había guardado la cartera dentro del cajón.

Do I need to include the subject pronoun Él, or can I drop it?

You can drop it. Spanish usually omits subject pronouns because the verb form shows the subject. Había guardado... is fine. Keep Él if you need emphasis, contrast, or to avoid ambiguity.

What tense is había guardado, and when is it used?

It’s the past perfect (pluscuamperfecto): imperfect of haber + past participle. Use it for an action completed before another time or action in the past, often with cues like cuando, ya, antes de.

Could I just use the simple past (guardó) instead?

Yes, if you’re simply reporting a completed past action: Él guardó la cartera en el cajón. Use había guardado when you want to place that action prior to another past reference point.

How do I form the past perfect?

Imperfect of haber (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) + past participle (here, guardado). The participle does not change for gender/number in this construction.

Should guardado agree with la cartera (i.e., be guardada)?