Anticipated actions in the past
When recounting past events, you often need to describe an action that was anticipated but hadn't happened yet—like braving the elements to wait for an exclusive sneaker drop.
Just as you use the present subjunctive for future anticipated actions, you must shift back a step in time to the imperfect subjunctive when the main action is in the past.
Use this pattern after temporal conjunctions like hasta que (until) to show that a past action continued up to an anticipated point in time.
| The guys kept waiting outdoors until the store opened. | Los chicos siguieron esperando a la intemperie hasta que abriera la tienda. |
| They decided to stay awake all night outdoors until they got the edition. | Decidieron desvelarse a la intemperie hasta que consiguieran la edición. |
Actions with "antes de que"
The conjunction antes de que (before) inherently sets up an anticipated action, so it always triggers the subjunctive. In a past-tense narrative, follow it with the imperfect subjunctive.
| They wanted to buy some sought-after shoes before people packed the street. | Querían comprar unos zapatos cotizados antes de que la gente abarrotara la calle. |
| The crowd packed the sidewalk before they sold the sought-after shoes. | La multitud abarrotó la acera antes de que vendieran los zapatos cotizados. |
Actions with "cuando"
Follow the exact same backshifting rule for cuando (when). If someone in the past planned or expected to do something when another event finally occurred, the anticipated event takes the imperfect subjunctive.
| Their plan was to buy the shoes for resale when the doors opened. | Su plan era comprar los zapatos para la reventa cuando abrieran las puertas. |
| They were going to scream with euphoria when they showed the exclusive design. | Iban a gritar con euforia cuando mostraran el diseño exclusivo. |