Question 1

Why is había descubierto (had discovered) used here instead of the simple past?

Accepted Answer

This sentence uses reported speech. The reporting verb, confirmó (confirmed), is in the past. When you report an action that happened before that past moment, the original past tense shifts a step further back into the past perfect (había + past participle). The prosecutor originally said something like "I discovered" (descubrí) or "I have discovered" (he descubierto). When reported later, this shifts to "he had discovered" (había descubierto).

Question 2

Wait, why is the past participle descubierto and not "descubrido"?

Accepted Answer

The verb descubrir (to discover) is irregular in its past participle form. It follows the same pattern as cubrir (to cover), which becomes cubierto, and abrir (to open), which becomes abierto.

Question 3

How do we know había means "he had" rather than "I had" here?

Accepted Answer

The form había is used for "I", "he", "she", and "you" (formal). In this sentence, the context tells us it refers back to el fiscal (the prosecutor). If the speaker meant that they themselves discovered the motive, they would have added the pronoun yo for clarity: confirmó que yo había descubierto....

Question 4

Does the meaning change if I say el verdadero motivo instead of el motivo verdadero?

Accepted Answer

The meaning stays the same, but the emphasis shifts slightly. Putting verdadero before the noun makes it sound a bit more dramatic or subjective, like saying "the TRUE motive." Leaving it after the noun, as in this sentence, is the standard, neutral way to describe it.

El fiscal confirmó que había descubierto el motivo verdadero.

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