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Fingía comer el caviar como si lo hubiera probado antes.

Fingía comer el caviar como si lo hubiera probado antes.
He pretended to eat the caviar as if he had tried it before.
From Lesson 301:Hypothetical past comparisons (como si hubiera)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Fingía comer el caviar como si lo hubiera probado antes.

Why is hubiera probado used here instead of the imperfect subjunctive (probara)?
The phrase como si (as if) always requires a past subjunctive. We use the past perfect subjunctive (hubiera probado) because the hypothetical action of trying the caviar happened before the main action of pretending (fingía). If he were hypothetically tasting it for the first time in that exact moment, you would use the imperfect subjunctive: como si lo probara.
Could I use hubiese probado instead of hubiera probado in this sentence?
Yes. Both hubiera and hubiese are completely valid forms of the auxiliary verb. In Latin America, hubiera is much more common in everyday speech, but you will still encounter hubiese in literature or formal contexts. They mean exactly the same thing.
Why is the main verb fingía in the imperfect tense rather than the preterite?
We use the imperfect fingía because the pretending was an ongoing, continuous action in the past, setting the background scene of the meal. If we used the preterite (fingió), it would imply a single, sudden, and completed instance of pretending rather than a continuous behavior.
Why does comer not need a preposition like a or de before it?
The verb fingir (to pretend) connects directly to a following infinitive without needing any preposition. So, while English uses the word 'to' (pretend to eat), Spanish simply places the infinitive right after the conjugated verb: fingía comer.
Where else could the direct object pronoun lo go in this sentence?
In the second half of the sentence, lo must stay exactly where it is: immediately before the conjugated auxiliary verb hubiera. Although pronouns can sometimes attach to infinitives or gerunds, you can never attach an object pronoun to a past participle like probado.

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