Learn Spanish (Latin America): Se había diseñado una cometa muy aerodinámica. - A very aerodynamic kite had been designed.

Se había diseñado una cometa muy aerodinámica.

A very aerodynamic kite had been designed.

Breakdown of Se había diseñado una cometa muy aerodinámica.

(impersonal) one / passive marker

haber

(auxiliary) have

Questions & Answers about Se había diseñado una cometa muy aerodinámica.

Why is it una cometa here? Doesn't cometa mean "comet" and take the masculine el?

Cometa is a noun whose meaning changes depending on its gender. El cometa (masculine) means "the comet" in space. However, la cometa (feminine), as used in this sentence, means "the kite". Because it is feminine here, the adjective also takes the feminine form: aerodinámica.

Is se había diseñado an example of the passive se or the impersonal se?

This is the passive se. The easiest way to tell is that the verb agrees with the noun receiving the action (una cometa). If multiple kites had been designed, the verb would change to plural to match: se habían diseñado unas cometas. The impersonal se is always singular and doesn't change to match a noun.

Why is the subject (una cometa) placed after the verb?

With passive se constructions, the subject usually comes after the verb in Spanish, especially when introducing a new piece of information. While Una cometa se había diseñado is technically understood, Se había diseñado una cometa sounds much more natural to native speakers.

What tense is había diseñado and how does it translate?