Cuando + indicative for past events in Spanish (subordinate time clauses)

Written by qualified Spanish expert Inma Sánchez BA

Last updated: 2023-08-21

Take the fastest path to fluent Spanish

Cuando + Spanish past tenses in the indicative

Cuando is always used with past tenses in the indicative to express "when something happened/has happened/had happened". We understand that these actions actually took place, there is no doubt about it.

For example:

María se enfadó mucho cuando Marcos llegó a casa muy tarde.María got cross when Marcos arrived home very late.

Marta solía pasar el verano en Torremolinos cuando era pequeña.Marta used to spend the summer in Torremolinos when she was a little girl.

Cuando mi novio ha llegado a casa, yo le he ofrecido un café.When my boyfriend arrived home, I offered him a coffee.

Mi madre me llamó por teléfono cuando yo ya me había acostado.My mum rang me when I had already gone to bed.

Cuando + subjunctive in Spanish

If we use past tenses in the subjunctive with cuando, then we are not referring to past events but future or hypothetical events.

Here are some examples:

Cuando hayas vuelto de Londres podrás practicar más tu inglés.When you return from London you will be able to practice your English more. (future event)

Ella te habría perdonado cuando tú le hubieras pedido perdón.She would have forgiven you when you had apologised to her. (hypothetical situation)

Dijo que me llamaría cuando llegara al hotel.He said he'd call me when he arrives at the hotel. (future/hypothetical event)

None of the above refer to actions that actually happened in the past.

Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics

Examples and resources