er einen Fehler gemacht hatte

he had made a mistake

→ er
phrase Rare #49,159
he had made a mistake Describes a mistake made before another event in the past.
GE: Er sagte, dass er einen Fehler gemacht hatte.
EN: He said that he had made a mistake.

Tom weigerte sich zuzugeben, dass er einen Fehler gemacht hatte.

Tom refused to admit that he had made a mistake.

Er bemerkte, dass er einen Fehler gemacht hatte.

He realized he had made a mistake.

Tom merkte, dass er einen Fehler gemacht hatte.

Tom realized he had made a mistake.

Tom bemerkte, dass er einen Fehler gemacht hatte.

Tom realized he had made a mistake.