Past Perfect - Past perfect tense in English. Past Perfect Tense - Past Perfect Tense
The Past Perfect Tense, also pluperfect tense, is used for an action that happened before another. Very often used with . Learn how to conjugate the past perfect tense in English, and learn the rules, examples, and uses of the Past Perfect. After the rules, you can do exercises to test your grammar skills. In Russian, we pronounce this time [paste perfect] - English transcription.
Text on the topic Past Perfect. Read and pay attention to the underlined words.
I had never seen such beautiful sights before I visited Cardiff in 2013. I had saved money for 4 years before I booked my trip to Cardiff. I was very excited! Before my trip to Cardiff, I had never been out of Germany.
When I went to Cardiff, I spent many days touring that wonderful city. The city was not so big. Sometimes I got lost and asked for directions. I asked for directions in English. That was easy because I had studied English for 3 years before I visited Cardiff.
By the time I left Cardiff, I had toured many beautiful places. National Museum of Cardiff, Cardiff Castle, Wales Millennium Centre. Before I visited Cardiff, I had only seen those places on television.
Past Perfect Education Rules
The Past Perfect is formed using the Past Indefinite auxiliary verb to have and Participle II (past participle) of the semantic verb.
Formula:
Cases of using Past Perfect
Let's look at the rules of use and examples of sentences in the Past Perfect, which will help you understand the use of this difficult tense in English.
1. An action in the past that happened before a certain moment in the past or an action happened before another
example:
— The party had already started by the time I arrived - By the time I arrived, the party had already begun. (The past action happened before the other).
Rob had finished by 9 o'clock - Rob finished by 9 o'clock. (An action in the past that happened before someone at a certain point in the past).
— Abby missed the end of the film because she had fallen asleep - Abby missed the end of the movie because she fell asleep.
— I had finished most of the work by the time my boss arrived - I had finished most of the work by the time my boss arrived.
2. As seen in the examples above, the Past Perfect is usually used in conjunction with
example:
— I had sold my apartment before I moved to London - I sold my apartment before I moved to London.
— I went outside as I had heard a strange noise - I went outside because I heard a strange sound.
— My mother was so angry because I hadn't done the shopping for her - My mom was so angry because I didn't shop for her.
— I had never seen such beautiful sights before I visited Cardiff in 2013 - I have never seen such beautiful sights before visiting Cardiff in 2013.
3. Completed actions in the past that have a visible result in the past
example:
— He was sad because he had missed the train - He was sad because he missed the train. (Visible result in the past; he was sad).
— She was pleased because she had been given the job - She was happy because she got the job.
4. Past Perfect is the equivalent
example:
Lauren can't find her keys. She has lost it - Laurent can't find his keys. She lost them. (Present Perfect).
Lauren couldn't find her keys. She had lost it - Laurent couldn't find her watch. She lost them. (Past perfect).
— There was no juice left because Ted had drunk it all - Juice ran out because Ted drank it all.
5. Two actions that happened in the past and we need to show which happened first
example:
—When I left the house, I realized that I had forgotten my keys - When I left the house, I realized that I forgot my keys. (The first action - I forgot the keys; at first I forgot them, then I went out and remembered).
— After I had finished digging the garden I decided to go for a walk - After I finished digging in the garden, I decided to go for a walk. (The first action is had finished).
— I lent Betty some money only after she had promised to give it back the next day - I borrowed some money from Betty only after she promised that she would return it the next day. (First action - had promised).
6. The Past Perfect Tense in indirect speech
Usually the past perfect is used in indirect speech when the verb is in the past form.
example:
— “I had a brilliant time,” Mr Jones said - Mr. Jones said: “I had a great time.”
— Mr Jones said that he had had a brilliant time - Mr. Jones said he had a great time.
— No one told me that the mall had closed Nobody told me that the mall was closed.
7. The past perfect often refers to situations that have changed.
In colloquial speech had often emphasized.
example:
A: What are you going to do this evening? – What are you going to do tonight?
-B:I had wanted to go to a bar but look at the weather! I wanted to go to a bar, but look at the weather! (We focus on the verb had and the meaning is: now I have changed my mind about going to a bar).
8. Past Perfect in conditional sentences of the 3rd type
example:
— He wouldn't have missed the meeting if he had been on time - He wouldn't miss the meeting if he was on time. (But he didn't show up on time, so he missed the meeting.)
We use this type of conditional when we regret something or cannot change the situation in the present, because in the past, the action was not performed.
9. Past Perfect is used with hardly…when, scarcely…when, no sooner…than, barely…when
Often they are used when one event immediately follows another.
example:
— I had hardly arrived to work when it started to hail - I had barely arrived at work when the hail began.
— We had scarcely finished eating when the doorbell rang - We had barely finished eating when the doorbell rang.
— She had barely won the competition when her fans started to clap - She had barely won the competition when her fans started clapping.
— I had no sooner turned my new computer on than it went down - I didn't have time to turn on my new computer when it broke down.
- In order to emphasize, the word order can be changed.
Compare:
— Hardly had I arrived to work when it started to hail - As soon as I arrived at work, the hail began.
— scarcely had we finished eating when the doorbell rang - As soon as we finished eating, the doorbell rang.
— Barely had she won the competitions when her fans started to clap - As soon as she won the competition, her fans began to clap.
— No sooner had I turned my new computer on than it went down - Before I could turn on my new computer, it broke down.
Remember that hardly, hardly, scarcely are followed by when. No sooner is used with than.(Sooner is a comparative form of soon).
10. Three conjunctions are used with this tense
These unions are very often found in dialogues, books, newspapers. Past Perfect is introduced by conjunctions such as when, before, after. They help us recognize the past perfect tense.
example:
— Liza had left when Henry arrived.
or
—Henry arrived when Liza had left.
- take notes:
The most common mistake with the Past Perfect Simple is that this tense is overused or used when we are talking about the distant past.
For example, native speakers won't say that:
— The Romans had spoken Latin - The Romans spoke Latin.
But it's best to say:
— The Romans spoke Latin.
Because it describes a past event, not an event before another past event.
Verbs that cause confusion
A verb combination that often causes confusion in the Simple Past Perfect is Had Had.
For example:
— He had had enough to eat but he wanted an ice-cream anyway.
The first had is an auxiliary verb, in English Auxiliary or helping verb. The second verb had is in the past participle, that is, the past participle. This sentence can be written in English like this:
- Even though he ate enough, he wanted an ice-cream after that - Despite the fact that he ate, he wanted ice cream.
Marker words (pointer words) in Past Perfect
Signal words help us recognize what tense is used in a sentence. The clue words for the past perfect tense are listed below:
For, since, already, after, just, never, yet, not yet, once, before, by, by the time.
Some satellite words of the Past Perfect are the same as for. The difference is that the auxiliary words for the past perfect refer to the past tense, not the present.
Example sentences with words with time markers:
— He had already eaten by the time we arrived - By the time we arrived, he had already eaten.
— I had never been out of Germany - I have never been outside of Germany.
— He had cooked dinner before Ann came - He cooked dinner before Anna came.
Sentence forms in Past Perfect
To conjugate the past perfect tense in English, we follow the rule: had + past participle. The tables below show examples of affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences. Be sure to pay attention to the abbreviated forms that are often used in colloquial speech.
Affirmative sentences
The affirmative form in English is built according to the scheme:
Subject + had + verb 3 + Rest of sentence
| Who? Who? | Form of verb (verb form) | Examples (examples) |
| I | had + Verb 3 | I had cleaned the floor |
| He/She/It | had + Verb 3 | He had crashed into a tree She had saved money It had lost the wallet |
| You | had + Verb 3 | You had seen the city |
| We | had + Verb 3 | We had found a coin |
| They | had + Verb 3 | They had ridden a bike |
Negative sentences
The formula for the formation of negative sentences in Past Perfect:
Subject + had + not + verb 3 + Rest of sentence.
Remember that the particle not comes after the auxiliary verb.
| Who? Who? | Form of verb (verb form) | Examples (examples) |
| I | had + not + Verb 3 | I had not been cleaned the floor |
| He/She/It | had + not + Verb 3 | He had not crashed into a tree She had not saved money It had not lost the wallet |
| You | had + not + Verb 3 | You had not seen the city |
| We | had + not + Verb 3 | We had not been found a coin |
| They | had + not + Verb 3 | They had not ridden a bike |
Abbreviated form of negative sentences:
— I hadn't crashed into a tree.
Interrogative sentences
In Past Perfect interrogative sentences, the auxiliary verb comes before the subject.
| verb to have | Who? Who? | Form of verb (verb form) | Examples (examples) |
| Had | I | Verb 3 | Had I cleaned the floor? |
| Had | He/She/It | Verb 3 | Had he crashed into a tree? Had she saved money? Had it lost the wallet? |
| Had | You | Verb 3 | Had you seen the city? |
| Had | We | Verb 3 | Had we found a coin? |
| Had | They | Verb 3 | Had they ridden a bike? |
Shortened interrogative-negative form:
— Had they not ridden a bike?
— Hadn't they ridden a bike?
Difference between Past Simple and Past Perfect
We use to describe events in chronological order. Past Perfect [paste perfect] we use to describe that one of the events happened before. Compare two sentences:
— When he arrived, his wife left– When he arrived, his wife left (She left after his arrival).
— When he arrived, his wife had left– When he arrived, his wife left (She left before he arrived).
A detailed article that will reveal the topic - The difference between Past Simple and Past Perfect
General Table Past Perfect
| Offer types | PAST PERFECT |
| Affirmative sentence | S + had + V.3 (past participle) S- subject |
| Negative sentence | S + had not (hadn't) + V.3 (past participle) S- subject |
| Interrogative sentence (general question) | Had + S + V.3…?(past participle) S- subject WH-why, where, when, etc. |
| Special question | WH + had + S + V.3 + …? S- subject WH-why, where, when, etc. |
Exercises and answers for Past Perfect
Do past perfect tests to reinforce the material. In order to better remember new words and rules, we advise you to write all the exercises in a notebook.
Exercise 1. Open parenthesis. And write which action started first.
1. When she (leave) the house, she (realise) that she (forget) her keys.
First action is…
2. When I (see) Olga (realise) that I (meet) her before.
First action is…
3. Sara (start) studying after Sam (leave).
First action is…
4. They kept arguing about the money their mother (leave) them in her will when she (die).
First action is…
5. After I (finish) my homework I (decide) to go for a walk.
First action is…
Answers. Answers to the exercise:
1. left, realized, had forgotten. First action was forgotten
2. saw, realized, had met: had met
3. started, had left: had left
4. had left, died: had left
5 had finished, decided: had finished
Exercise 2. Expand the brackets using Past Simple or Past Perfect
1. I was worried because Peter (not call) yet.
2. I was so worried that I (call) Peter.
3. She (go) to the market and (buy) some vegetables.
4. Nancy (be) in a hospital for five weeks before she fully recovered.
5. My brother was upset because he (fail) the exam.
6. They got on the motorbike and (drive) away.
7. Nobody (know) where Ryan (put) the front door key.
8. I (be) 21 and I (just/leave) college.
9. When I (arrive), the show (start/already).
10. There were no sweets left when I came back. My sister (eat) them.
Answers. Answers to the exercise:
1. hadn't called
2. called
3. went, bought
4. had been
5.had failed
6. drove
7. knew, had put
8. was, had just left
9. arrived, had already started
10. had eaten
Exercise 3. Put the sentences in the interrogative and negative forms.
1. They (not practice) enough, so they lost the match.
2. When I came home, Ted (not paint) the walls yet.
3. The parrot flew away because my little brother (not close) the window.
4. I went to the country which I (not visit) before.
5. My parents (never go) to the UK either.
6. you (hear) the news before they told you?
7. What did she (find) before she cried?
8. you (finish) drinking your tea when Rob came?
9. she (have) breakfast before she left the flat?
10. Why Lucy (not clean) the kitchen before her mother-in-law came?
Answers. Answers to the exercise:
1. hadn't practiced
2. hadn't painted
3. hadn't closed
4. hadn't visited
5. had never gone
6. had you heard
7. had she found
8. had you finished
9. had she had
10. hadn't Lucy cleaned
Without violating tradition, we suggest that you make 5, and preferably 10 sentences in Past Perfect Tense. Don't forget to share your achievements in the comments below the article.
What is Past Perfect in English?
This is the time that shows that some action happened before another. Imagine that you woke up in the morning, had breakfast and decided to go to the mall. As you got closer to the car, you saw that someone had written on the window: Your soul was here.
And when you tell this story to your friends, then you will need exactly this time, which is described in this article. It might sound like this in English:
— I had a quick cup of black coffee, got dressed and went out to the car. When I drew up closer to the car, I saw that someone had defaced my windscreen.
This way, your friends will be able to understand that someone messed up your windshield at some point in the past before you saw it.
Watch clips from films on our YouTube channel, how actors use the Past Perfect.
Past Perfect (past perfect) is used to refer to an action that took place before a certain point in the past.
Education Past Perfect Tense
The Past Perfect is formed with the help of the auxiliary verb to have in the past tense (had) and the past participle of the semantic verb. This form of the verb is also called the "third form of the verb" and is conventionally denoted as V3 (verb 3). For regular verbs, this is the infinitive with the ending -ed, for irregular verbs, it is the third column in the Table of Irregular Verbs.
The general formula looks like this:
had + V3
I had played.
He had played.
Interrogative form: did + subject + V3:
Had I played?
Had he played?
In a special question, the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject, and the necessary interrogative pronoun is used before the auxiliary verb:
Where had I played?
Why had he played?
With whom had you played?
In a question to the subject, an interrogative pronoun who placed before the predicate instead of the subject itself:
Who had played?
Negative form: had + not + V3:
I had not played.
He had not played.
Interrogative-negative form: had + subject + not + V3 or hadn "t + subject + V3:
Had I not played? = Hadn"t I played?
Had he not played? = Hadn"t he played?
In colloquial speech, the following abbreviations are used:
had = 'd
had not = hadn't = 'd not
I "d play ed.
He hadn't played ed.
He "d not play ed.
Hadn't we played ed?
| affirmative form | negative form |
|---|---|
| I had played He (she, it) had play ed We had play ed You had play ed They had play ed | I had not play ed He (she, it) had not play ed We had not play ed You had not played They had not play ed |
| Interrogative form | Interrogative-negative form |
| Had I play ed ? Had he (she, it) play ed ? Had we play ed ? Had you play ed ? Had they play ed ? | Had I not play ed ? Had he (she, it) not play ed ? Had we not play ed ? Had you not play ed ? Had they not play ed? |
Using Past Perfect Tense
Past Perfect is used:
1. To express a past action that took place before a certain moment in the past. It is also called "prepast tense" because a past action took place before another past action. To indicate such a moment in the past, use:
a) by ten o "clock by ten o'clock,by that time, by the 11th of April by April 11, by April by April etc.:
My son had done the homework by 8 o "clock. The son did his homework by eight o'clock.
By June he had already come. By June he was back.
b) another past action that took place later (in Past Simple):
He knew that they had left the city. He learned that they had left the city. (first left, and then found out)
The rain had stopped when we reached the town. The rain stopped when we got to the city.
c) context:
While we were playing in the yard, we became hungry. It was great that I had taken some sandwiches. While we were playing football, we got hungry. Thank God I brought sandwiches with me!
When listing actions, they are used in Past Simple despite the fact that some actions happened before others:
He took the newspaper, sat down on the chair and started reading. He took the newspaper, sat down on a chair and began to read.
2. In the subordinate clause after the union after and when as after :
After the rain had stopped, we went for a walk. After the rain stopped, we went for a walk.
3. In the main clause, when the subordinate clause begins with a unionbefore, before, because The action in the main clause happened before the action in the clause:
We had prepared supper before our mom returned. We had already cooked dinner before my mother returned.
3. To express a long-term action that began in the past and continued until a certain moment in the past or at a moment. The proposal must contain prepositions since with or for .
a) with verbs that are not used in Continuous (for more details, see Verbs without Continuos forms):
He had been away for several months before his first letter came. Before the first letter came from him, he had already been absent for several months.
b) with some verbs instead of Past Perfect Continuous, if the speaker wants to focus not on the duration, but on the fact of the action.
The Ivanovs had lived in Moscow for five years when I met them. The Ivanovs had been living in Moscow for five years when I met them.(important fact)
The Ivanovs had been living in Moscow for five years when I met them. The Ivanovs had been living in Moscow for five years when I met them.(duration, process is important)
4. With adverbs:
hardly ... when
scarcely ... when barely... how
no sooner ... when
At the same time, in the following subordinate clause, Past Simple is used:
Had hardly (scarcely) come, when the film
Such sentences, as a rule, have an emphatic meaning and are used with inversion.
Hardly had he come, when the film started. As soon as he arrived, the film began.
Cases of using Past Perfect Tense
1. An action that took place up to a certain point in the past.
2. After unions after and when in the meaning of after
3. In the main clause, the subordinate clause of which begins with before.
4. A long action that began in the past and continued until a certain moment in the past or at the moment (instead of Past Perfect Continuous)
5. In a complex sentence with hardly ... when, etc. adverbs.
Past perfect (Paste perfect) - past perfect tense in English. At its core, it almost repeats Present perfect, but there are 3 differences:
1. Present perfect is used in simple sentences,
Past perfect - in complex-subordinate(i.e. consisting of 2 parts).
2. Present perfect is formed with "have",
Past perfect - using "had":
Present Perfect
 |
past perfect
 |
The secret to understanding the Past perfect lies in the verb "had". Becoming auxiliary, "had" loses its meaning "had" and acquires the meaning "already". You can read more about past perfect education on the page past tense education in English.
Rule 1 The task of the Past Perfect is to show the sequence of events. The event that happened first in time is used in the Past Perfect. The one that happened second is in Paste simple. If you use the Past simple in both parts of the sentence, it is not always clear which event happened first. Let's demonstrate this with examples.
Consider one proposal in three options:
The first time - without using the Past perfect,
the second and third - using the past perfect in different parts of the sentences.
| first part of the sentence | second part of the sentence | |
| She prepared dinner | when he came home. | |
| She cooked dinner | when he came home. | |
| come-came-come (3 forms of irregular verb) |
||
| past simple | past simple | |
|
The sequence of events is not clear. With the use of the past perfect, the sequence of events became clear: |
||
| She had prepared dinner | when he came home. | |
| She's already cooked dinner | when he came home. | |
| past perfect | past simple | |
| She prepared dinner | when he had come home. | |
| She cooked dinner | when he came home. | |
| come-came-come | ||
| past simple | past perfect | |
Rule 2 There is a situation where the past perfect tense cannot be replaced by any other tense. It occurs in sentences with the word "if", but not always, but only in past tense. In English grammar, this situation is called subjunctive in the past tense (conditional 3). In practice, it is quite rare.
Time Past perfect tense in the system of all past tenses demonstrates the following video:
The following illustrated table will help you to see the place Past perfect among 4 types of past tenses "
past perfect is used when it is important for the speaker to emphasize the completion of the action up to a certain point in the past, therefore, in the bulk of sentences where this time is used, there are clear temporal indicators - you should pay attention to this if you are faced with the task of setting the desired type of tense form. But, let's talk about everything in order.
Using the Past Perfect
past perfect used to express:
- Actions that started and ended before a moment in the past. A moment can be indicated by time, another action, or a situation.
Jessica had finished her essay by then. By that time, Jessica had finished the composition.
Natalie felt wretched. She hadn't slept well for two nights. Natalie felt overwhelmed. She hadn't slept well the last two nights.
After everybody had left, Susan began packing hurriedly. After everyone left, Susan began to pack her things in a hurry.
- Sequential actions preceding a moment in the past.
Suddenly Luis realized that someone had opened the gate and had put a letter on the lawn. Suddenly Lewis realized that someone had opened the gate and placed the letter on the lawn.
Using the Past Perfect instead of the Past Perfect Continuous.
Also on the site there is a translation into Russian.
Past Perfect Tense is translated as "past perfect tense".
We use this tense to say that an action in the past has ended. to or before some time in the past.
For example:
When I watched the series, I went to bed.
What was the first action? First I watched the series, and then went to bed. That is by that time, When I went to bed, I already watched the series.
To show that the first action ended before the second happened, the Past Perfect must be used in the first part of the sentence.
In other words, we use the Past Perfect to show the sequence of actions, that is, what one past action happened before another.
Look at the picture:
That is, by the time I watched the movie (second act), I had already read the book (first act).
Bonus: Do you want to learn English tenses easily? Sign up and find out how easy it is to learn tenses and start speaking English in 1 month using the ESL method!
As you can see, it is not difficult to understand and remember this time. Now let's figure out how to form such sentences correctly.
Formation of the Past Perfect tense in English
The Past Perfect is formed using had(this is the past tense form of the verb have) and the past tense of the verb.
Verbs in the past tense
There are regular and irregular verbs in English. Depending on the verb, this form is formed as follows:
- if the verb is correct, then we add the ending -ed to it: cook - cooked, finish - finished.
- if the verb is irregular, then we put it in the 3rd form: do - done, eat - eaten
There is no rule by which one can determine the correct or irregular verb in front of us. The only way to find out is by looking it up in a dictionary or memorizing it.
The same is true for the forms of irregular verbs. They must be memorized or looked up in a dictionary.
Past Perfect Time Formation Scheme:
Actor + had + regular -ed verb or 3rd form of an irregular verb
| I | ||
| You | ||
| We | done | |
| They | had | worked |
| She | played | |
| He | ||
| It |
Important: Usually The past perfect is used in complex two-part sentences. Moreover, we use the Past Perfect in the part of the sentence that refers to the action that happened first (before the other).
In another part, the time is most often used Past simple - past simple.
The two parts of the sentence are connected by the words:
after- after
before- before
when- when
by the time- by that time
She had done her homework before he called.
She had done her homework before he called.
After they had eaten breakfast they went to work.
After breakfast, they went to work.
Abbreviations
We can abbreviate had in a sentence. It will look like this:
had = 'd
I 'd cooked dinner when they arrived.
I cooked dinner when they arrived.
Negative sentences in Past Perfect in English
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To make the sentence negative, you need to add the negative particle not to the auxiliary verb had.
The outline of such a proposal would be:
Actor + had + not + regular -ed verb or 3rd form of an irregular verb
| I | |||
| You | |||
| We | done | ||
| They | had | not | worked |
| She | played | ||
| He | |||
| It |
He had not worked before he graduated from an university.
He didn't work until he graduated from university.
We had not read the book before we went to bed.
We didn't read this book before we went to bed.
Reduction
We can abbreviate had and not as follows:
had + not = hadn't
For example:
I hadn't called him before he wrote me.
I didn't call him before he texted.
Interrogative sentences with Past Perfect in English
To form an interrogative sentence, you need to put the auxiliary verb had in the first place. The outline of such a proposal would be:
Had + character + regular -ed verb or 3rd form of an irregular verb?
| I | ||
| you | ||
| we | done? | |
| Had | they | worked? |
| she | played? | |
| he | ||
| it |
Had they finished work before they left?
Did they finish work before leaving?
Had he drunk coffee before he went to work?
Did he drink coffee before he went to work?
So, we have analyzed the theory, and now let's move on to practice.
Reinforcement task
Translate the following sentences into English:
1. I watched TV after reading a book.
2. She had breakfast before going to school.
3. They got married before they bought a house.
4. When the rain stopped, we went for a walk.
5. We went to the cinema after we had dinner.
6. He went home after finishing work.