Past Perfect
The earlier of two past actions: “She had left.”
Practice Past Perfect freeThe lesson
When do we use it?
Use the Past Perfect for an action that happened before another action in the past.
- When I reached the station, the train had left. (the train left first)
- She was tired because she had worked all day.
- I hadn't seen him before that day.
How do we form it?
had + past participle (same for all subjects)
| Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| She had left | She hadn't left | Had she left? |
Which action is first?
Two past actions: the earlier one uses the past perfect, the later one uses the simple past.
I had eaten before he arrived.
Useful words
before, after, by the time, already, just, when, because
Time words
before that, by 6 p.m. yesterday, already, never before
Common Past Perfect mistakes
When I arrived, the film has started.
When I arrived, the film had started.
Use had + past participle for the earlier action.
She had went home.
She had gone home.
Use the past participle (gone), not went.
He didn't had eaten.
He hadn't eaten.
The negative is had not / hadn't + past participle.
Did they had left?
Had they left?
Put had before the subject to make a question.
After I finished had, I went out.
After I had finished, I went out.
The earlier action takes the past perfect.
Practice questions like these
Pick the right form. In the app you get instant checking, hints and your score.
1.She failed the test because she for it.
- hadn't studied
- hasn't studied
- didn't studied
- hadn't study
2.When I reached the station, the train already.
- was leave
- leaves
- has left
- had left
3.By the time we arrived, they dinner.
- finishing
- had finished
- had finish
- have finished