The British are very scrupulous about delimiting periods of time. While Russian grammar is limited to past, present and future tenses, the English language system has divided each of these traditional forms into four more subforms. The result was 12 time groups, with a clearly verified scope of application of each type of structure. Today we will look at the category of the past perfect tense, study its meaning and give examples of use for the past perfect in sentences and dialogues. Despite the fact that there is no analogue to this tense in Russian, the topic does not cause any particular difficulties.

Briefly about the use of Past perfect

The main purpose of this category of time is to express the sequence of events in the past, previous experience. The predicate of the action that ended earlier is put in Perfect Past, and the verb of the second sentence usually has the form Past Simple. The completion of an event can also be expressed by a specific time indicator.

• She remembered that she had met these children before –SheI rememberedWhatshemetthesechildrenearlier.
• I had written this report by 8 o'clock – Iaddedthisreportby 8hours.

In rare situations, the continuous tense may be used instead of the simple past. This is necessary if they want to emphasize the incompleteness of the second action at the time of the end of the events preceding it.

• By that time I had read the book and was watching TV – TOthattimeIfinished readingbookAndalreadywatchedTV.

In sentences with Past Perfect Tense the opposite rule applies. Past form The Perfect Continuous cannot be used with verbs of feelings, possessions, states, relationships, therefore, with such predicates they use the simple past perfect.

• I had owned thecar for 8 years already when I decided tosellit – I had owned this car for 8 years when I decided to sell it.

And the last situation in which it is necessary to use given time, is the presence in a statement of the phrases “ scarcely…when», « nosooner...than», « hardly…when" This sentence is translated into Russian with the words “ barely... how; didn’t have time... how" Please note a slight design change: had comes before the subject.

• Scarcely had she entered the apartments, when the telephone rank – Barelyshecame inVapartment,Howrangtelephone.

Having remembered the cases of using the past perfect, we will consider example sentences and learn how to create such tense constructions ourselves.

Other English topics: If you don’t know how to learn phrasal verbs, read our recommendations

Past perfect examples

In this section, we will analyze the rules and examples of using this tense category in various everyday situations.

So, if we need to compose an expression in the Past Perfect in the form of a statement, then we should use the auxiliary verb had and the third form of the verb, also known as participle II.

In this case, the event that follows in meaning can be in either first or second place.

• It was the best film I (1) had (2) ever watched (3)– It was the best film I've ever seen.

Interrogative sentences require a slight change in construction, namely the addition of an auxiliary had to the fore.

• Had (1) you (2) cleaned(3) the room at 11 o'clock? – Youremovedroomby 11hours?

The so-called general questions are constructed according to this scheme. There are also statements with special interrogative words, negative questions, as well as expressions of doubt. We will not give separate diagrams for them; a little later we will be told about situations of such use of the past perfect, examples given at the end of the material.

Negative sentences do not change the word order of the affirmative phrase, but are also associated with the verb had. To put a negation, add the word not to this verb. Often there is a reduction in shape, and the overall design takes on the appearance of a hadn’t.

• My daughter(1)hadn't(2+3)done(4)her homework yet when I came –MydaughtermoreNotdidmyhomework when I arrived.

Regardless of the type of sentence, many examples of the past perfect often contain tense indications (words) introduced by the words by,since, just, for, already, never,yet,before, until.

Let's consolidate the ability to correctly build this structure by analyzing the most typical examples of its use.

Situation	Translation
No sooner had Mary gone at work than children early to play in the yard.	Before Mary had time to leave for work, the children ran to play in the yard.
Hadn't Jack switched off the TV-set when he left the house?	Didn't Jack turn off the TV when he left the house?
We were surprised when we learned that this movie had won a prize.	We were surprised when we learned that this film won the prize.
I hadn't watched the film by 3 o'clock because the guests arrived.	I hadn’t finished watching the film by three o’clock because guests had arrived.
Yesterday you gave me the beautiful flowers of your garden. Who had grown the flowers? I think you had done it , didn't you ? Yes, I had .	Yesterday you gave me beautiful flowers from your garden. Who grew these flowers? I think you did this, didn't you?
Did you call your girlfriend? I called her, but she hadn't come home yet. Why hadn't she come home yet? (colloquial form) = Why had she not come home yet? (official form) She was very busy with work.	Did you call your friend? I called her, but she hasn't come home yet. Why hasn't she come home yet? She was very busy at work.
Do you speak to your neighbors again? Yes, they apologized for the words that they had said then .	Are you talking to your neighbors again? Yes, they apologized for the words they said then.
Mother had known the truth before I told her it, didn't she ? Yes, she had .	Mom knew the truth before I told her, didn't she? Yes, I knew.
Yesterday we hadn't done this exercise. Translate the text today.	We didn't do this exercise yesterday. Translate text today.
Had your sister cooked a pie or a cake, when you returned? She had cooked a cake and ten muffins.	When you returned, did your sister make a pie or cake? She prepared the cake and 10 cupcakes.
Did they buy their car last week? No, they didn't. They had bought it the week before .	Did they buy their car last week? No, they bought it the week before last.

We looked at examples of various sentences in the past perfect, and learned how to compose them according to grammatical patterns. In order for new information not to be forgotten after 30 minutes, but firmly stuck in our head, it is necessary to do several things. Good luck in improving your English and see you again!

Past Perfect is the past accomplished tense in English. Let us recall that to express events that happened in the past, 4 types of tenses are used in English, while in Russian, for example, only one. And the point is not that the British decided in this way to make it difficult for others to learn such a necessary language in the modern world. The real reason lies elsewhere. To correctly convey the context, you cannot do without the appropriate form of expression. Therefore, each of these four types of time has a specific meaning and is responsible for the essence of the information that needs to be conveyed. First, let's figure out what function the past accomplished tense performs.

So, Past Perfect should be used to convey an event that happened before a specific moment in the past. Below we will talk in detail about the cases in which the Past Perfect is used, and provide examples for a practical understanding of each of them. But first, let's look at the rules for the formation and use of the past perfect tense in each type of sentence.

Declarative sentence

In affirmative sentences, the Past Perfect is formed using the auxiliary verb to have. Its third form is used (had) and the verb in the third form (for irregular) or simply adding the ending -ed to it. The scheme is like this:

Noun + had + verb ending -ed or 3rd form

They had lived in Pyongyang for 5 years before they moved to Rome. – They lived in Tunisia for 5 years, after which they moved to Rome.

Negative sentence

Negative sentences in the perfect tense are formed according to a scheme identical to the narrative one. The only difference is that after the auxiliary verb you need to put the particle not. Scheme:

Noun + had + not + verb in 3rd form or ending in -ed

Example sentence:

Pasha didn’t pass the exams, because he hadn’t thought through his answers. – Pasha did not pass the exams because he did not think through his answers.

Interrogative sentence

Interrogative sentences in the Past Perfect tense are formed by moving the auxiliary verb to the first place, that is, to the beginning. Scheme:

Had + noun + verb (3rd form or -ed ending)

Example question:

Had my sister washed her hands before she sat down at the table? – Did my sister wash her hands before she sat down at the table?

Cases in which it is necessary to use the Past Perfect

1. To explain an action that took place before a designated moment in the past. Depending on how this point is expressed in the sentence, we divide this rule into 2 more cases:

a) if the time is specified accurately. Then the phrase by + time is used. For example:

Jane had finished her project by that time. I had written only three letters by morning.

b) if the moment in the past is expressed by another action. Then we use this moment using Past Indefinite. Remember the main thing - in the Past Perfect there must be the event itself that happened first. These two events will be combined in a sentence using the words:

• when;
• after;
• until;
• before;
• as soon as;
• by the time.

Examples: Unfortunately the snow had not stopped before they arrived to school. Mom had just cooked when I came home.

Important! If the actions are in chronological order, then you need to use the Past Simple!

Anna finished all work and called her husband. – Anna finished all the work and (then) called her husband (chronological order – Past Simple);

Before Anna called her husband she had finished all work. - Before Anna called her husband, she finished all the work (the order is incorrect - Past Perfect).

2. To convey an action that began in the past. In this case, the action continued until a specific or during another moment in the past. This rule is valid for the Past Perfect Continuous, but as an exception there are several situations when the Past Perfect should replace the Past Perfect Continuous. In this case, a specific time or period must always be indicated:

a) in a negative sentence: I heard that Kate and Mike had not met since last September.

b) with state verbs that are not used in the Continuous tenses: to love, to hate, to remember, to forget, to believe, to feel and others:

This beautiful town had belonged to the Republic of Czech Republic until the war.

Important! Verbs that express hope, intention or desire to hope, to expect, to think, to want are used in Past Perfect only when they did not come true:

Betty had hoped we would help her. – Betty hoped that we would help her (but we didn’t).

c) with dynamic verbs that convey a continuous action: to eat, to study, to travel, to write, to burn, to live, to work and others.

Example: By the end of the summer she had learned a new language.

3. In additional parts of a sentence, when you need to convey a future action relative to the past. This means that the action will end before the action of the main sentence occurs. In such sentences there are words: after (after), as soon as (as soon as), until (till), when. Part of Pest Perfect is translated as action in the future tense:

Bob thought that he would come to his nephew as soon as he had done all planned work. Bob thought that he would go to his nephew as soon as he completed all the planned work.

4. For indirect speech when conveying Perfect and Simple tenses:

Betty told she had studied Armenian for 2 years. (Betty told: “I have studied Armenian for 2 years”).

5. In specific verbal constructions. Let's try to parse them:

a) if the action in one part of a complex sentence is not completely completed relative to the action of the other part of this sentence + these actions are connected to each other by the word before:

Bob remembered the secret from the past before he had been with his friends for three days.

Important! The correct (by meaning) translation of this sentence is as follows: Less than three days of communicating with his old friends, Bob remembered a secret from the past. However, the literal translation of the same sentence is: Bob remembered a secret from the past before he was with his friends for three days. Agree, the first translation option is easier to understand and is often used in conversation.

In translation we get sentences like “I didn’t have time and ... how ...” or “It didn’t pass and ... how.” Although in the English original there are no direct correspondences to these words in the sentence.

b) if the event in the Past Perfect is expressed in the main part of a complex sentence in negative form, where the optional part begins with the word when:

They had not gone outside the office when somebody shut the door. Correct translation: Before they could leave the office, someone closed the door. And again we have sentences like “We didn’t have time and... how....”

c) when the sentence contains the following pairs of words:

• hardly...when;
• scarcely...when;
• no sooner...than;
• nearly...when

In this case, the past accomplished tense should be in the main clause, and the past simple should be in the complementary clause:

Jane had hardly left the office when the chief called her. As soon as Jane left the office, her boss called her. In translation, words such as “Only”, “Barely” or the phrases “Didn’t have time and ..., how” appear in the sentence.

Let’s not forget about the perfect tense marker words:

• already;
• just;
• never;

They will help you “recognize” the Past Perfect when reading, speaking and writing.

Do you want to learn English? Ours will help you do this.

The Past Perfect Tense, as well as the pluperfect tense, is used for actions 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 [past perfect] - English transcription.

Text on the topic Past Perfect. Read and pay attention to the highlighted 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.

Rules for the formation of Past Perfect

The Past Perfect is formed using the Past Indefinite auxiliary verb to have and Participle II (past participle) of the semantic verb.

Formula:

Uses of Past Perfect

Let's look at the rules of use and example sentences in the Past Perfect, which will help you understand the use of this non-simple tense in English.

1. An action in the past that occurred before some specific moment in the past or an action occurred 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 specific 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 finished most of the work by the time my boss arrived.

2. As can be seen in the examples above, the Past Perfect is usually used together with

Example:

-I had sold my apartment before I moved to London – I sold my apartment before I left for 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 mother was so angry because I didn’t do the shopping for her.
-I had never seen such beautiful sights before I visited Cardiff in 2013 – I had 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 was late for 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 cannot 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 – The 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 had forgotten my keys. (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. (First action – had finished).
-I tape Betty some money only after she had promised to give it back the next day – I lent some money to 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 tense 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 shopping center 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 the 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 the bar).

8. Past Perfect in conditional sentences of the 3rd type

Example:

- No wouldn't have missed the meeting if he had been on time – He would not have missed the meeting if he had been on time. (But he didn’t show up on time, so he missed the meeting.)

We use this type of conditional sentence 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 conjunctions hardly…when, scarcely…when, no sooner…than, barely…when

They are often used when one event follows immediately after another.

Example:

- I had hardly arrived to work when it started to hail – I barely arrived at work when the hail started.
- We had scarcely finished eating when the doorbell rang – We had barely finished eating when the doorbell rang.
- She had Barely won the competitions when her fans started to clap – She 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.

• To add emphasis, the order of words can be changed.

Compare:

—Hardly had I arrived to work when it started to hail – As soon as I arrived at work, the hail started.
— Scarcely had we finished eating when the doorbell rang – We had barely finished eating when the doorbell rang.
—Barely had she won the competitions when her fans started to clap – As soon as she won the competition, her fans started clapping.
— 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 after the adverbs hardly, barely, scarcely comes when. No sooner is used with than.(Sooner is the comparative form of soon).

10. Three conjunctions are used with this tense.

These conjunctions are very often found in dialogues, books, and newspapers. The Past Perfect is introduced by such conjunctions 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 note:

The most common mistake with the Past Perfect Simple is that this tense is overused or used when 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:

- No 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 was full, he wanted ice cream.

Word markers (words of indicators) in the Past Perfect

Signal words help us recognize which tense is used in a sentence. Word clues for the past perfect tense are listed below:
For, since, already, after, just, never, yet, not yet, once, before, by, by the time.

Some companion words for the Past Perfect are the same as for . The difference is that the auxiliaries for the past perfect refer to the past tense, not the present tense.

Examples of 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 prepared dinner before Anna arrived.

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 following scheme:
Subject + had + verb 3 + Rest of sentence

Who? Who?	Form of verb	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 forming negative sentences in the 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	Examples
I	had + not + Verb 3	I had not 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 found a coin
They	had + not + Verb 3	They had not ridden a bike

Short 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	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?

Short 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. We use Past Perfect [past perfect] to describe that one of the events happened earlier. 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 his arrival).

An extensive article that will cover the topic - Difference between Past Simple and Past Perfect

General Table Past Perfect

Types of offers	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 W.H.-why, where, when etc.
Special question	WH + had + S + V.3 + …? S– subject W.H.-why, where, when etc.

Past Perfect exercises and answers

Take tests on the past perfect tense 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 interrogative and negative form.

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 breaking tradition, we suggest you make 5, or better yet 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 shopping center. When you came 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, 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 figure out that someone tampered with your windshield at some point in the past before you saw it.

Watch clips from films on our YouTube channel to see how actors use the Past Perfect.

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:

After 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 had already watched the series.

To show that the first action ended before the second happened, you need to use the past perfect in the first part of the sentence.

In other words, we use the Past Perfect to show the order of actions, that is, what one action in the past happened before another.

Look at the picture:

That is, by the time I watched the film (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 master 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 correctly form such sentences.

Formation of Past Perfect tense in English

The Past Perfect tense is formed using had(this is the past tense form of the verb have) and the past tense 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 we can determine the correct or irregular verb in front of us. You can only find out by looking it up in a dictionary or memorizing it.

The same is true with forms of irregular verbs. You need to memorize them or look them up in the dictionary.

Past Perfect tense formation scheme:

Actor + had + regular verb ending -ed or 3rd form of irregular verb

I
You
We		done
They	had	worked
She		played
He
It

Important: Usually the past perfect tense is used in complex sentences, consisting of two parts. Moreover, we use the Past Perfect in the part of the sentence that talks about an action that happened first (before another).

In the other part, the Past Simple tense is most often used - 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 shorten had in a sentence. It will look like this:

had = 'd

I 'd cooked dinner when they arrived.
I prepared dinner when they arrived.

Negative sentences in the Past Perfect in English

To make a sentence negative, you need to add to the auxiliary verb had negative particle not.

The outline of such a proposal would be:

Actor + had + not + regular verb ending -ed or 3rd form of irregular verb

I
You
We			done
They	had	not	worked
She			played
He
It

He had not worked before he graduated 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 shorten had and not like this:

had + not = hadn’t

For example:

I hadn't called him before he wrote me.
I didn't call him before he wrote.

Interrogative sentences with Past Perfect in English

To form an interrogative sentence, you need to put the auxiliary verb had in first place. The outline of such a proposal would be:

Had + actor+ regular verb ending -ed or 3rd form of irregular verb?

	I
	you
	we	done?
Had	they	worked?
	she	played?
	he
	it

Had they finished work before they left?
Did they finish their work before leaving?

Had he drunk coffee before he went to work?
Did he drink coffee before he went to work?

So, we've covered the theory, and now let's move on to practice.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English:

1. I watched TV after I read the book.
2. She had breakfast before going to school.
3. They got married before they bought the 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.

Hello, hello, my dears.

There are only three tenses in the Russian language. And the past is just the past, without any additions. But in English everything is much more complicated. Have you heard about Past Perfect? Such a small and completely inconspicuous brother of the painful Present Perfect for many.

So, if this “miracle” caused you any difficulties - or maybe you have never heard of it at all - then today I will tell you everything. Past Perfect: rules and examples- topic of the lesson. We are waiting for an explanation of the rules, many, many examples, but there will be exercises. After all, practice takes a lot of time.

How is it formedPast Perfect

Construction affirmative proposals in this tense is identical to the formation in the present perfect tense with minor changes. In short, the diagram looks like this:

Subject +had + V3 + Object.

She had done her homework by 9 p. m. - She did homework by 9 p.m.

They had already visited the place before. - They have already come to this place before.

Let's take a short break here! Because I hope you remember that V3 is the third form of the verb. TO correct verbs we just add the ending – ed, but we remember by heart and use the form from the third column!

I won’t be lazy to remind you that English grammar can be studied in a very interesting and exciting way with the help of the course « Grammar for Beginners» or online intensive « Competently, like Shakespeare» , which is offered by the online English learning service that has gained well-deserved popularity. Lingualeo.

WITH negative sentences everything is even simpler - we just add a piece not.

Subject +had not + V3 + Object.

I hadn't had breakfast before I set off to the university. -I Not had breakfast before, how go V university.

I hadn't ’ t slept until my parents came back home. - I didn’t sleep until my parents returned home.

IN interrogative sentence the structure changes to the following:

Had +subject+V3+An object?

Had you washed your hands before you started eating the dinner? -You washed hands before those, How begin have supper?

Had you done the task before you went out to meet with your friends? -You did exercise before those, How go meet with his friend?

When to usePast Perfect

That’s what, and with understanding when to use the Past Perfect, neither I nor my students have ever had any problems. After all, everything is absolutely simple. Usually this rule is studied in the 8th grade, when students already have sufficient vocabulary, and explaining the rule does not become a test for children.

The first and most important rule:

• Past Perfect used to describe a situation that has already ended BEFORE some other action occurred in the past.

The action that had already finished before another action happened.

I was on my way to work when I remembered (action in the past) that I had forgotten (preceding action) the presentation on the table. -IwasonwaysTowork, WhenIremembered, Whatforgotpresentationontable.

Theyhad already sold (preceding action) thecarwhenI called(action in the past) . - When I called, they had already sold the car.

Sometimes, instead of a specific indication of an action, there may be an indication of time.

She had finished studies by the 1st of July. -She finished classes To first July.

We had finished the event by the end of the month.- We're doneeventby the endmonths.

• Past Perfect used when stories need to describe a chain of actions relating to the past.

The policeman said that the robbers had broken the window, had stolen the picture and had run away. I was standing there and couldn’t understand what I should do. -Police officer said, What robbers smashed window, stolen picture And ran away. I stood there and couldn’t understand what I should do.

Time indicators

At any time there are indicators. To immediately recognize the Past Perfect in a sentence, look for the following words:

1. Before - before; before.
2. Since - since then.
3. By - to.
4. For - during.
5. By the time - by the time.
6. Just - just now.
7. After - after.
8. Till\Until - until then.
9. Never - never.
10. Already - already.

In 80% of cases, one of these words will be used in a sentence. For example:

I had already prepared my presentation by the time mother prepared the dinner. - I had already finished my presentation by the time my mother prepared dinner.

She realized that she had never been to this place before. -She Understood, What never earlier Not was V this place.

But be sure to remember one thing - past perfect- this is past tense, therefore we use it only when we talk about past events! As a rule, it most often occurs in narratives and stories.

My dears, I am sure that you will have absolutely no questions left. Now you can find thousands of videos, rules and exercises in the public domain if you need more. But I hope that I was able to close all the gaps in your knowledge regarding this topic. And it’s not the easiest, believe me! But if you still have questions, please leave a comment. I will answer each one there.

In addition, I also invite you to my newsletter, where I regularly share important and useful information from my experience. Let's learn English together!

That's all for today!