Past Perfect is one of the forms of the past tense, denoting an event that happened at a certain moment before another action began.

The very existence of this grammatical phenomenon is a vivid example of how ordered the English language is, how important the sequence of completed events is within its species-temporal paradigm. As shown in the diagram below, an action expressed in this tense occurs before some other action in the past.

Also, instead of action 2, there can be some point in time in the past before which some event occurred, as shown in the following example:

Ways to form Past Perfect

Affirmative type sentences

In order to get a statement in the Past Perfect, you need the verb had and the 3rd form of the main verb (V3). The ending - ed is added to the correct verb, and if the verb is incorrect, its form is taken from the 3rd column (Participle II).

Below is a table with an example where you can observe the construction of this form of the past tense.

Structure	Subject (Who what?)	HAD	V3 (V+ed/Participle II)
Scheme	☺	had	V3
Example	Mom	had	painted	the wall by 5 o'clock.
Translation	Mother		dyed	wall by 5 o'clock.

It is worth noting that there are often abbreviations. In statements, had is combined with an apostrophe (‘)

She had = She'd

I had = I'd

We had = We'd

Below are examples of the use of verbs in the Past Perfect, both in full and in abbreviated form.

Full form	Short form	Translation
I had read.	I'd read.	I read.
He had smoked.	He'd smoked.	He smoked.
She had written.	She'd written.	She wrote.
It had flown.	It'd flown.	It flew away.
We had broken.	We'd be broken	We broke.
You had rung.	You'd drunk.	You called.
They had invented.	They'd come.	They invented.

Negative sentence type

Negative type sentences are formed by adding not between had and the semantic verb. In this case, the words are arranged in the same order as in the affirmative.

Structure	Subject (Who what?)	HAD	V3 (V+ed/Participle II)
Scheme	☺	had not	V3
Example	Mom	had not	painted	the wall by 5 o'clock.
Translation	Mother	not	dyed	wall by 5 o'clock.

Abbreviated forms in speech are used much more often than full ones. To shorten it, combine the auxiliary verb had with the particle not using an apostrophe ('), as shown below:

I had = I hadn't

You had = You hadn't

She had = She hadn't

Below are examples of the use of verbs in the Past Perfect in both full and abbreviated form of negative types of sentences.

Full form	Short form	Translation
I had not put.	I hadn't put.	I didn't put it.
He had not blown.	He hadn't blown.	He didn't pout.
She had not learned.	She hadn't learned.	She didn't learn.
It had not flown.	It hadn't flown.	It didn't fly away.
We had not broken.	We hadn't broken.	We didn't break.
You weren't drunk.	You hadn't drunk.	You didn't drink.
They had not invented.	They hadn't invented.	They didn't invent.

Interrogative sentences

In interrogative sentences, the word order is reversed. As can be seen in the table below, the auxiliary verb had should come first, then the subject, and then the semantic verb V3:

Structure	HAD	Subject (Who what?)	V3 (V+ed/Participle II)
Scheme	Had	☺	V3	?
Example	Had	Mom	painted	the wall by 5 o'clock?
Translation	Did you paint	Mother		wall by 5 o'clock.

The following table shows examples of using the Past Perfect in interrogative sentences. You can also observe that the word order is reversed everywhere:

Using the Past Perfect

1. Most often, Past Perfect means an event in the past that happened before some other action. This subsequent action is often in the Simple Past.

We drove up to the opera house, but the performance had finished. We arrived at the opera house, but the performance had already ended. (first the performance ended, then we arrived at the opera house).

2. Past Perfect denotes an event, which happened in the past at the designated time. In this case, the very moment by which the action is completed will be indicated. In the following example, this moment is denoted by by:

Matt had finished repairing the car by 9 o'clock. Matt finished repairing the car by 9 o'clock. (repair was completed by the time the clock read 9)

3. Sometimes Past Perfect indicates that an event expressed in this time is the cause of another, subsequent action or state.

She was happy. She had received lots of gifts. - She was happy. She received many gifts.

She didn't invite him for dinner as she had burnt the chicken in the oven. She didn't invite him to dinner because she burned the chicken in the oven.

4. Using Past Perfect denotes a continuous action that began earlier and lasted until some time. In this case, the prepositions since and for are most often used, which are translated as “since” and “during”, respectively.

He deceased last Monday. We had remembered him since he was a toddler. He passed away last Monday. We have remembered him since he was a one year old baby.

She was a talented violinist. We had loved her playing for 10 years. She was a talented violinist. We enjoyed her game for 10 years.

It should be noted that the Past Perfect in this case is used only with those that express emotions, perception. For example, love, know, adore, think, feel, regret, etc. With dynamic verbs, Past Perfect Continuous is necessary to express duration.

Ben retired on July, 2. This dude had been coaching us for 10 years. Ben retired on the second of July. This guy has been our coach for 10 years.

5. In conditional sentences of the third type Past Perfect used to express regret for something that didn't happen. Something in the past could have been done if the condition had been met, but at the present moment it is no longer possible to influence the situation.

If I had met Harry, I would have given a hug to him. If I met Harry, I would hug him.

If she had ironed her dress, her parents would have given her some more funds. If she had ironed her dress, her parents would have given her more money.

6. In sentences where words such as hardly ... when and no sooner ... than are used, Past Perfect denotes a sequence of events. The use of this tense emphasizes that one action happened immediately after another. Similar constructions are translated using the expressions “did not have time ...”, “as soon as ...”, “barely ...”. In sentences of this type, the opposite is true.

Hardly had Jens gone out, when somebody threw a stone to his head. As soon as Jens left, someone threw a stone at his head.

No sooner had Tony sunk into the sea water than the funny dolphin was seen nearby. - No sooner had Tony dive into the sea water than a funny dolphin appeared nearby.

The use of circumstances of time

Past Perfect is used with the following time markers:

• by(to some time/moment)
  Kate had smoked 10 cigarettes by the moment they came (Kate had smoked 10 cigarettes by the time they arrived);
• after(after)
  After he had lost 10 pounds, he changed the size of his clothes (After he lost 10 pounds, he changed the size of his clothes);
• before(before / before)
  Before I came home, I had delayed at college to help the tutor
• when(when)
  Molly had crossed the brook when the dog looked at her (Molly crossed the stream when the dog looked at her);
• earlier(before)
  I didn't know where my boyfriend was as he had snaffled my money earlier
• just(just now)
  It was 7 p.m. and she had just taken the shower (It was 7 pm and she had just taken a shower);
• already(already)
  They were going for that city as she had already got a new job (They moved to that city because she had already found a new job);
• yet(still, already)
  They arranged the party but they hadn't brought the drinks yet (They organized a party, but they hadn't brought the drinks yet).

Markers such as yet, already and just also use . It must be understood that when using the Past Perfect, the speaker refers to the past, and the Present Perfect denotes an event that happened in the past, but its consequences affect the present.

I have written 7 poems already. I have already written 7 poems. (I already have 7 poems written)

By the moment I lost my vision, I had written 7 poems already. - By the time I lost my sight, I had already written 7 poems. (I already wrote 7 poems, and then I lost my sight).

Cases of replacing Past Perfect with Past Simple

At the moment, there is a tendency to replace Past Perfect with Past Simple, if the sequence of actions is obvious from the context. Most often this happens in . These sentences use different time markers.

• after (after)

After she had washed the walls in the bathroom, she peeled the vegetables for a salad. = After she washed the walls in the bathroom, she peeled the vegetables for a salad.
After she scrubbed the walls in the bathroom, she cleaned the vegetables for the salad.

• before (before / before)

I had visited my cousin once before I left for Hungary. = I visited my cousin once before I left for Hungary.
I visited my cousin once before I left for Hungary.

• earlier (earlier),

I helped my neighbors though I was incensed by them as they had crashed my motorbike earlier. = I helped my neighbors though I was incensed by them as they crashed my motorbike earlier.
I helped mine neighbors, although was very angry on the them, because what they smashed my moped.

But: If the union when (when) is used in the sentence, the replacement of time is not possible, since the meaning will change.

When we hauled our bags to the hotel, Mary had checked in. When we brought the bags to the hotel, Mary had already checked in.
(Past Perfect means Mary checked in before we dragged our bags to the hotel)

When we hauled our bags to the hotel, Mary checked in. - When we dragged the bags to the hotel, Mary checked in.
(Past Simple shows that first we dragged the bags to the hotel, and then Mary checked in)

At first glance, this time seems difficult. It is important to remember the basic principle - Past Perfect is where two actions have occurred in succession. The one that happened before is expressed in the Past Perfect, and what happened after it is expressed in the Past Simple.

In addition, this time indicates that some past event has ended by some point. In order to make it easier to understand in which cases this time is used, it is necessary to remember the markers that are used with the Past Perfect, study the structure of sentences, and also visualize the sequence of actions.

And in order to finally fix the material and put everything “on the shelves”, we recommend watching the video:

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Education Past Perfect Tense

1. Past Perfect is formed using the past tense auxiliary verb to have (had) and the past participle form (Past Participle) of the semantic verb: I had worked, he had worked.
2. In the interrogative form, the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject: Had I worked? Had he worked?
3. The negative form is formed with the particle not, which is placed after the auxiliary verb: I had not worked, he had not worked.
4. In the interrogative-negative form, the negation of not is placed directly after the subject: Had I not worked? Had he not worked?

affirmative form	Interrogative form	negative form	Interrogative-negative form
He (she, it) had worked	Had he (she, it) worked? Had they worked?	I had not worked He (she, it) had not worked We had not worked You didn't work They had not worked	Had I not worked? Had he (she, it) not worked? Had we not worked? Had you not worked? Had they not worked?

AT colloquial speech The following abbreviations are commonly used:

Time past perfect formed with an auxiliary verb to have in the past tense and the past participle of the significant verb, i.e. its "third form".

To have has only one form in the past tense had.

Second participle, or past participle ( Participle II), can be obtained by adding to the initial form of a significant verb the ending -ed:

examine - examin ed, enjoy - enjoy ed, close-clos ed

However, in English there is also a fairly large group of irregular verbs that do not form the past tense according to the general rules.

AT interrogative sentence The auxiliary verb is put in place before the subject, and the meaningful verb remains after it:

Had you brushed your teeth before you went to bed?
Did you brush your teeth before going to bed?

AT negative sentences the auxiliary verb is followed by a negative particle not. However, they can be reduced to the form hadn't.

How did you hope to pass the exam if you had not (hadn't) even opened the textbook?
How did you hope to pass the exam if you hadn't even opened your textbook before?

Cases of using Past Perfect:

1. When there is an indication of the point in time by which the action in the past ended:
By 9 o "clock we" d finished the work.
By 9 o'clock we finished the work.
She had written only two letters by noon.
By noon she had written only 2 letters.

2. When an action in the past took place before another action:
When you arrived, he had just left.
When you arrived, he had just left.
He had worked at the university for thirty years before he retired.
He worked at the university for 30 years before he retired.

3. In indirect speech to convey the present perfect and simple past tense:
He said he had studied English for two years.(He said: "I have studied English for two years.")
He said that he had been studying English for two years.
She said she had published her first story 10 years before.(She said: "I published my first story 10 years ago.")
She said she published her first story 10 years ago.

She had written a letter by 5 o "clock on Saturday.
- She had not written a letter by 5 o "clock on Saturday.
? Had he written a letter by 5 o "clock on Saturday?
Yes, he had. No, he had not. (No, he hadn't.)

4. To denote actions that began before a specified moment in the past and continue up to this moment. Typically, these actions are expressed using Past Perfect Continuous, but with static verbs used Past Perfect. In this case, the period of time during which the action took place must be indicated:

I felt as if I had known her all my - I had a feeling like

life. like I've known her all my life.

We went to see Mr Fennel who- We went to visit Mr. Fennel,

hadbeen a widower for two years. who was a widower for two years.

5. To express an unfulfilled hope, desire, etc., relating to both the past and the present and even the future tense:

I had hoped we could leave I was hoping that we could leave

tomorrow but it's beginning to tomorrow but it seems to be getting

look difficult. not easy (of a future event).

I had intended to make a cake but - I was going to make a cake, but

I ran out of time. did not have time (about the past event).

6. In subordinate tenses to express an action that is future in relation to past events and must occur before the start of the event expressed by the main sentence:

Not decided he wouldn't look at- He decided not to watch

his watch till he had read 30 pages. for hours until he reads 30

Past Perfect not used:

1) when it comes to the immediate sequence of events in the past, especially the immediate reaction of people:

I got a real shock when I opened - I got really scared when

the box. opened the box.

2) when describing short sequential actions performed by different persons:

When I put the cat out he ran- When I put the cat out, he ran away

away to the bushes. into the bushes.

3) in subordinate clauses related to sentences, where the predicate is expressed by the verb in Past Perfect:

He told me that someone had He told me that someone called

phoned when I was out. when I was gone.

pivot table

Form formation
had + V+ ed/ III form of an irregular verb
Affirmative	negative	Interrogative
He/she/it had run.	He/she/it had not run.	Had he/she/it run?
	You had not run.
	They had not run.
Use cases
1. An action completed in the past, but connected to the present through a result.	I had done my home work before he called me. I had gone shopping before they arrived. When I rank, she had already left. When I came back home, I found out that my wallet had been stolen. I though that I had seen him somewhere before. She had cooked dinner by 2 p.m.	I had done my homework before he called me. I went shopping before they arrived. When I called, she had already left. When I got home, I discovered that my wallet had been stolen. I thought I had seen it somewhere before. She had cooked dinner by 2 o'clock.
2. An action that began before some point in the past and was still going on at that moment. Instead of The Past Perfect Continuous with verbs not used in Continous.	they had known each other for many years when they decided to marry. they had lived in this town for years when the flood destroyed all the place.	They had known each other for many years when they decided to get married. They lived in this city for many years when a flood destroyed the whole area.

So, let's summarize word formation in THE PAST PERFECT TENSE.

4.1. Affirmative form:

I had come - I came
He had come - He came
She had come - She came
It had come - He, she, it, it came (about inanimate objects)
We had come - We came
You had come - You came, you came
They had come - They came

4.2. Interrogative form:

Had I come? - I came?
Had he come? - He came?
Had she come? - She came?
Had it come? - He, she, it, it came? (about inanimate objects)
Had we come? - We came?
Had you come? - You came? You come?
Had they come? - They came?

4.3. Negative form:

I had not come - I did not come
He had not come - He did not come
She had not come - She did not come
It had not come - He, she, it, it didn't come (about inanimate objects)
We had not come - We did not come
You had not come - You didn't come, you didn't come
They had not come - They did not come

Using THE PAST PERFECT TENSE

The main and most common cases of using Past Perfect:
1. When expressing actions that have already ended at a specified point in time in the past. Usually, these actions are expressed by the exact date, hour, etc.:

They had finished our work by seven o "clock. - They (already) finished their work by seven o'clock.

2. When expressing actions that preceded another action in the past:

She had written two articles, when the door was open and Bill Clinton comes in the room.
She had written two articles when the door swung open and Bill Clinton entered the room.

Learning English grammar is impossible without the Past Perfect. It is only at first glance that this tense seems extremely complicated and incomprehensible - it does not exist in Russian / Ukrainian languages. If you calmly understand these tables and learn how to analyze time intervals, then you will never get confused. Past Perfect is inextricably linked with time and, since it is used to denote an action that has occurred before some other action in the past.

For example:
"I didn't go to the cinema because I had already seen the film." Notice that both actions are in the past tense, but the one that happened earlier (first) - “already saw” is used in Past Perfect - “had already seen”, and the one that happened later (second) - “did not go” - in Past Simple - "didn't go."

The past perfect tense (The Past Perfect) is used:

1. for an action completed by a certain point in the past:
   1. The children cleaned the room by 7 pm.
      Children had cleaned the room by 7 p.m.
   2. My sister left before I called her.
      My sister had gone away by the time I called her.
2. for an event(s) that happened before another in the past:
   1. I couldn't find the magazine he lent me.
      I couldn't find the magazine that he had lent me.
   2. After my son told me his story, he felt better.
      After my son had told me his story, he felt better.
   3. Before I returned, my husband had already cooked dinner.
      Before I came back, my husband had already made dinner.
   4. Her boyfriend left the room before she sang the song.
      When she sang a song her boyfriend had left the hall.
      (sequence: 1. Her boyfriend left the hall, 2. She sang a song)

      When the sequence of events is obvious, the Past Simple can also be used:
      When she sang a song her boyfriend left the hall.
      (sequence: 1. She sang a song, 2. Her boyfriend left the hall)
      After she sang the song, her boyfriend left the hall. When we finished/had finished the meal, she offered some coffee. After we ate, she offered us coffee.

3. in indirect (indirect) speech:
   1. Maria said that she had bought apples yesterday.
      Mary said she had bought the apples the day before yesterday.
   2. Alice asked if I had been to London.
      Alice asked if I had ever been to London.

Past perfect markers

Markers for The Past Perfect Tense are:

1. adverbs and expressions denoting certain periods of time: just, already, yet, for, since, ever, never, it was the first / second time, it was the most ... For example: “We met again. We hadn't seen each other for several months."

2. subordinate clauses with: when, before, after, until, as soon as, by that time, by the winter, by 5 p.m. For example: "Most of the engineers had arrived by 10 a.m."

To consolidate knowledge about Past Perfect, watch this video carefully:

THE PAST PERFECT TENSE

Past perfect tense

affirmative form
+

Interrogative form
?

Wh-?
Special questions

(begin with special words)

negative form
—

Interrogative-negative form
(Speaking)
?-

Exercise.
Translate into English the sentences in Past Perfect (past perfect tense):

1. The girl was happy because she talked to her mother.
2. I suddenly remembered that I had not eaten anything since morning.
3. Most of the children arrived before 9 am.
4. She told me that her friend invited her to the cinema.
5. Unfortunately, we had not read the novel until that time.

1. The girl was happy because she had talked to her mum.
2. I suddenly remembered that I had eaten nothing (hadn't eaten anything) since morning.
3. Most of the children had arrived by 9 a.m.
4. She told me that her friend had invited her to the cinema.
5. Unfortunately, we hadn't read the novel by that time.

Tenses in English.

The palette of the English system of times is simply replete with diversity. Some of the shades shine brighter, some dimmer. One of the most saturated can be called Past Perfect. How, with the help of grammatical constructions and the lexical diversity of this tense, to make speech expressive?

The past completed tense, as Russian-speaking “students” often call it, carries a certain sense of completeness. In other words, for example, when describing an event, we often make comments about what happened before the main action. “When my mother came, I already fell asleep” - in this sentence there are two past tenses - “came”, “fell asleep”. Which one happened first? The second means that we will express it Past Perfect.

Education

This form is one of the simplest. Yes, you will need an auxiliary verb. "had" + V 3 or Ved. Remember that all verbs in English can be grouped into regular and irregular. The latter have 3 forms, which, well, what to do, you have to learn by heart. All of them are placed in the table of irregular verbs. At this time, we need the 3rd column - V 3. If the verb is correct (it is not in the table), then we add the ending -ed.

I had worked. - work - the correct verb
I had taught. - teach is an irregular verb.

Let's take a closer look at the formation of all types of sentences in paste perfect using the example of to ask.

In writing, and in colloquial speech, abbreviated forms are often used, which facilitate the process of perception.

I had = I'd, you had = you'd, he had = he'd
had not = hadn't

I had written a composition by six o'clock. = I'd written a composition by six o'clock. I had written the composition by 6 o'clock.

I had not written a composition by six o'clock. = I hadn't written a composition by six o'clock. I had not written an essay by 6 o'clock.

As you can see, there is nothing terrible and difficult in education. It is worth remembering once that in the question had is placed before the subject, and in negation not is added to this auxiliary verb. It is important to remember that had is not translated.

Using The Past Perfect Tense

This time is not difficult in terms of use, if you only clearly understand the situations of its use. Some sentences often use signal words such as just, already, never, yet.

1. The action ended before another event in the past. The sentence can be complex (consist of two), one of which (dependent) is introduced by the unions when, before, after, or simple, in which the preposition by is used as an indicator of the end of the action.

• With the help of prepositions by the end of the year, by 3 o'clock, by Monday, by the time, before, after.

They had finally got their long-awaited pay rise by the end of the year. By the end of the year, they finally got the long-awaited pay raise.

Before he opened the door, he had called his sister. — Before he opened the door, he called his sister.

By that time they had finished their work. By that time they had already finished the work.

• Structures often used no sooner ... than (as soon as), hardly ... when (hardly, as), scarcely ... when (as soon as, so immediately), barely ... when (barely, like), which, by their meaning, can transform the sentence (inversion). As a rule, they are emotional in nature.

I had scarcely opened the window when the wind came blowing in. - As soon as I opened the window, the wind immediately began to blow.

Jack had no sooner arrived than he was told to come back. - Jack did not have time to arrive, as he was told to return.

• If there is no signal word in the sentence, then you will have to carefully read the context .

I tried to pnone Ann this morning. But there was no answer. She had gone out. I tried to call Anna this morning. But, there was no answer. She's already gone.

The rules for Past Perfect distinguish the following context patterns, remembering which it will be easier for you to use the desired form.

a. After designs: this/that/it was, the first/second/only/ best/ worst time smth happend:

It was the second serious mistake he had made in that job. — It was his second serious mistake he made in his work.

Those were the first things she had bought since Chrismas. It was the first thing she bought since Christmas.

B. With verbs that convey hope, plan, expectation, intention (but not fulfilled).

I had intended to visit a museum, but I ran out of time. I was going to visit the museum, but I didn't have enough time.

C. In indirect speech, with verbs such as say, tell, ask, inform, wonder. Moreover, Past Perfect is used in the subordinate clause.

I wondered if Jim had a chance to discuss the problem with them. I asked if Jim had the opportunity to discuss this problem with them.

2. An action that started before another action but is still ongoing. Here, stative verbs or, as they are also called, non continuous verbs are often used. All the little secrets of these verbs are revealed in the article "".

I knew he had been married for nearly 50 years ago. I knew that he got married about 50 years ago.

George made no answer and we found that he had fallen asleep for some time. George didn't answer and we found that he had been asleep for some time.

How to distinguish Past Perfect from other tenses?

past perfect	past simple	Present Perfect
When the sequence of actions is violated (action precedes). Before I ate, I played and slept. The verb in the main clause in the Past Simple	Everything goes in order (actions are performed chronologically) Played, slept, ate.	When the action in the main clause is in the present
Was Ann at home when he came? No, she had already gone to work. Was Anya at home when he came? No, she already left for work (first she left, then he came)	Was Ann at home when he came? Yes, but she went to work soon. Was Anya at home when he came? Yes, but soon she left for work. (He came, then left - actions one after another)
I wasn't thirsty. I had drunk a cup of tea. - I didn't want to drink. I just had a cup of tea.		I' m not thirsty. I' ve just drunk a cup of tea. - I don't want to drink. I just had a cup of tea.
His car was dirty. He hadn't washed it for weeks. Yesterday he cleaned it. — His car was so dirty. He hasn't washed her in weeks. He washed it yesterday.		His car is dirty. He hasn't washed it for weeks. — His car is so dirty. He hasn't washed her in weeks.

According to the rules for the Past Perfect, this tense can be used in the passive voice. All uses Past Perfect Passive the same, but the shape of the structure is slightly different. The negation and the question are built according to the same principle as in the active voice (after had - not, and auxiliary ch. had before lying down)

I + had + been + V3 (Ved)

He (she, it) + had + been + V3 (Ved)

You + had + been + V3 (Ved)

They + had + been + V3 (Ved)

We + had + been + V3 (Ved)

I had been introduced to his friends before. “I was introduced to his friends earlier.

By three o'clock the dinner had been cooked. By 3 o'clock dinner was ready.

This article had been translated when they phoned. The article was translated when they called.

Well, as you can see, Past Perfect grammar is not too difficult. You look at the sentence, determine which of the actions happened first, and put in the correct form. If you learn how to use this time correctly, then believe me, you can tell any story or just retell the story in English without any problems.