Apply

Your application is accepted

Our manager will contact you soon

close

An error occurred while sending

Send again

Past perfect tense, sometimes it is called the past, refers to those English times, which do not have exact analogues in Russian. To better understand the meaning of the Past Perfect, you can draw a parallel with the Present Perfect.

past perfect is an analog Present Perfect, only for the past. If in the Present Perfect the action has taken place by now, then in the Past Perfect - by some point in the past. This moment in the past can be expressed by another past action, which can be mentioned in a subordinate clause, or indicated in a separate sentence, as well as an adverb of time. It is often translated into Russian by the perfect past tense verb what did you do?

Past Perfect Education

Basic meaning of Past Perfect

Very often in sentences with a verb in the Past Perfect one can find characteristic adverbs and circumstances of time, namely:

Sentence examples

By the time they were rescued they had already spent three days without food and water. By the time they were rescued, they had already gone 3 days without food or water. I knew about the accident because I had watched the news the night before. I knew about the incident because watched the news last night.

Sentence examples

I had learned to read before I went to school. I learned to read before I went to school. When we arrived at the cinema the film had already started. When we arrived at the cinema, the film had already begun.

Sentence examples The Vikings had sailed to North America a thousand years ago. The Vikings came to North America thousands of years ago. The Chinese had built the Great Wall over two thousand years ago. The Chinese built the Great Wall of China about two thousand years ago. 2. past perfect used in indirect speech Sentence examples Sally said that she had lost her keys. Sally said she lost her keys. Martin replied that he had tried to call Dave the day before. Martin replied that he had tried to call Dave the day before. 3. past perfect should also be used in conditional sentences the third type (unreal, implied condition relating to the past). Sentence examples If I had heard the weather forecast I would have taken an umbrella. If I had heard the weather forecast, I would have taken an umbrella. If we had taken the map, we wouldn't have got lost in the mountains. If we took a map, we would not get lost in the mountains. 4. Also past perfect used in sentences I wish, if only to express regret about something in the past. Sentence examples I wish I had sent her a birthday present. Too bad I didn't send her a birthday present. If only I hadn't spent so much money! If only I hadn't spent so much money! Now watch the video on Past Perfect:

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, using grammatical constructions and lexical diversity of this time, to make speech expressive?

The past completed tense, as it is often called by Russian-speaking "students", carries certain meaning 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 language can be grouped into right and wrong. The latter have 3 forms, which, well, what to do, you have to learn by heart. All of them are listed in the table. 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 a letter, and in colloquial speech, often use abbreviated forms that 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 passive voice. All uses Past Perfect Passive the same, but the shape of the structure is slightly different. The negative and the question are built according to the same principle as in the active voice (after had - not, and auxiliary ch. had before lying)

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.

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 a prime example how ordered the English language is, how important the sequence of completed events is within the framework of its types of 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 drove up to opera house but the show is already over. (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 denoted prolonged action which started earlier and continued 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 died in 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. dynamic verbs to express duration, you need the Past Perfect Continuous.

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 in this moment can no longer 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. To make it easier to understand when to use given time, you need 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.

affirmative form The Past Perfect is formed using the past tense auxiliary verb to have - had and the past participle (Participle II) semantic verb(i.e. 3rd form of the main verb).

had + Participle II

I had finished my work by 6 o’ clock. I finished my work by 6 o'clock.
He had written his letter when I came to him. He wrote a letter when I came to him.

Interrogative form formed by rearranging the auxiliary verb had, which is placed before the subject .

Had you finished your work? Have you finished your work?
Had he written his letter? Did he write a letter?

Had I cooked?	Had we cooked?
Had you cooked?	Had you cooked?
Had he / she / it cooked?	Had they cooked?

Abbreviations are made according to the general rule:

I had = I'd	I had not = I hadn't = I'd not
He had = he'd	He had not = He hadn't = He'd not
She had = she'd	She had not = She hadn't = She'd not
We had = we'd	We had not = We hadn't = We'd not
You had = you'd	You had not = You hadn't = You'd not
They had = they'd	They had not = They hadn't = They'd not

Use

Past Perfect is used:

• 1. To express an action that has already ended before a certain moment in the past. A given moment in the past can be specified exactly (year, date, hour) with the preposition of time by, or it can be expressed by another past action. Another action that started later is expressed in Simple Past/Past Indefinite .

They had written their composition by Friday. They wrote the essay by Friday.
They had finished their work when the inspectors arrived. (= by the time the inspectors arrived.) They finished their work when the inspectors arrived. (= by the time the inspectors arrived.)

Of the two actions expressed by the verbs to finish and to arrive, the one expressed by the verb to finish ended first - end, so this verb in Past Perfect - had finished. A verb expressing an action that ended later (to arrive - arrive), is placed in Simple Past - arrived.

• 2. In complex sentences with a subordinate clause of time.

a) If the action of the main clause ended before the action expressed by the predicate of the subordinate clause, then the verb of the main clause will be expressed in the Past Perfect. The subordinate clause is introduced by conjunctions before - before and when- when.

They had finished their work before their boss came in.
They had finished their work before their boss entered.

b) If the action of the subordinate clause ended before the action expressed by the predicate of the main clause, then the verb of the subordinate clause is expressed through Past Perfect, and the main one - Simple Past. The relative clause of time is introduced by conjunctions when - when, as soon as - once.

As soon as (when) they had finished their work the door opened and their boss came in.
As soon as (when) they finished their work, the door opened and their boss entered.

• 3. In subordinate clauses of time after when, when two verbs expressed in Simple Past / Past Indefinite can give the impression of simultaneity of actions.

When he had done his homework he rang me up.
When he finished his homework, he called me.

(If you use both verbs in Simple Past (When he did his homework he rang me up), you might get the impression that he was doing his homework and at the same time called me.)

• 4. When describing a sequence of events in Simple Past / Past Indefinite, if the description is violated, that is, if an action is indicated that happened earlier, then it is expressed in Past Perfect.

We decided to go skiing to the forest. In the morning we took some food, hot tea and started. We got to the forest at noon and had a good time there. We had never been in the forest in winter before, but after this trip we decided to ski there regularly.
We decided to go skiing in the forest. In the morning we took some food, hot tea and set off. We got to the forest at noon and had a good time there. Before that, we had never been in the forest in winter. But after this trip, we decided to go skiing in the forest regularly.

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. Lewis suddenly 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.