The past perfect Tense, also pluperfect tense, is used for an action that happened before another. Very often used with . Learn how to conjugate the past perfect tense in English, as well as learn the rules, examples, and cases of using the Past Perfect. After the rules, you can do exercises to test your grammar skills. In Russian, we pronounce this time [paste perfect] - English transcription.

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

I had never seen such beautiful sights before I visited Cardiff in 2013. I had saved money for 4 years before I booked my trip to Cardiff. I was very excited! Before my trip to Cardiff, I had never been out of Germany.
When I went to Cardiff, I spent many days touring that wonderful city. The city was not so big. Sometimes I got lost and asked for directions. I asked for directions in English. That was easy because I had studied English for 3 years before I visited Cardiff.
By the time I left Cardiff, I had toured many beautiful places. National Museum of Cardiff, Cardiff Castle, Wales Millennium Centre. Before I visited Cardiff, I had only seen those places on television.

Past Perfect Education Rules

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

Formula:

Cases of using Past Perfect

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

1. An action in the past that happened before a certain moment in the past or an action happened before another

example:

— The party had already started by the time I arrived - By the time I arrived, the party had already begun. (The past action happened before the other).
Rob had finished by 9 o'clock - Rob finished by 9 o'clock. (A past action that happened before someone a certain moment in past).
— Abby missed the end of the film because she had fallen asleep - Abby missed the end of the movie because she fell asleep.
— I had finished most of the work by the time my boss arrived - I had finished most of the work by the time my boss arrived.

2. As seen in the examples above, the Past Perfect is usually used in conjunction with

example:

— I had sold my apartment before I moved to London - I sold my apartment before I moved to London.
— I went outside as I had heard a strange noise - I went outside because I heard a strange sound.
— My mother was so angry because I hadn't done the shopping for her - My mom was so angry because I didn't shop for her.
— I had never seen such beautiful sights before I visited Cardiff in 2013 - I have never seen such beautiful sights before visiting Cardiff in 2013.

3. Completed actions in the past that have a visible result in the past

example:

— He was sad because he had missed the train - He was sad because he missed the train. ( Visible result in past; he was sad).
— She was pleased because she had been given the job - She was happy because she got the job.

4. Past Perfect is the equivalent

example:

Lauren can't find her keys. She has lost it - Laurent can't find his keys. She lost them. ( Present Perfect).
Lauren couldn't find her keys. She had lost it - Laurent couldn't find her watch. She lost them. (Past perfect).
— There was no juice left because Ted had drunk it all - Juice ran out because Ted drank it all.

5. Two actions that happened in the past and we need to show which happened first

example:

—When I left the house, I realized that I had forgotten my keys - When I left the house, I realized that I forgot my keys. (The first action - I forgot the keys; at first I forgot them, then I went out and remembered).
— After I had finished digging the garden I decided to go for a walk - After I finished digging in the garden, I decided to go for a walk. (The first action is had finished).
— I lent Betty some money only after she had promised to give it back the next day - I borrowed some money from Betty only after she promised that she would return it the next day. (First action - had promised).

6. The Past Perfect Tense in indirect speech

Usually the past perfect is used in indirect speech when the verb is in the past form.

example:

— “I had a brilliant time,” Mr Jones said - Mr. Jones said: “I had a great time.”
— Mr Jones said that he had had a brilliant time - Mr. Jones said he had a great time.
— No one told me that the mall had closed Nobody told me that the mall was closed.

7. The past perfect often refers to situations that have changed.

In colloquial speech had often emphasized.

example:

-A: What are are you going to do this evening? – What are you going to do tonight?
-B:I had wanted to go to a bar but look at the weather! I wanted to go to a bar, but look at the weather! (We focus on the verb had and the meaning is: now I have changed my mind about going to a bar).

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

example:

— He wouldn't have missed the meeting if he had been on time - He wouldn't miss the meeting if he was on time. (But he didn't show up on time, so he missed the meeting.)

We use this type of conditional when we regret something or cannot change the situation in the present, because in the past, the action was not performed.

9. Past Perfect is used with hardly…when, scarcely…when, no sooner…than, barely…when

Often they are used when one event immediately follows another.

example:

— I had hardly arrived to work when it started to hail - I had barely arrived at work when the hail began.
— We had scarcely finished eating when the doorbell rang - We had barely finished eating when the doorbell rang.
— She had barely won the competition when her fans started to clap - She had barely won the competition when her fans started clapping.
— I had no sooner turned my new computer on than it went down - I didn't have time to turn on my new computer when it broke down.

• In order to emphasize, the word order can be changed.

Compare:

— Hardly had I arrived to work when it started to hail - As soon as I arrived at work, the hail began.
— scarcely had we finished eating when the doorbell rang - As soon as we finished eating, the doorbell rang.
— Barely had she won the competitions when her fans started to clap - As soon as she won the competition, her fans began to clap.
— No sooner had I turned my new computer on than it went down - Before I could turn on my new computer, it broke down.

Remember that hardly, hardly, scarcely are followed by when. No sooner is used with than.(Sooner is a comparative form of soon).

10. Three conjunctions are used with this tense

These unions are very often found in dialogues, books, newspapers. Past Perfect is introduced by conjunctions such as when, before, after. They help us recognize the past perfect tense.

example:

— Liza had left when Henry arrived.
or
—Henry arrived when Liza had left.

• take notes:

The most common mistake with the Past Perfect Simple is that this tense is overused or used when talking about the distant past.

For example, native speakers won't say that:

— The Romans had spoken Latin - The Romans spoke Latin.

But it's best to say:

— The Romans spoke Latin.

Because it describes a past event, not an event before another past event.

Verbs that cause confusion

A verb combination that often causes confusion in the Simple Past Perfect is Had Had.

for example:

— He had had enough to eat but he wanted an ice-cream anyway.

The first had is an auxiliary verb, on English Auxiliary or helping verb. The second verb had is in the past participle, that is, the past participle. This sentence can be written in English like this:
- Even though he ate enough, he wanted an ice-cream after that - Despite the fact that he ate, he wanted ice cream.

Marker words (pointer words) in Past Perfect

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

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

Example sentences with words with time markers:

— He had already eaten by the time we arrived - By the time we arrived, he had already eaten.
— I had never been out of Germany - I have never been outside of Germany.
— He had cooked dinner before Ann came - He cooked dinner before Anna came.

Sentence forms in Past Perfect

To conjugate the past perfect tense in English, we follow the rule: had + past participle. The tables below show examples of affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences. Be sure to pay attention to the abbreviated forms that are often used in colloquial speech.

Affirmative sentences

The affirmative form in English is built according to the scheme:
Subject + had + verb 3 + Rest of sentence

Who? Who?	Form of verb (verb form)	Examples (examples)
I	had + Verb 3	I had cleaned the floor
He/She/It	had + Verb 3	He had crashed into a tree She had saved money It had lost the wallet
You	had + Verb 3	You had seen the city
We	had + Verb 3	We had found a coin
They	had + Verb 3	They had ridden a bike

Negative sentences

The formula for the formation of negative sentences in Past Perfect:
Subject + had + not + verb 3 + Rest of sentence.
Remember that the particle not comes after the auxiliary verb.

Who? Who?	Form of verb (verb form)	Examples (examples)
I	had + not + Verb 3	I had not been cleaned the floor
He/She/It	had + not + Verb 3	He had not crashed into a tree She had not saved money It had not lost the wallet
You	had + not + Verb 3	You had not seen the city
We	had + not + Verb 3	We had not found a coin
They	had + not + Verb 3	They had not ridden a bike

Abbreviated form of negative sentences:
— I hadn't crashed into a tree.

Interrogative sentences

In Past Perfect interrogative sentences, the auxiliary verb comes before the subject.

verb to have	Who? Who?	Form of verb (verb form)	Examples (examples)
Had	I	Verb 3	Had I cleaned the floor?
Had	He/She/It	Verb 3	Had he crashed into a tree? Had she saved money? Had it lost the wallet?
Had	You	Verb 3	Had you seen the city?
Had	We	Verb 3	Had we found a coin?
Had	They	Verb 3	Had they ridden a bike?

Shortened interrogative-negative form:

— Had they not ridden a bike?
— Hadn't they ridden a bike?

Difference between Past Simple and Past Perfect

We use to describe events in chronological order. Past Perfect [paste perfect] we use to describe that one of the events happened before. Compare two sentences:

— When he arrived, his wife left– When he arrived, his wife left (She left after his arrival).
— When he arrived, his wife had left– When he arrived, his wife left (She left before he arrived).

A detailed article that will reveal the topic - The difference between Past Simple and Past Perfect

General Table Past Perfect

Offer types	PAST PERFECT
Affirmative sentence	S + had + V.3 (past participle) S- subject
Negative sentence	S + had not (hadn't) + V.3 (past participle) S- subject
Interrogative sentence (general question)	Had + S + V.3…?(past participle) S- subject WH-why, where, when, etc.
Special question	WH + had + S + V.3 + …? S- subject WH-why, where, when, etc.

Exercises and answers for Past Perfect

Do past perfect tests to reinforce the material. In order to better remember new words and rules, we advise you to write all the exercises in a notebook.

Exercise 1. Open parenthesis. And write which action started first.

1. When she (leave) the house, she (realise) that she (forget) her keys.
First action is…

2. When I (see) Olga (realise) that I (meet) her before.
First action is…

3. Sara (start) studying after Sam (leave).
First action is…

4. They kept arguing about the money their mother (leave) them in her will when she (die).
First action is…

5. After I (finish) my homework I (decide) to go for a walk.
First action is…

Answers. Answers to the exercise:

1. left, realized, had forgotten. First action was forgotten
2. saw, realized, had met: had met
3. started, had left: had left
4. had left, died: had left
5 had finished, decided: had finished

Exercise 2. Expand the brackets using Past Simple or Past Perfect

1. I was worried because Peter (not call) yet.

2. I was so worried that I (call) Peter.

3. She (go) to the market and (buy) some vegetables.

4. Nancy (be) in a hospital for five weeks before she fully recovered.

5. My brother was upset because he (fail) the exam.

6. They got on the motorbike and (drive) away.

7. Nobody (know) where Ryan (put) the front door key.

8. I (be) 21 and I (just/leave) college.

9. When I (arrive), the show (start/already).

10. There were no sweets left when I came back. My sister (eat) them.

Answers. Answers to the exercise:

1. hadn't called
2. called
3. went, bought
4. had been
5.had failed
6. drove
7. knew, had put
8. was, had just left
9. arrived, had already started
10. had eaten

Exercise 3. Put the sentences in the interrogative and negative forms.

1. They (not practice) enough, so they lost the match.

2. When I came home, Ted (not paint) the walls yet.

3. The parrot flew away because my little brother (not close) the window.

4. I went to the country which I (not visit) before.

5. My parents (never go) to the UK either.

6. you (hear) the news before they told you?

7. What did she (find) before she cried?

8. you (finish) drinking your tea when Rob came?

9. she (have) breakfast before she left the flat?

10. Why Lucy (not clean) the kitchen before her mother-in-law came?

Answers. Answers to the exercise:

1. hadn't practiced
2. hadn't painted
3. hadn't closed
4. hadn't visited
5. had never gone
6. had you heard
7. had she found
8. had you finished
9. had she had
10. hadn't Lucy cleaned

Without violating tradition, we suggest that you make 5, and preferably 10 sentences in Past Perfect Tense. Don't forget to share your achievements in the comments below the article.

What is Past Perfect in English?

This is the time that shows that some action happened before another. Imagine that you woke up in the morning, had breakfast and decided to go to shopping center. As you got closer to the car, you saw that someone had written on the window: Your soul was here.

And when you tell this story to your friends, then you will need exactly this time, which is described in this article. It might sound like this in English:

— I had a quick cup of black coffee, got dressed and went out to the car. When I drew up closer to the car, I saw that someone had defaced my windscreen.
This way, your friends will be able to understand that someone messed up your windshield at some point in the past before you saw it.

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

affirmative form Past Perfect is formed with the help of the auxiliary verb to have in the past tense - had and the past participle (Participle II) of the semantic verb (i.e., the 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 up to a certain point 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 - until 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 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.

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.

If I ask: What is past perfect? Most of you will answer without hesitation that this is a tense expressing a past action before another past one.

How time is formed past perfect? Same as Present Perfect, only instead of have and has used had: had + V3/ Ved.

In theory, these facts about past perfect everyone knows who crossed the line intermediate, but in practice the situation is worse. The existence of the Past Perfect is constantly forgotten and used instead past simple because it's easier that way.

In addition, there is an opinion that the Past Perfect is not used in English. It is not true. There are cases when it can really be replaced by time past simple, but besides this, Past Perfect has its own, special functions in English, which is why it was singled out in a separate tense. Let's consider these functions.

1. The past before the past.

past perfect should be used in all cases where we have several actions, but it is not clear which action happened first. Let's consider the situation:

We arrived at the station. The train left. - We arrived at the station. The train has left.

What happened first: did we arrive or did the train leave? Did we catch the train or waved after him? How to combine these two actions into one sentence so as not to lose the meaning?

If we still managed to catch the train, then we use Past Simple (actions that happened sequentially one after the other):

We arrived at the station and the train left. We arrived at the station and the train left.

But, if we are unlucky, and we still missed the train, then we use Past Perfect:

We arrived at the station but the train had left. We arrived at the station, but the train had already left.

In the second situation, we didn't even see the train because the action ended before we arrived. To show this sequence, we simply cannot do without Past Perfect.

Of course you can speak simple sentences, without combining them into one and without bothering about times:

The train left. We arrived at the station. - The train has left. We arrived at the station.

If you report events in the order in which they happened, then there will be no problems, you will be understood. But don't you think that this way of expressing thoughts is somewhat simple, we don't say that in real life? Every now and then we return, as it were, “from the past to the earlier past”, we refer to earlier events. I want to combine these two actions into one sentence with the words before, but, long before, prior to, and therefore, to indicate an earlier action, we will use Past Perfect.

Another situation:

I came home but Jane had already left. - I came home, but Jane had already left.

She left before I arrived, I didn't see her. The Past Perfect shows us that this action was completed before I arrived. If in this proposal use Past Simple, then the interlocutor may get the impression that she left after I arrived, that is, we saw each other.

I hope it's clear enough. In addition, Past Perfect can intersect in use with, with the only difference being that instead of the present moment, we are viewing the action in terms of another past action. The Past Perfect can be used with the same time markers as the Present Perfect, but always denotes an action that ended before another past one:

I had never been abroad before I went to the USA last year. - I had never been abroad before I went to the US last year. (Life experience in the past)

Had you ever met his sister before she came to us? - Did you ever meet his sister before she came to us? (Life experience in the past)

She had already graduated from University when they offered her a job. She had already graduated from the university by the time they offered her the job. (Action completed by a moment in the past)

My boss was angry with me yesterday because when he called me I hadn't finished my report yet. - My boss got mad at me yesterday because when he called me I hadn't finished the report yet. (Action not completed by a moment in the past)

He was happy because he had just got a promotion. He was happy because he had just been offered a promotion. (An action completed shortly before another action, the result)

2. The past before the past with a specific time.

Usually, a specific time is not indicated with the Past Perfect. But in some cases, the speaker may indicate the time when it is really important:

I had seen such a quick runner only once in 1977 before I visited that competition in 1985.

This team had won twice in 2000 and 2003 before they obtained victory last year. - This team won twice: in 2000 and 2003 before they won last year.

An important fact is that in sentences of this type, Past Perfect can easily be replaced by Past Simple, because the dates and the word before let us know which action preceded the other.

But do not forget that if a specific time is not indicated, the use of the Past Perfect is mandatory!

3. Long action before another past.

The next situation in which it is advisable to use the Past Perfect is when the action began before another action in the past, and continued until it. We usually use Past for such actions. Perfect Continuous, but with state verbs we use Past Perfectbecause state verbs are not used in tenses Continuous groups. What ? To show the duration, we use the time pointer for :

They had had their old car for ten years when they bought a new one. They had an old car for ten years before they bought a new one.

She had been in Paris for four days when she visited the Eifel Tower. She stayed in Paris for four days when she visited the Eiffel Tower.

In addition, the verbs work, teach, study, live are used with the Past Perfect, despite the fact that they are not state verbs:

He had worked as a manager for two years before he was promoted. - He worked as a manager for two years before he was promoted.

I had studied English for five years when I joined this group. - I studied English for five years before joining this group.

4. In indirect speech.

Past Perfect is certainly used in indirect speech when coordinating tenses. Past Simple and Present Perfect when translating direct speech into indirect / indirect are replaced by Past perfect:

"I called you," he said. - He said that he had called me.
“I called,” he said. - He said he called.

"We had already read that book," they said. - They said that they had already read that book.
“We have already read that book,” they said. They said they had already read that book.

5. In conditional sentences of the third type.

And the last case of using the Past Perfect in English: in conditional sentences third type. These are the conditional sentences in which we express regret about the past:

If we had left home earlier, we wouldn't have missed the train. - If we had left home earlier, we would not have missed the train.

My boss wouldn't have been angry with me if I had finished my report on time. My boss wouldn't get mad at me if I finished the report on time.

So, Past Perfect, or "the past before the past", has following cases uses:

1. Past action that happened before another action in the past.

2. A past action that happened before another action in the past with a specific time and the word before (may be replaced by past simple).

3. Past action that lasted a certain time before another action in the past (with state verbs, as well as work, teach,study,live).

4. Used in indirect speech instead past simple and Present Perfect.

5. Used in conditional sentences of the third type.

Time markers Past Perfect:

1. The presence of another past action.
2. Already / yet
3. Just
4. Never/ ever
5. For
6. When, before

In one of our next articles, we will compare the use of past perfect and other past tenses. Stay tuned!

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