Past Perfect

Express actions that were completed before another action or time in the past

What is Past Perfect?

The past perfect shows that one action was completed before another action or time in the past. It's the "past of the past" and helps clarify the sequence of events in storytelling and explanations.

Compare: "When I arrived, they left" (unclear order) vs. "When I arrived, they had already left" (clearly shows they left first).

When to Use

1. Actions Completed Before Another Past Action

When I arrived, the movie had already started. (started first, then I arrived)
She had finished her work before the meeting began.
They had left by the time we got there.
I had never seen snow before I moved to Canada.
He had eaten lunch when I called him.
The train had departed before we reached the station.

2. Explaining Past Situations (Giving Background/Context)

I was tired because I had worked all night. (explains why I was tired)
She was upset because she had failed the exam.
The streets were wet because it had rained.
He couldn't find his keys because he had lost them.
They were excited because they had won the lottery.
I wasn't hungry because I had just eaten.

3. Reported Speech (Backshifting from Present Perfect/Simple Past)

Direct: "I have finished my homework." → Reported: She said she had finished her homework.
Direct: "We went to Paris." → Reported: They told me they had gone to Paris.
Direct: "I lost my wallet." → Reported: He said he had lost his wallet.
Direct: "She has left." → Reported: I heard she had left.

4. Third Conditional (Unreal Past Situations)

If I had known, I would have helped. (but I didn't know)
If she had studied, she would have passed.
We would have come if you had invited us.
If they had left earlier, they wouldn't have missed the flight.

5. Wishes About the Past

I wish I had studied harder. (but I didn't)
She wishes she had saved more money.
If only I had listened to your advice!
He wishes he had never met her.

Formation

Positive: Subject + had + past participle

I had finished the book.
You had studied French.
He had gone home.
She had seen that movie.
We had traveled to Italy.
They had bought a new car.
It had stopped raining.

Negative: Subject + had + not + past participle

I hadn't seen him before.
She hadn't finished her homework.
We hadn't met before that day.
They hadn't expected the news.

Question: Had + subject + past participle?

Had you been there before?
Had she finished when you arrived?
Where had they gone?
How long had you known each other?

Common Mistakes

❌ When I arrived, they already left. → ✅ When I arrived, they had already left.
❌ I had went to the store. → ✅ I had gone to the store. (past participle)
❌ She has finished before I arrived. → ✅ She had finished before I arrived. (not present perfect)
❌ I had seen him yesterday. → ✅ I saw him yesterday. (simple past with specific time)
❌ Had you went there? → ✅ Had you gone there?
❌ Before he came, I finished. → ✅ Before he came, I had finished. (use past perfect for the earlier action)
❌ I had buy a car. → ✅ I had bought a car.
❌ She had cook dinner when I arrived. → ✅ She had cooked dinner when I arrived.

Practice Tips

📖 Timeline thinking: Draw a timeline with two past points. The earlier action gets past perfect, the later one gets simple past.
🔑 Key words: Watch for "before," "after," "when," "by the time," "already," "just," and "never" - these often signal past perfect situations.
✍️ Tell stories: Practice explaining past situations: "I was tired because I had...", "They were late because they had..."
⚠️ Don't overuse: Only use past perfect when showing which action came first is important. If the order is clear from context, simple past is fine.
🎯 Master past participles: Review irregular past participles (gone, seen, done, been, etc.) - you'll need them for past perfect.