Past Perfect - past perfect tense. Past Complete Tense (The Past Perfect Tense)

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 hadn't 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.

Quite often, times in English become for many people. But in fact, everything is quite simple: you just need to sit, understand the rules and read more texts.

Past Perfect: what is this time

This is the so-called past tense, when all the action takes place in the past, but ends before a certain moment or the beginning of another action (or event) is also in the past. In other words, this is everything that has already happened, before something else happened (which also had time to end). Everything refers to a certain time or moment, already lived and past. Usually, in the Past Perfect, the rules provide for the use of several adverbs showing an earlier event: never, ever, yet, already. Example: By the time Julia arrived at the building, Mary had already left. - By the moment Juliya got to the building, Mary had already left.

Past Perfect: education rules

Everything is very simple here. To use this time, you just need to take the second have (already familiar had) and the third form of the verb necessary for the meaning (that is, the past participle). For regular verbs, it is formed by simply adding the ending -ed, for incorrect ones, it is taken in the dictionary and memorized.

1. Affirmative form: I/You/She/They/He had read it.
2. Negative form: I/She/He/You/They had not (hadn't) read it.
3. Interrogative form: Had I/You/She/He/They read it?

Past Perfect: rules and examples of use

There are two options here that you should always consider and not forget about

1. If the described action took place before a certain point in the past. Example: By 2000, she had become a world famous singer. - By 2000 she had become a world-famous singer. Thus, a starting point is immediately set and it is indicated that she achieved success precisely by the year 2000 and not earlier (that is, a certain event or time takes place in the past).
2. If an event or action happened before the start of another action, it is also in the past. The past perfect (the rules say so) is used precisely to describe the event that happened earlier. What happened later is described by Example: She didn't want to go to the cinema with us yesterday because she had already seen The Lord of the Rings. - She didn't want to go to the cinema with us yesterday, because she had already seen "The Lord of the Rings". At the same time, the adverb used immediately demonstrates which of the described actions and events happened before the other.

Difference from other past tenses

Past Perfect (the rules for its formation are very simple and logical) differs from other times, such as Past Simple, (the rules for their formation are also quite easy: the first is formed by a simple change in the verb and means a simple action that took place in the past, without any pitfalls; the second shows that the event or action happened in the past, but ended exactly at the specified moment in the present, or is completed only now.It is formed by using the form of the verb have in the present tense and the semantic verb necessary for the sentence), and it is quite easy to catch this difference. To do this, one should not only learn the form of education, but also think about the meaning of the sentence as a whole, in order to capture its logic and meaning, and not translate word for word. In the latter case, the words will simply mix up, and there will be no understanding of the text. However, with a thoughtful approach to English grammar, there will be no difficulty in understanding both written text and spoken language.

past perfect formed with the help to had in past tense form ( had- for all persons) and the past participle of the semantic verb: I / he had written. Past Participle (participle) of regular verbs is formed by adding the ending to the infinitive –ed: to invite- invite ed. When added to a verb –ed sometimes there are changes in its spelling: to stop - stopp ed. Past Participle of irregular verbs must be remembered: to tell-told-told. Additionally about.

Abbreviated forms:

‘d= had
hadn't= had not

Using the Past Perfect

1. An action that took place before another action in the past. Indicated by the notation of time ( by Monday - by Monday, by evening - by evening, by 3 o'clock - by 3 o'clock, by that time - by that time) or other (later) actions expressed by time .

Examples: I had came to them by 5 o'clock. I came to them at 5 o'clock.
I had translated the text by Wednesday. – I translated the text by Wednesday.
my parents were glad to hear that I had passed all exams. My parents were happy to hear that I passed all the exams. (first I passed the exams - Past Perfect is used, and then my parents heard about it - Past Simple is used, i.e. one action happened before another)
my sister said that I had given her wrong address. My sister said I gave her the wrong address. (first I gave my sister the wrong address - Past Perfect is used, and then the sister said that the address was wrong - Past Simple is used, i.e. one action happened before the other)

2. An action that began up to a certain moment in the past and lasted until that moment. Past Perfect is used most often with verbs that are not used in the Continuous form. Additionally about.

Examples: When Sally arrived to the party, her friends had been there for half an hour. When Sally came to the party, her friends had already been there for half an hour.

3. Verbs in the Past Perfect can express two or more previous actions, and one of them can precede the other.

Examples: She said that she had drawn the money from her account and (had) sent them to her sister. She said she had withdrawn money from her account and sent it to her sister. (action expressed by the verb had drawn precedes the action expressed by the verb had sent)

4. If two or more past actions are transmitted in the sequence in which they occurred (i.e., actions are listed), the Past Simple form is used.

Examples: He entered room, took something from the desk and went out. He entered the room, took something from the desk and left. (here the verbs entered, took, went out denote a chain of actions that followed one after another, so they are expressed using Past Simple)

5. If the sequence of actions is interrupted by a mention of previously completed actions, then such previously completed actions are used in the Past Perfect.

Examples: He entered the room which he had reserved the day before, took something from the desk and went out. He entered the room he had booked the day before, took something from the desk and left. (here the verbs entered, took, went out denote a chain of actions that followed the bottom after another, so they are expressed using the Past Simple. These actions are interrupted by the verb had reserved- an action that happened earlier, therefore Past Perfect is used here)

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 at a separate time. 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 it? 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 express yourself in simple sentences without combining them into one and without bothering about tenses:

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 denote 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 you use Past Simple in this sentence, 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 university at 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. Usually for such actions we use Past Perfect Continuous, but with state verbs we use Past Perfect, because state verbs are not used in the times of the Continuous group. 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 Past Perfect in English: in conditional sentences of the 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 the following use cases:

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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