The Past Perfect Tense - Past perfect tense: use, education, exercises. Past Complete Tense (The Past Perfect Tense)

affirmative form

Subject + had + Infinitive without to ending -ed (form Past Participle for irregular verbs)

1. It was late and everyone had gone home already - It was late and everyone had already gone home.

• had - auxiliary verb
• gone is the Past Participle of the irregular verb go

2. I saw him when he had just returned from his holiday - I saw him when he had just returned from vacation.

• had - auxiliary verb
• returned - infinitive without to ending -ed

3. She had woken up long before her alarm clock rang - She woke up long before her alarm rang.

• had - auxiliary verb
• woken is the Past Participle form of the irregular verb wake

negative form

Subject + had + not + Infinitive without to ending -ed (form Past Participle for irregular verbs)

1. It was a lovely evening. We had not seen each other for a while - It was a wonderful evening. We haven't seen each other for a while.

• had - auxiliary verb
• not - negative particle
• seen - the Past Participle form of the irregular verb see

2. When he called her in the office she had not arrived yet - When he called her at the office, she had not arrived yet.

• had - auxiliary verb
• not - negative particle
• arrived - infinitive without to ending -ed

3. I was happy he offered me a snack as I had not eaten anything - I was glad that he offered me a snack, since I didn’t eat anything.

• had - auxiliary verb
• not - negative particle
• eaten is the Past Participle of the irregular verb eat

Interrogative form

had + Subject + Infinitive without to ending -ed (form Past Participle for irregular verbs)

1. Had you signed the document before you sent it out? Did you sign the document before you sent it? (general question)

• had - auxiliary verb that stands in place before subject to form a question
• signed - infinitive without to ending -ed

2. Where had you been before you traveled to China? Where were you before you went to China? (special question)

• had is an auxiliary verb that stands after the question word where and before subject
• been - the Past Participle form of the irregular verb be

3. How long had you known each other before moving in together? How long did you know each other before you started living together? (special question)

• had is an auxiliary verb that stands after question word how long and before subject
• known - the Past Participle form of the irregular verb know

#2 Cases of using the Past Perfect

1. To express an action in the past that happened up to a certain point in the past.

• On my way to work I realized I had taken the wrong bus - On the way to work, I realized that I got on the wrong bus. (the sentence describes a situation in the past where one action (had taken) preceded and completed before another action (realised) took place)
• Exams started after the term had finished - Exams started after the semester ended. (the sentence describes a situation in the past where one action (had finished) preceded and ended before another action (started) happened)

2. When listing past actions in chronological order (as they followed one after another), Past Simple is used. If the integrity of this chain is interrupted by a mention of an action that took place earlier, then the Past Perfect is used to express this action.

• I called the agent and asked a question about those tickets I had bought earlier - I called the agent and asked a question about the tickets I bought earlier. (in this example, the chronological order of actions that occurred in the past (called, asked) is interrupted by a mention of an action that happened earlier (had bought) )
• We went to a shop, then went to the cinema to watch a movie and after that arrived at the restaurant where we had reserved a table - We went to the store, then went to the cinema to watch a movie, and after that we arrived at the restaurant where we reserved table. ((went, went, arrived) is interrupted by a mention of an action that happened earlier (had reserved) )

3. After if, wish and would rather The Past Perfect is used to express past actions that could have happened but didn't.

• I wish I had been there at that moment - It's a pity that I wasn't there then.
• I would rather they had not said that at all - I would rather they didn't say that at all.

4. We use the Past Perfect instead of Past Perfect Continuous with those verbs that are not used in the tenses of the Continuous group. Usually Past Perfect Continuous is used when talking about an event that lasted for some time in the past before another action took place in the past.

• She told me that they had been there for a week She told me that they had been there for a week. (the verb to be is not used in Continuous tenses)
• They had known each other for 10 years before they founded their company - They knew each other for 10 years before they founded their company. (the verb to know is not used in Continuous tenses)

5. Past Perfect can be used with the following temporary words and expressions: after(after), as soon as(once), when(when), before(before), by the time (that)(by the time when). Please note that these words and expressions not always indicate the obligatory use of the Past Perfect.

• As soon as he had defended his dissertation they him a workplace - As soon as he defended his dissertation, he was offered a job.
• I sat down to watch TV after everyone had left - I sat down to watch TV after everyone had left.

By the time they noticed the loss the suspect had already disappeared - By the time they discovered the loss, the suspect had already disappeared.

6. To express unfulfilled hopes and desires.

• I had hoped to improve my English during that course, but I could not
• I had wanted to give them a call but I was so busy - I wanted to call them, but I was so busy.

Hello, hello, my dears.

There are only three tenses in Russian. And the past is just the past, without any additions. But in English, everything is much more complicated. Have you heard of the Past Perfect? Such a small and completely inconspicuous brother of the painful Present Perfect for many.

So, if this “miracle” caused you any difficulties - or maybe you never heard about it at all - then today I will tell you everything. Past perfect: rules and examples- the theme of the lesson. We are waiting for an explanation of the rule, many, many examples, but the exercises will be already. After all, practice takes a lot of time.

How is it formedPast Perfect

Building affirmative proposals in this tense is identical to the formation in the present perfect tense with minor changes. In short, the scheme looks like this:

Subject +had + V3 + Object.

She had done her homework by 9 p. m. She had done her homework by 9 pm.

They had already visited the place before. - They've been to this place before.

Let's take a short break here! Because I hope you remember that V3 is the third form of the verb. To regular verbs, we simply add the ending – ed, but we remember by heart and use the form from the third column!

I am not too lazy to remind you that English grammar can be very interesting and exciting to study with the help of the course « Grammar for Beginners» or online intensive « Smart like Shakespeare» offered by the well-deserved online service for learning English Lingualeo.

FROM negative sentences it's even simpler - we just add a particle not.

Subject +had not + V3 + Object.

I hadn't had breakfast before I set off to the university. -I not had breakfast before, how go in university.

I hadn ’ t slept until my parents came back home. I didn't sleep until my parents came home.

AT interrogative sentence the structure changes to the following:

Had +subject+V3+An object?

Had you washed your hands before you started eating the dinner? -You washed arms before topics, how to begin supper?

Had you done the task before you went out to meet with your friends? -You did exercise before topics, how go meet co their friend?

When to UsePast Perfect

That's what, but with understanding when to use the Past Perfect, neither I nor my students have ever had problems. After all, everything is absolutely simple. Usually this rule is studied in the 8th grade, when students already have sufficient vocabulary, and explaining the rule does not become a test for children.

The first and most important rule:

• past perfect is used to describe a situation that has already ended BEFORE some other action took place in the past.

The action that had already finished before another action happened.

I was on my way to work when I remembered (action in the past) that I had forgotten (prior action) the presentation on the table. -Iwason thewaytowork, whenIremembered, whatforgotpresentationon thetable.

Theyhad already sold (prior action) thecarwhenI called(action in the past) . - When I called, they had already sold the car.

Sometimes, instead of a specific indication of the action, there may be an indication of the time.

She had finished studies by the 1st of July. -She is finished lessons to first July.

We had finished the event by the end of the month.- We're done.eventby the endmonths.

• past perfect used when narratives need to describe a chain of actions related to the past.

The policeman said that the robbers had broken window, had stolen the picture and had run away. I was standing there and couldn't understand what I should do. -Police officer said, what robbers smashed window, stole picture and ran away. I stood there and couldn't figure out what to do.

Time indicators

At any time there are indicators. To immediately recognize the Past Perfect in a sentence, look for the following words with your eyes:

1. Before - before; before.
2. Since - since then.
3. By - k.
4. For - during.
5. By the time - by the time.
6. Just - just now.
7. After - after.
8. Till\Until - until then.
9. Never - never.
10. Already - already.

In 80% of cases, one of these words will be used in a sentence. For example:

I had already prepared my presentation by the time mother prepared the dinner. - I had already finished my presentation by the time my mother cooked dinner.

She realized that she had never been to this place before. -She is understood, what never before not was in this place.

But be sure to remember one thing - past perfect- this is the past tense, therefore we use it only when we talk about past events! As a rule, it is most often found in narratives and stories.

Dear ones, I am sure that you will have absolutely no questions left. Now in the public domain you can find thousands of videos, rules and exercises if you need more. But I hope that I was able to close all the gaps in your knowledge regarding this topic. And it is not the easiest, trust me! But if you still have questions - you are welcome in the comments. I will answer each one there.

In addition, I also invite you to my mailing list, where I regularly share important and useful information from my experience. Let's learn English together!

And that's all for today!

Past Perfect Tense is translated as "past perfect tense".

We use this tense to say that an action in the past has ended. to or before some time in the past.

For example:

When I watched the series, I went to bed.

What was the first action? First I watched the series, and then went to bed. That is by that time, When I went to bed, I already watched the series.

To show that the first action ended before the second happened, the Past Perfect must be used in the first part of the sentence.

In other words, we use the Past Perfect to show the sequence of actions, that is, what one past action happened before another.

Look at the picture:

That is, by the time I watched the movie (second act), I had already read the book (first act).

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As you can see, it is not difficult to understand and remember this time. Now let's figure out how to form such sentences correctly.

Formation of the Past Perfect tense in English

The Past Perfect is formed using had(this is the past tense form of the verb have) and the past tense of the verb.

Verbs in the past tense

There are regular and irregular verbs in English. Depending on the verb, this form is formed as follows:

• if the verb is correct, then we add the ending -ed to it: cook - cooked, finish - finished.
• if the verb is irregular, then we put it in the 3rd form: do - done, eat - eaten

There is no rule by which one can determine the correct or irregular verb in front of us. The only way to find out is by looking it up in a dictionary or memorizing it.

The same is true for the forms of irregular verbs. They must be memorized or looked up in a dictionary.

Past Perfect Time Formation Scheme:

Actor + had + regular -ed verb or 3rd form of an irregular verb

I
You
We		done
They	had	worked
She		played
He
It

Important: Usually The past perfect is used in complex two-part sentences. Moreover, we use the Past Perfect in the part of the sentence that refers to the action that happened first (before the other).

In another part, the time is most often used Past simple - past simple.

The two parts of the sentence are connected by the words:

after- after
before- before
when- when
by the time- by that time

She had done her homework before he called.
She had done her homework before he called.

After they had eaten breakfast they went to work.
After breakfast, they went to work.

Abbreviations

We can abbreviate had in a sentence. It will look like this:

had = 'd

I 'd cooked dinner when they arrived.
I cooked dinner when they arrived.

Negative sentences in Past Perfect in English

To make the sentence negative, you need to add the negative particle not to the auxiliary verb had.

The outline of such a proposal would be:

Actor + had + not + regular -ed verb or 3rd form of an irregular verb

I
You
We			done
They	had	not	worked
She			played
He
It

He had not worked before he graduated from an university.
He didn't work until he graduated from university.

We had not read the book before we went to bed.
We didn't read this book before we went to bed.

Reduction

We can abbreviate had and not as follows:

had + not = hadn't

For example:

I hadn't called him before he wrote me.
I didn't call him before he texted.

Interrogative sentences with Past Perfect in English

To form an interrogative sentence, you need to put the auxiliary verb had in the first place. The outline of such a proposal would be:

Had + character + regular -ed verb or 3rd form of an irregular verb?

	I
	you
	we	done?
Had	they	worked?
	she	played?
	he
	it

Had they finished work before they left?
Did they finish work before leaving?

Had he drunk coffee before he went to work?
Did he drink coffee before he went to work?

So, we have analyzed the theory, and now let's move on to practice.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English:

1. I watched TV after reading a book.
2. She had breakfast before going to school.
3. They got married before they bought a house.
4. When the rain stopped, we went for a walk.
5. We went to the cinema after we had dinner.
6. He went home after finishing work.

past perfect- past perfect tense. Its peculiarity is that it is not used in speech on its own and is necessarily attached to another action. Why do the British need it? The reason lies in their love for order and organization. In Russian, we use the same tense to express all past actions. We list a few events, then return to another event that happened before all the others. An Englishman in his speech will never allow such "chaos". If he forgot about an important event that happened before everyone else, he will report it at a specially designated time for this - past perfect.

How is the Past Perfect formed?

Statement

Predicate in past perfect consists of two parts: auxiliary verb had and the third form of the main verb (we add the ending to the regular verb - ed, and we take the form of the wrong one from the third column).

Negation

In a negative sentence between an auxiliary verb had and the particle appears as the main verb not.

As in many other times, past perfect there are abbreviated forms that are used in colloquial speech. In an affirmative sentence had combined with a pronoun, in the negative - with a particle not. For example:

• I'd done.
• You'd decided.
• I hadn't done.
• You didn't decide.

Question

An interrogative sentence begins with an auxiliary verb had, followed by the subject and the main verb.

In order to consistently study past perfect, we have divided all its functions into three levels. In the green block you will find what you need to know at the beginner level, in the yellow block for the intermediate level, in the red block for the advanced level.

Using the Past Perfect

First level

past perfect always goes hand in hand with another action in the past. past perfect shows an action that happened before another action or a specific moment in the past. Another action in the past is most often indicated past simple, while special words can be used: by... (to some time/moment), after(after), before(before, before) when(when), earlier(before), first(first, first).

We arrived at the station at 7.30, but the train had left. We arrived at the station at 7:30, but the train had already gone. (first the train left, then we arrived at the station)

He had been a usual clerk before he became a successful businessman. - He was ordinary clerk before that, how became a successful businessman.

Often past perfect explains the reason: we want to show that the action expressed past perfect, caused another action to occur.

He was hungry. He hadn't eaten for eight hours. - He was hungry. He did not eat eight hours.

She couldn't buy a new pair of shoes as she had lost her credit card. She couldn't buy a new pair of shoes because lost credit card.

Time past perfect similar in meaning to Present Perfect with the difference that the time of the action does not occur in the present (now), but in the past (then).

They are not at home. They have gone shopping. → They were not at home. They had gone shopping.
Them No at home. They are gone go shopping. → Their did not have at home. They are gone go shopping.

Another common feature Present Perfect and past perfect- adverbs just(just now), already(already), yet(already, still).

They were moving to another country, but they hadn't told their parents yet. - They moved to another country, but haven't said yet about it to your parents.

The most common mistake made with past perfect- use this time where it is not necessary, most often instead of past simple. For example, when we talk about a simple action that happened a long time ago. remember, that past perfect works only when there are two actions.

I learned English at school. - I learned English at school.
I had learned English before I entered the university. - I learned English before that, how entered the University.

Where else is the Past Perfect found?

Average level

1. past perfect shows that the action began in the past and continued until a certain point in the past. Prepositions already familiar to us are often used here. for(during) and since(since).
   

   He didn't want to drive that car anymore. He had driven it for 30 years. He didn't want to drive that car anymore. He drove her 30 years old.

   Her speech was impressive. She had worked on it since Monday. Her speech was impressive. She is worked over it since Monday.

   This function is not fully applicable to past perfect she belongs by right Past Perfect Continuous. past perfect in this sense is used with state verbs (), i.e. verbs that cannot "last".

   Before we talked, Mary had been upset for three days. She had been crying all this time. Before we talked, Mary was frustrated for three days. She is cried all this time.

2. AT past perfect, As in Present Perfect, there is a function by which we talk about personal experience. The difference is that past perfect we use when talking about our experiences in the past.
   

   The last week of my holidays was the worst week I had ever had. The last week of my vacation was the worst week I have ever had. was.

   By the time I moved to Dublin I had written seven books and I was working hard on the eighth. – By the time I moved to Dublin, I wrote seven books and was actively working on an eighth.

Difficult cases of using Past Perfect

High level

1. past perfect used after if in conditional sentences of the third type (). This type of conditional shows regret for the past. We could do something in the past if we fulfilled the condition, but in the present we can no longer change the situation.
   

   If I had known about your problem, I would have helped you. - If I knew about your problem, I would help you.

   If you had read the morning newspaper, you would have agreed with me. - If you was reading morning paper, you would agree with me.

2. past perfect used in structures hardly ... when and no sooner ... than. These constructions show that one action happened immediately after another. The peculiarity is that they use the reverse word order, as in the question. Such sentences are translated into Russian using the words “as soon as”, “I didn’t have time”, “barely I”.
   

   hardy had the plane landed at the Miami airport, when it started to rain. - Barely airplane landed at the Miami airport how it started to rain.

   No sooner had I chewed my sandwich than somebody knocked at the door. - Did not have time I chew your sandwich how someone knocked the door.

3. In modern English past perfect are increasingly being replaced by past simple, especially in American English. We can use past simple instead of past perfect if the sequence of events is clear from the context. In such sentences there are words after(after), before(before), earlier(before), first(first, first), etc.
   

   After he had finished repairing his car, he took a shower. = After he finished repairing his car, he took a shower. - After he finished fix the car, he took a shower.

   I agreed to meet her though I was angry with her as we had quarreled earlier. = I agreed to meet her though I was angry with her as we earlier. - I agreed to meet her, although I was angry with her, because we had a fight.

   This rule does not work with the union when(when): with the change of tense, the meaning of the whole sentence may change.

   When we came home, she had cooked already prepared dinner. (Past Perfect means dinner was done before we got home)

   When we came home, she cooked dinner. When we got home, she prepared dinner. (Past Simple shows that first we came home and then she cooked dinner)

The more complex time seems, the less meaning it has. This rule also applies to past perfect. The main thing to remember is next to past perfect there must be another action in the past. To better remember this time, take the test and download the table, in which you can always peep and refresh your knowledge.

(*.pdf, 183 Kb)

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Test

Past Perfect - Past Perfect Tense in English

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Past Perfect (past perfect) is used to refer to an action that took place before a certain point in the past.

Education Past Perfect Tense

The Past Perfect is formed with the help of the auxiliary verb to have in the past tense (had) and the past participle of the semantic verb. This form of the verb is also called the "third form of the verb" and is conventionally denoted as V3 (verb 3). For regular verbs, this is the infinitive with the ending -ed, for irregular verbs, it is the third column in the Table of Irregular Verbs.

The general formula looks like this:
had + V3

I had played.
He had played.

Interrogative form: did + subject + V3:
Had I played?
Had he played?

In a special question, the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject, and the necessary interrogative pronoun is used before the auxiliary verb:

Where had I played?
Why had he played?
With whom had you played?

In a question to the subject, an interrogative pronoun who placed before the predicate instead of the subject itself:

Who had played?

Negative form: had + not + V3:
I had not played.
He had not played.

Interrogative-negative form: had + subject + not + V3 or hadn "t + subject + V3:
Had I not played? = Hadn"t I played?
Had he not played? = Hadn"t he played?

In colloquial speech, the following abbreviations are used:
had = 'd
had not = hadn't = 'd not
I "d play ed.
He hadn't played ed.
He "d not play ed.
Hadn't we played ed?

affirmative form	negative form
I had played He (she, it) had play ed We had play ed You had play ed They had play ed	I had not play ed He (she, it) had not play ed We had not play ed You had not played They had not play ed
Interrogative form	Interrogative-negative form
Had I play ed ? Had he (she, it) play ed ? Had we play ed ? Had you play ed ? Had they play ed ?	Had I not play ed ? Had he (she, it) not play ed ? Had we not play ed ? Had you not play ed ? Had they not play ed?

Using Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect is used:

1. To express a past action that took place before a certain moment in the past. It is also called "prepast tense" because a past action took place before another past action. To indicate such a moment in the past, use:

a) by ten o "clock by ten o'clock,by that time, by the 11th of April by April 11, by April by April etc.:
My son had done the homework by 8 o "clock. The son did his homework by eight o'clock.
By June he had already come. By June he was back.

b) another past action that took place later (in Past Simple):
He knew that they had left the city. He learned that they had left the city. (first left, and then found out)
The rain had stopped when we reached the town. The rain stopped when we got to the city.

c) context:

While we were playing in the yard, we became hungry. It was great that I had taken some sandwiches. While we were playing football, we got hungry. Thank God I brought sandwiches with me!

When listing actions, they are used in Past Simple despite the fact that some actions happened before others:
He took the newspaper, sat down on the chair and started reading. He took the newspaper, sat down on a chair and began to read.

2. In the subordinate clause after the union after and when as after :
After the rain had stopped, we went for a walk. After the rain stopped, we went for a walk.

3. In the main clause, when the subordinate clause begins with a unionbefore, before, because The action in the main clause happened before the action in the clause:
We had prepared supper before our mom returned. We had already cooked dinner before my mother returned.

3. To express a long-term action that began in the past and continued until a certain moment in the past or at a moment. The proposal must contain prepositions since with or for .

a) with verbs that are not used in Continuous (for more details, see Verbs without Continuos forms):
He had been away for several months before his first letter came. Before the first letter arrived from him, he had already been absent for several months.

b) with some verbs instead of Past Perfect Continuous, if the speaker wants to focus not on the duration, but on the fact of the action.
The Ivanovs had lived in Moscow for five years when I met them. The Ivanovs had been living in Moscow for five years when I met them.(important fact)
The Ivanovs had been living in Moscow for five years when I met them. The Ivanovs had been living in Moscow for five years when I met them.(duration, process is important)

4. With adverbs:
hardly ... when
scarcely ... when barely... how
no sooner ... when

At the same time, in the following subordinate clause, Past Simple is used:
Had hardly (scarcely) come, when the film

Such sentences, as a rule, have an emphatic meaning and are used with inversion.
Hardly had he come, when the film started. As soon as he arrived, the film began.

Cases of using Past Perfect Tense

1. An action that took place up to a certain point in the past.
2. After unions after and when in the meaning of after
3. In the main clause, the subordinate clause of which begins with before.
4. A long action that began in the past and continued until a certain moment in the past or at the moment (instead of Past Perfect Continuous)
5. In a complex sentence with hardly ... when, etc. adverbs.