How the past perfect is formed in English. Past Perfect

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Past perfect tense, sometimes called pre-past, it refers to those English tenses that have no exact analogues in Russian. To better understand the meaning Past Perfect a parallel can be drawn with the Present Perfect.

Past Perfect- this is an analogue Present Perfect, only for the past. If in the Present Perfect the action took place at the present moment, then in the Past Perfect - at 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 a time adverb. It is often translated into Russian with the past perfect verb what did you do?

Education Past Perfect

Basic meaning of Past Perfect

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

Example sentences

By the time they were rescued they had already spent three days without food and water.

Example sentences

By the time they were rescued, they had already spent 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... I watched the news last night.

Example sentences I had learned to read before I went to school. 2. Past Perfect I learned to read before I went to school. Example sentences When we arrived at 3. Past Perfect the cinema Example sentences 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 Past Perfect lost in the mountains. If we had taken a map, we would not have gotten lost in the mountains. 4. Also Example sentences used in sentences with I wish, If only

Past Perfect to express regret about something in the past. I wish I had sent her a birthday present. I wish I had sent 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: is formed with the help to have in the past tense form ( had– for all persons) and the past participle form of the semantic verb: I/he to have had written had. 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 Sometimes there are changes in its spelling: to stop – stopp
. Past Participle of irregular verbs must be remembered: to tell – told – told

. More about .

Abbreviated forms ‘d= had

hadn't= had not Using the Past Perfect 1. An action that took place earlier than another action in the past. Indicated by time symbols ( by Monday - by Monday, by evening - by the 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 for 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. (at first I passed the exams - the Past Perfect is used, and then my parents heard about it - the Past Simple is used, i.e. one action happened before the other)

hadn't My sister said that I had given her the wrong address. – My sister said that I gave her the wrong address. (at first I gave my sister the wrong address - the Past Perfect is used, and then the sister said that the address was incorrect - the Past Simple is used, i.e. one action happened before the other)

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

hadn't She My parents that she had drawn the money from her account and (had) sent them to her sister. “She said she withdrew money from her account and sent it to her sister. (action expressed by a 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.

hadn't He entered the room, took something from the desk and went out. “He entered the room, took something from the desk and left. (here verbs entered, took, went out denote a chain of actions that followed one after another, so they are expressed using the Past Simple)

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

hadn't 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 verbs entered, took, went out denote a chain of actions that followed one after another, so they are expressed using the Past Simple. These actions are interrupted by the verb had reserved– an action that happened earlier, so the Past Perfect is used here)

Learning English grammar is impossible without the Past Perfect tense. It's only at first glance given time seems extremely complex and incomprehensible - it does not exist in the Russian/Ukrainian languages. If you calmly understand these tables and learn to analyze time intervals, you will never get confused. Past Perfect is inextricably linked with time and, since it is used to denote an action that happened before some other action in the past.

For example:
“I didn’t go to the cinema because I had already seen the film.” Note that both actions are in the past tense, but the one that happened earlier (first) - “already saw” is used in the Past Perfect - “had already seen”, and the one that happened later (second) - “didn’t go” - in the Past Simple - “didn't go.”

The Past Perfect is used:

1. for an action completed at 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 in the past before another:
   1. I couldn't find the magazine he lent me.
      I couldn't find the magazine that he had tape 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 prepared dinner.
      Before I came back, my husband had already made dinner.
   4. Her boyfriend left the audience 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, you can also use the Past Simple:
      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 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.

Markers for the past perfect tense

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 your knowledge about Past Perfect, watch this video carefully:

THE PAST PERFECT TENSE

Past perfect tense

Affirmative form
+

Interrogative form
?

Wh-?
Special questions

(start with special words)

Negative form
—

Interrogative-negative form
(Speaking)
?-

Exercise.
Translate the sentences in Past Perfect into English:

1. The girl was happy because she talked to her mother.
2. I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t eaten anything since the 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 did not read the novel until then.

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.

Affirmative form

Subject + had + Infinitive without to ending in -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 – Past Participle form of the irregular verb go

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

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

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

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

Negative form

Subject + had + not + Infinitive without to ending in -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 – 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 in the office, she had not arrived yet.

• had – auxiliary verb
• not – negative particle
• arrived – infinitive without to with 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 had not eaten anything.

• had – auxiliary verb
• not – negative particle
• eaten – Past Participle form of the irregular verb eat

Interrogative form

had + Subject + Infinitive without to ending in -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 is an auxiliary verb that stands still before subject to form a question
• signed – infinitive without to with 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 question word where and before subject to
• been – 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 to
• known – Past Participle form of the irregular verb know

#2 Uses of Past Perfect

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

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

2. When listing past actions in chronological order (as they followed one after another), the Past Simple is used. If the integrity of this chain is interrupted by a mention of an action that occurred 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. (V 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 Past Perfect is used to express past actions that could have happened, but did not happen.

• 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 prefer that they did not say this at all.

4. We use Past Perfect instead of Past Perfect Continuous with those verbs that are not used in the Continuous tenses. Usually the Past Perfect Continuous is used when we're talking about about an event that was ongoing for some time in the past before another action occurred in the past.

• She told me that they had been there for a week“She told me they were 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 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(as soon as), 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 offered him a workplace - As soon as he defended his dissertation, he was offered a workplace.
• 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 hoped to improve my English during this course, but I couldn’t.
• I had wanted to give them a call but I was so busy - I wanted to call them, but I was so busy.

How to get out of the past and return to an earlier past? It’s not a time machine that comes to the rescue, as one might initially think, but a much simpler and at the same time interesting solution: Past time Perfect Simple- Past Perfect, which is studied in grades 6-7.

General information

There are three tenses in English: Past (past), Present (present) and Future (future). In this regard, the Russian language is in solidarity with its fellow language. But there are also differences between them - temporary forms. Depending on what kind of action we have before us - regular, long-term or completed, in each of the three times four aspects are distinguished: Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous.

Today the focus is on rules Past usage Perfect Simple - Past Perfect tense.

Past Perfect rules and examples

If it seems that the work is easy to do, then it certainly turns out to be difficult. And vice versa - difficult tasks always have simple solutions. This unwritten rule also applies to the Past Perfect. It is not as complicated as it seems. The first thing to remember is that this tense is never used independently. It always “works” cohesively, side by side with another action in the past, and indicates that the action expressed by it occurred before another action or before a certain time. Let's look at two examples:

• We came to the bus stop and the bus left - We came to the bus stop and the bus left.
• We came to the bus stop, but the bus had left - We came to the bus stop, but the bus left.

Before using one or another temporary form, it is necessary to understand what happened first and what happened second, or whether two actions occurred simultaneously. In the first case, we managed to get on the bus we needed and use the Past Simple (Simple Past), that is, the events in this sentence happened sequentially one after another. In the second example, we were late and did not catch the bus we needed - it had already left. In other words, the action happened before we arrived, and therefore the Past Perfect form is used here.

Cases of use

There are other, less common cases of using the tense form Past Perfect:

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• To explain the reason for what happened : the action expressed by the predicate verb in the Past Perfect tense form is the “culprit” of what happened later (He was not able to buy a new book as he had lost his credit car - He could not buy a new book because he lost my credit card);
• To describe your past experiences (By the time I bought my new flat I had worked hard for several years - By the time I bought my new apartment, I had worked hard for several years).

Time markers

Past Perfect time markers include the following circumstances, conjunctions and prepositions:

• By the time - by the time (By the time they came home, my mother had baked an apple pie - By the time they returned home, mine baked an apple pie);
• After - after a certain moment (She fell asleep after I had left her - She fell asleep after I left her);
• Before - until a certain point (She had never been to London before she came here last month - She had never been to London before she came here last month);
• When - when (The train had left when he arrived at the station - The train left when it arrived at the station);
• Just - just (When she entered the room I had just heard the news - When she entered the room, I just heard the news);
• Already - already (I had already finished with my dinner when he knocked on the door - I had already prepared dinner when he knocked on the door);
• Yet - yet (She moved to another city but she had not told her parents about it yet - She moved to another city, but has not yet told her parents about it);
• For - during (He thought that he was not able to drive a car anymore because he had not driven it for 20 years - He thought that he could no longer drive a car, because he had not driven it for 20 years)
• Since - since then (Her new book was wonderful because she had worked on it since last year - Her A new book was perfect because she had been working on it since last year).

The adverbs yet (yet), just (just now), already (already) are a common feature for the two tenses Present Perfect (Present Perfect) and Past Perfect (Past Perfect).

Formation of the affirmative form

The temporary form Past Perfect (Past Perfect) is formed according to a certain scheme: had + Participle II(Past participle or third form of the verb). Regular verbs form Participle II (Past Participle) using the ending - had: to use - used (use - used). If the verb belongs to the group of irregular ones, then the required form must be taken from the third column of the table of irregular verbs: I had opened (I opened), she had studied (she taught), we had bought (we bought).

Negation

The negative form of the Past Perfect is formed using a negative particle not (not) which is placed between the auxiliary verb If only I hadn’t spent so much money! And Participle II(Past participle):

I had not opened (I did not open), she had not studied (she did not teach), we had not bought (we did not buy).

Question

In an interrogative sentence in English, the word order changes. In the Past Perfect tense, the auxiliary verb comes first in the question If only I hadn’t spent so much money!, followed by the subject (pronoun or noun) and the main verb, expressed Participle II (Past Participle):

Had I opened? (did I open it?), Had she studied? (did she teach?), Had we bought? (we bought?).

In special questions, the scheme is preserved with the only difference - in the first place question words(Who? - Who?; What? - What?; Which? - Which?; When? - When?; Where? - Where?; Where? - Where?; Why? - Why?; How? - How?; How much/many? - How much?): What had I opened? (What did I discover?), Where had she studied? (Where did she study?), When had we bought? (When did we buy?).

What have we learned?

Today we were introduced to the Past Perfect, which is one of the tense forms of the past tense in English, and denotes an action in the past that preceded another action in the past. We also learned about its features, when it is used in a sentence and with what time markers.

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