The past perfect denotes action. The Past Perfect Tense - Past perfect tense: use, education, exercise

Affirmative form Past Perfect is formed using 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.

Question 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 before a certain moment in the past. A given moment in the past can be precisely indicated (year, day, hour) with the preposition of time by or can be expressed by another past action. Another action, which began 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 finished first - end, so this verb in the Past Perfect is 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 sentence ended before the action expressed by the predicate of the subordinate clause, then the verb of the main sentence will be expressed in the Past Perfect. Subordinate clauses are introduced by conjunctions before - before and when - When.

They had finished their work before their boss came in.
They finished their work before their boss entered.

b) If the action of the subordinate clause ended before the action expressed by the predicate of the main clause, then the verb of the subordinate clause is expressed through Past Perfect, and the main one - Simple Past. The subordinate clause of time is introduced by the conjunctions when - When, as soon as - as soon as.

As soon as (when) they had finished their work the door opened and their boss came in.
As soon as 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 create the impression of simultaneity of actions.

When he had done his homework he rang me up.
When he had done his homework, he called me.

(If you use both verbs in the Simple Past (When he did his homework he rang me up), you might get the impression that he was doing his homework and calling me at the same time.)

4. When describing a sequence of events in Simple Past/Past Indefinite, if the description is violated, i.e. if an action that happened earlier is indicated, 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 into the forest. In the morning we took some food and hot tea and set off. We reached the forest at noon and had a good time there. Before this, we had never been in the forest in winter. But after this trip we decided to go skiing into the forest regularly.

Past Perfect Tense or Past Perfect Tense is another complex tense form. English language, which describes events in the past tense. Since there is no analogue to this form in the Russian language, you need to make an effort to understand its essence and master it. Meaning of Past Perfect Tense What is Past Perfect Tense?

The Past Perfect tense indicates a past action that either preceded another action in the past or completed before some specific point in the past tense. For obvious reasons, it is also called “pre-past”.

Trace the difference between “past” and “prepast” tenses using the following example:

I was late. They had gone without me. (I was late. They left without me.)

As you can see, these sentences in English use different tense forms, while in Russian they are the same. In the first Past Simple. In the second Past perfect, because action preceded action in the first sentence. → They had already left without me before I arrived.

The past perfect tense is most often found in narratives and mainly in complex sentences.

Mean + had + Past Participle …

The interrogative form is formed by placing the auxiliary verb to have in the Past Simple Tense(had) in first place before the subject.

Had + Mean + Past Participle ???

The negative form is formed using the negation not, which is placed after the auxiliary verb had and in colloquial speech merges with it into one whole:

had not - hadn't

Mean + had + not + Past Participle …

Conjugation table for the verb to grow in Present Perfect Tense

Number	Face	Affirmative form	Question form	Negative form
Unit h.	1 2 3	I had (I"d) grown You had (you"d) grown He/ She/ It had (He"d/ She’d) grown	Had I grown? Had you grown? Had he/ she/ it grown?	I had not (hadn't) grown You had not (hadn't) grown He/ She/ It had not (hadn"t) grown
Mn. h.	1 2 3	We had (we"d) grown You had (you"d) grown They had (they"d) grown	Had we grown? Had you grown? Had they grown?	We had not (hadn't) grown You had not (hadn't) grown They had not (hadn't) grown

Past Perfect Tense is used:

1. To express a past action that took place before a certain point in the past with adverbial words that indicate the time by which the action was completed:

by then − by that time
by that time - by that time
by Friday - by Friday
by 9 o’clock - by 9 o’clock
by the 21st of November - by November 21st
by the end of the year - by the end of the year

They had written their compositions by Friday - They wrote their compositions by Friday
Bill had done the work by the time his parents returned - Bill finished work by the time his parents returned
I had finished the project by the end of the year - I finished the project by the end of the year

The point at which an action is completed can be determined by context. For example:

In the club I met Jim who had gone to the same college - In the club I met Jim, with whom we went to college together

Past Perfect in a complex sentence 2. In complex sentences, to express a past action that preceded another action in the past, expressed by the verb in the Past Simple. As a rule, such sentences include subordinate clauses of time after conjunctions:

when - when
after - after
before - before
until - for now
as soon as - as soon as

Nick had finished his work before his boss came in - Nick finished work before his boss came
As soon as Nick had finished his work the door opened and his boss came in - As soon as he finished work, the door opened and the boss came in
When I had made breakfast I rang him up - When I made breakfast, I called him

3. To express actions that began before a specified moment in the past and continue until that moment. In a sentence, as a rule, there are time adverbs that indicate the period during which the action took place:

for a long time - for a long time
for three years (hours, months, days) - for three years (hours, months, days)
since - since, since then

He realized he had been in love with her for a long time - He realized that he had been in love with her for a long time
They had owned the house for twenty years when they decided to sell it - They owned the house for twenty years when they decided to sell it
He told me he had been badly ill since he returned from the South - He told me that he had been very ill since he returned from the South

4. To express intentions, desires, hopes that did not come true. Typically with verbs:

expect - expect
hope − to hope
want − want
think - think

We had hoped we could visit them tomorrow but it’s beginning to look difficult - I hoped that we could visit them tomorrow, but it seems it won’t be easy.
She had intended to cook a dinner but she ran out of time - She was going to cook dinner, but didn’t have time

5. In subordinate clauses of time, the action of which is future in relation to past events. This action must precede the action in the main clause. In this case, Past Perfect Tense is translated into future tense. Examples:

I promised that I would go home after I had done all my work - I promised that I would come home after I had done all my work
She decided she wouldn’t do anything till he had explained the situation - She decided that she would not do anything until he explained the situation

The past perfect tense is not easy to learn right away. You need a lot of practice to master this material well.

Watch the following videos that may be of interest to you:

Simple and clear explanation with examples of Past Perfect Tense (Past Complete Tense)

The British are very scrupulous about delimiting periods of time. While Russian grammar is limited to past, present and future tenses, the English language system has divided each of these traditional forms into four more subforms. The result was 12 time groups, with a clearly verified scope of application of each type of structure. Today we will look at the category of the past perfect tense, study its meaning and give examples of use for the past perfect in sentences and dialogues. Despite the fact that there is no analogue to this tense in Russian, the topic does not cause any particular difficulties.

Briefly about the use of Past perfect

The main purpose of this category of time is to express the sequence of events in the past, previous experience. The predicate of the action that ended earlier is put in Perfect Past, and the verb of the second sentence usually has the form Past Simple. The completion of an event can also be expressed by a specific time indicator.

She remembered that she had met these children before –SheI rememberedWhatshemetthesechildrenearlier.
I had written this report by 8 o'clock – Iaddedthisreportby 8hours.

In rare situations, the continuous tense may be used instead of the simple past. This is necessary if they want to emphasize the incompleteness of the second action at the time of the end of the events preceding it.

By that time I had read the book and was watching TV – TOthattimeIfinished readingbookAndalreadywatchedTV.

In sentences with Past Perfect Tense the opposite rule applies. Past form Perfect Continuous cannot be used with verbs of feelings, possessions, states, relationships, therefore, with such predicates they use the simple past perfect.

I had owned thecar for 8 years already when I decided tosellit – I had owned this car for 8 years when I decided to sell it.

And the last situation in which it is necessary to use this tense is the presence in the statement of the phrases “ scarcely…when», « nosooner...than», « hardly…when" This sentence is translated into Russian with the words “ barely... how; didn’t have time... how" Please note a slight design change: had comes before the subject.

Scarcely had she entered the apartments, when the telephone rank – Barelyshecame inVapartment,Howrangtelephone.

Having remembered the cases of using the past perfect, we will consider example sentences and learn how to create such tense constructions ourselves.

Past perfect examples

In this section, we will analyze the rules and examples of using this tense category in various everyday situations.

So, if we need to compose an expression in the Past Perfect in the form of a statement, then we should use the auxiliary verb had and the third form of the verb, also known as participle II.

In this case, the event that follows in meaning can be in either first or second place.

It was the best film I (1) had (2) ever watched (3)- It was best film that I've ever seen.

Interrogative sentences require small change design, namely the provision of auxiliary had to the fore.

Had (1) you (2) cleaned(3) the room at 11 o'clock? – Youremovedroomby 11hours?

According to this scheme, the so-called general questions. There are also statements with special question words, negative questions, as well as expressions of doubt. We will not give separate diagrams for them; a little later we will be told about situations of such uses of the past perfect examples given at the end of the material.

Negative sentences do not change the word order of the affirmative phrase, but are also associated with the verb had. To put a negation, add the word not to this verb. Often there is a reduction in shape, and the overall design takes on the appearance of a hadn’t.

My daughter(1)hadn't(2+3)done(4)her homework yet when I came –MydaughtermoreNotdidmyhomework when I arrived.

Regardless of the type of sentence, many examples of the past perfect often contain tense indications (words) introduced by the words by,since, just, for, already, never,yet,before, until.

Let's consolidate the ability to correctly build this structure by analyzing the most typical examples of its use.

Situation	Translation
No sooner had Mary gone at work than children early to play in the yard.	Before Mary had time to leave for work, the children ran to play in the yard.
Hadn't Jack switched off the TV-set when he left the house?	Didn't Jack turn off the TV when he left the house?
We were surprised when we learned that this movie had won a prize	We were surprised when we learned that this film won the prize.
I hadn't watched the film by 3 o'clock because the guests arrived.	I hadn’t finished watching the film by three o’clock because guests had arrived.
Yesterday you gave me the beautiful flowers of your garden. Who had grown the flowers? I think you had done it , didn't you ? Yes, I had .	Yesterday you gave me beautiful flowers from your garden. Who grew these flowers? I think you did this, didn't you?
Did you call your girlfriend? I called her, but she hadn't come home yet. Why hadn't she come home yet? (colloquial form) = Why had she not come home yet? (official form) She was very busy with work.	Did you call your friend? I called her, but she hasn't come home yet. Why hasn't she come home yet? She was very busy at work.
Do you speak to your neighbors again? Yes, they apologized for the words that they had said then .	Are you talking to your neighbors again? Yes, they apologized for the words they said then.
Mother had known the truth before I told her it, didn't she ? Yes, she had .	Mom knew the truth before I told her, didn't she? Yes, I knew.
Yesterday we hadn't done this exercise. Translate the text today.	We didn't do this exercise yesterday. Translate text today.
Had your sister cooked a pie or a cake, when you returned? She had cooked a cake and ten muffins.	When you returned, did your sister make a pie or cake? She prepared the cake and 10 cupcakes.
Did they buy their car last week? No, they didn't. They had bought it the week before .	Did they buy their car last week? No, they bought it the week before last.

We looked at examples of various sentences in the past perfect, and learned how to compose them according to grammatical patterns. In order to new information was not forgotten after 30 minutes, but firmly lodged in our head, it is necessary to complete several. Good luck in improving your English and see you again!

English grammar is sometimes very tricky. But you can avoid all the traps set if you clearly study all the rules and practice them, and consolidate each step. So, having learned, disassembled Past examples Perfect, you will insure yourself against falling into a trap.

The past completed tense helps to convey events that have already ended before a certain point in the past. This can be either a time frame or another, later action. Having become familiar with the rule, it’s time to move on to examples using the Past Perfect, which will help dot all the i’s.

Examples of sentences in the Past Perfect

When considering any statement, find the moment in the conversation where important information or the main idea is contained. In relation to a given situation, the action in the past perfect may already be completed or continue upon the arrival of another, later moment. Some sentences with the Past Perfect are often accompanied by perfect adverbs, or signal words, as they are sometimes called.

When we arrived we realized that the manager had reserved the wrong room for us.— When we arrived, we discovered that the manager had booked the wrong room for us.

“Was Ann at work when you arrived?” "No, she had gone."— Was Anna at work when you arrived? No, she's already left.

When I left my friend’s house I realized that I had forgotten the keys.— When I left my friends’ house, I discovered that I had forgotten my keys.

We had bought the goods by that time.— By that time we had bought all the goods.

That factory had produced all goods acooding to its yearly plan by the 5th of December.— By December 5, the factory had produced all goods according to its annual plan.

We hadn't reached the airport when it began to snow.“We barely had time to get to the airport when it started snowing.

That was the best time I had ever had here.-It was best time what I spent here.

It was the third serious mistake you had made here.- It was the third serious mistake, which you allowed here.

We had expected that m ore people attended the fair. — We expected that more people would visit the fair.

We had hardly arrived at the hotel, when it started to rain.— We had barely arrived at the hotel when it started to rain.

As can be seen from the example sentences in the Past Perfect, an action can take place literally a second before another event, or, at a certain date, time. This must be specified in the proposal.

Exercises on the Past Perfect are as varied as the English language. These could be tests to compare past tenses, tasks on constructing different types of sentences or the passive voice in this tense. It is advisable to practice as much as possible, because only this will help sort everything out. On our website you will find not only varied, but also exciting tasks.

Past Perfect Exercises

1. Open the brackets and put the verbs inPast Simple orPast Perfect.

It was the first time I (see) this film.
It was quite at home when I (get), so I (go) straight home.
He was driving along the forest when suddenly he (see) a car which (break) down, so we (stop) to see if we could help.
Mary (lend) Dick some money only after he (promise) to give it back the next day.
I (intend) to repair the car, but I ran out of time.
David (eat) Chinese food before so he (know) what to order.
He (open) the door that he (unlock) before.
When she (open) the fridge she (find) that her flat mate Lucy (drink) all the milk.
This was the third cake you (eat) this morning.
The minister hardly (start) his speech he was interrupted.

Had seen
Got/went
Saw/ had broken/ stopped
Lent/had promised
Had intended
Had eaten/knew
Opened/had unlocked
Opened/found/had drunk
Had eaten
Had hardly started

2. Translate sentences into English

When he arrived, we had already had lunch.
He suggested we have a snack before we start studying for the exam, since he hadn't eaten anything since the morning.
She had just entered the house as soon as I called her.
Alice complained that she had gained weight.
This was the first time she had been so kind to children.
I hoped that they would tell me the result of the meeting. But they didn't call.
When I woke up, my wife had already taken my daughter to school.
He intended to start his own business, but spent the money.
I discovered that I forgot my umbrella on the bus when it started to rain.
This was the only time I was late for work.

When he arrived we had dinner.
He was offered to have a snack before we begin to prepare for our examination because he hadn’t eaten anything since morning.
She had just entered the house as I called her.
Alice complained that she had gained the weight.
It was the first time when she had been so kind with children.
I had hoped they informed me of the result of the meeting. But they didn't call.
When I woke up, the wife had already taken a daughter to the kindergarten.
He had intended to start a business, but he spent the money.
I realized that I had forgotten the umbrella in the bus, when it rained.
It was the only time when I had been late for a job.

Past perfect is the past perfect tense in English. At its core, it almost repeats Present Perfect, but there are 3 differences:

1. Present perfect is used in simple sentences,
Past perfect - in complex subordinates(i.e. consisting of 2 parts).

2. The present perfect is formed with "have",
Past perfect - using "had":

Present Perfect

Past Perfect

The secret to understanding the past perfect lies in the verb "h ad". Becoming auxiliary, “had” loses its meaning “had” and takes on the meaning “already”. Details about Education Past perfect can be read on the page Formation of the past tense in English.

Rule 1. The task of Past Perfect is to show the sequence of events. The event that happened first in time is used in the past perfect. The one that happened second is in Past Simple. If you use the past simple in both parts of a sentence, it is not always clear which event happened first. Let's demonstrate this with examples.

Let's consider one proposal in three options:
First time - without using Past perfect,
the second and third - using the past perfect in different parts of the sentences.

Past perfect, examples

	first part of the sentence	second part of the sentence
	She prepared dinner	when he came home.
	She cooked dinner	when he came home.
		come - came - come (3 forms irregular verb)
	Past simple	Past simple
	The sequence of events is not clear. Using the past perfect, the sequence of events became clear:
	She had prepared dinner	when he came home.
	She's already prepared dinner	when he came home.
	Past perfect	Past simple

	She prepared dinner	when he had come home.
	She was cooking dinner	when he had already arrived home.
		come - came - come
	Past simple	Past perfect

Rule 2. There is a situation when the past perfect tense cannot be replaced by any other tense. It appears in sentences with the word “if”, but not always, but only in past tense. In English grammar, this situation is called the subjunctive mood in the past tense (conditional 3). In practice it occurs quite rarely.

Time Past Perfect Tens in the system of all past tenses demonstrates the following video:

The following illustrated table will help you see the place of Past Perfect among the 4 types of past tenses "