Past Perfect
The past perfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another action or specific time in the past. It's commonly used to show the sequence of events and clarify which action happened first.
Before this, learn: Past SimplePresent Perfect
1.Structures
1.1Structures of Sentences / Regular Verbs
To form the Past Perfect tense, follow these basic rules:
S = Subject
hadn't = had not
QW = question word
| Structure | Examples | |
|---|---|---|
| + Affirmative | S + had + Verb(+ed / d) + ... | I had already visited John before the meeting started. |
| - Negative | S + hadn't + Verb(+ed / d) +... | They hadn't arrived by the time we came in. |
| ? Question | (QW) + had + S + Verb(+ed / d) +...? | Had he studied for the test before it started? |
Test yourself
1.2Structures of Sentences / Irregular Verbs
To form the Past Perfect tense, follow these basic rules:
S = Subject
(III) = the past participle form of the main verb → Irregular Verbs List (3rd column)
hadn't = had not
QW = question word
| Structure | Examples | |
|---|---|---|
| + Affirmative | S + had + Verb(III) + ... | I had seen John twice before he moved to France. |
| - Negative | S + hadn't + Verb(III) +... | We hadn't seen John before he moved to France. |
| ? Question | (QW) + had + S + Verb(III) +...? | Had you read the book before I returned it to Jack? |
Test yourself
2.Use
2.1Actions Completed Before Another Past Event
Past Perfect is not used simply to describe an event in the distant past! There must be another past event, less far away in the past, with which it contrasts.
It describes actions completed before another past event. It is often used with adverbs or adverb phrases like by the time and before, which clarify a sequence.
Past Perfect is useful for showing a sequence when it's especially important to understand what happened in what order.
| Example | Comment |
|---|---|
| By the time I got to the station, the train had left. | First, the train left. Then, I got to the station. |
When it is used in this way, the Past Perfect tense requires multiple levels of the past, because it refers to a level of the past that is earlier than a more recent level. One way that it can do this is alongside the Past Simple tense, as in the following examples.
| Example | Comment |
|---|---|
| She got home and noticed that something had changed. | First, some changes occurred. Then, she got home and noticed that. (two actions one following another - almost no time gap) |
| By the time Jack turned 16, he had finished growing. | First, he finished growing (completed action). Only then, he turned 16. |
| When Ksusha arrived at the party, Artem had already gone home. | Ksusha arrived at the party. This is the starting point of the story. Then, we want to talk about things that happened before this time. (Artem had already gone home) |
| When I called, they had just left. | I wasn't able to talk to them. First, they left. Then, I called. |
| Jay woke up this morning and saw that they had missed a call from their mother. | Jay woke up and saw something that happened before. It was a call from their mother. |
The main use of the Past Perfect is to show which of two events happened first.
| Past Event 1 | Past Event 2 |
|---|---|
| The patient died. | The doctor arrived. |
We can combine these two sentences in different ways to show their relationship in the past.
| Example | Comment |
|---|---|
| The patient died when the doctor arrived (Past Simple). | The patient died at the time or just after the doctor arrived. |
| The patient had died when the doctor arrived. | The patient was already dead when the doctor arrived. |
| The doctor arrived quickly, but the patient had already died. | The patient was already dead when the doctor arrived. |
| When I arrived, Anne left. | She left at that moment. In this sentence, I saw Anne, however briefly. |
| When I arrived, Anne had left. | She left before I got there. In this sentence, I didn't see her at all. |
We do not always need to use the Past Perfect to describe which event came first. Sometimes this is perfectly clear. We normally use the Past Simple for events that occur one following another, for a chain of events:
| Example |
|---|
| After I finished, I went home. |
| I got out of the taxi, paid the fare, tipped the driver and dashed into the station. |
| 'I came, I saw, I conquered,' Julius Caesar declared. |
Test yourself
2.2Unrealised Hopes and Wishes
The Past Perfect tense can be used for unfulfilled hopes and wishes. Had is usually stressed in this case. For this purpose such verbs as expect, hope, intend, mean, suppose, think, want are used, to describe things we hoped or wished to do but didn't.
| Example |
|---|
| I HAD hoped we would leave tomorrow, but it won't be possible. |
| He HAD intended to make a cake, but he ran out of time. |
| I HAD hoped to send him a telegram to congratulate him on his marriage, but I didn't manage it. |
| They HAD wanted to travel to Italy, but their plans fell through. |
| I HAD thought we would catch the train, but we missed it. |
| She HAD supposed they would finish the project on time, but they didn't. |
| I HAD meant to tell you about the meeting, but I got distracted. |
| We HAD expected the package to arrive earlier, but it was delayed. |
Test yourself
2.3It Was the First/Second... that...
The Past Perfect tense is used after It was the first/second...last...(that)...
| Example |
|---|
| It was the first time that I had heard her sing. |
| It was the fifth time she had asked the same question. |
| It was only the second opera I had seen in my life. |
Test yourself
3.Frequently asked questions
When do you use the past perfect?
Use the past perfect (had + past participle) for an action completed before another past action or time. For example: "By the time I got to the station, the train had left." It shows which of two past events happened first, often with by the time, before, already or just. The past perfect is not simply for things that happened long ago: it needs a later past moment to look back from, as in "She got home and noticed that someone had moved her chair."
Past perfect vs past simple: what's the difference?
The past simple tells what happened at a past moment; the past perfect shows that an action had already happened before another past moment. Compare "When I arrived, Anne left" (she left when I got there) with "When I arrived, Anne had left" (she was already gone). When the order is already clear, for example in a chain of events or with after, the past simple is enough: "After I finished work, I went home."
Is it correct to say "When I arrived, she has already left" instead of the past perfect?
No, say "When I arrived, she had already left": when you look back from a moment in the past, use had, not has or have. The present perfect (has left) connects the past with now, so it can't look back from a past moment. The past perfect uses had with every subject, also in negatives and questions: "They hadn't arrived by the time we came in" and "Had you met him before the party?"
Past perfect or past simple after "It was the first time"?
The past perfect is the usual tense after "It was the first time" in a past story. For example: "It was the first time I had flown alone." The same pattern works with second, third and only: "It was only the second concert she had ever been to." The past simple is sometimes heard in informal speech, but the past perfect is the standard form. When the first time is now, use the present perfect instead: "It's the first time I've been here."
What does "I had hoped" mean in the past perfect?
The past perfect "I had hoped" describes a past hope or plan that did not come true. For example: "I had hoped to finish the report today, but the meeting ran late." It works the same way with expect, intend, mean, suppose, think and want: "We had meant to call you, but we forgot" and "She had expected the exam to be easy." In speech, had is often stressed to show the disappointment.
