home › Body › Past Perfect Past complete tense. The Past Perfect Tense - Past perfect tense: use, education, exercises How is past perfect formed in English

Past Perfect Past complete tense. The Past Perfect Tense - Past perfect tense: use, education, exercises How is past perfect formed in English

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(earlier), 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.
Their No Houses. They gone go shopping. → Their did not have Houses. They 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

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 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 cried all this time.
IN 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

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 read morning paper, you would agree with me.
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.
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(earlier), 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)

Test

Past Perfect - Past Perfect Tense in English

The Past Perfect Tense, also pluperfect tense, is used for an action that happened before another. Very often used with . Learn how to conjugate the past perfect tense in English, and learn the rules, examples, and uses for the Past Perfect. After the rules, you can do exercises to test your grammar skills. In Russian, we pronounce this time [paste perfect] - English transcription.

Text on the topic Past Perfect. Read and pay attention to the underlined words.

I had never seen such beautiful sights before I visited Cardiff in 2013. I had saved money for 4 years before I booked my trip to Cardiff. I was very excited! Before my trip to Cardiff, I had never been out of Germany.
When I went to Cardiff, I spent many days touring that wonderful city. The city was not so big. Sometimes I got lost and asked for directions. I asked for directions in English. That was easy because I had studied English for 3 years before I visited Cardiff.
By the time I left Cardiff, I had toured many beautiful places. National Museum of Cardiff, Cardiff Castle, Wales Millennium Centre. Before I visited Cardiff, I had only seen those places on television.

Past Perfect Education Rules

The Past Perfect is formed using the Past Indefinite auxiliary verb to have and Participle II (past participle) of the semantic verb.

Formula:

Cases of using Past Perfect

Let's look at the rules of use and examples of sentences in the Past Perfect, which will help you understand the use of this difficult tense in English.

1. An action in the past that happened before a certain moment in the past or an action happened before another

example:

— The party had already started by the time I arrived - By the time I arrived, the party had already begun. (The past action happened before the other).
Rob had finished by 9 o'clock - Rob finished by 9 o'clock. (An action in the past that happened before someone at a certain point in the past).
— Abby missed the end of the film because she had fallen asleep - Abby missed the end of the movie because she fell asleep.
— I had finished most of the work by the time my boss arrived - I had finished most of the work by the time my boss arrived.

2. As seen in the examples above, the Past Perfect is usually used in conjunction with

example:

— I had sold my apartment before I moved to London - I sold my apartment before I moved to London.
— I went outside as I had heard a strange noise - I went outside because I heard a strange sound.
— My mother was so angry because I hadn't done the shopping for her - My mom was so angry because I didn't shop for her.
— I had never seen such beautiful sights before I visited Cardiff in 2013 - I have never seen such beautiful sights before visiting Cardiff in 2013.

3. Completed actions in the past that have a visible result in the past

example:

— He was sad because he had missed the train - He was sad because he missed the train. (Visible result in the past; he was sad).
— She was pleased because she had been given the job - She was happy because she got the job.

4. Past Perfect is the equivalent

example:

Lauren can't find her keys. She has lost it - Laurent can't find his keys. She lost them. (Present Perfect).
Lauren couldn't find her keys. She had lost it - Laurent couldn't find her watch. She lost them. (Past perfect).
— There was no juice left because Ted had drunk it all - Juice ran out because Ted drank it all.

5. Two actions that happened in the past and we need to show which happened first

example:

—When I left the house, I realized that I had forgotten my keys - When I left the house, I realized that I forgot my keys. (The first action - I forgot the keys; at first I forgot them, then I went out and remembered).
— After I had finished digging the garden I decided to go for a walk - After I finished digging in the garden, I decided to go for a walk. (The first action is had finished).
— I lent Betty some money only after she had promised to give it back the next day - I borrowed some money from Betty only after she promised that she would return it the next day. (First action - had promised).

6. The Past Perfect Tense in indirect speech

Usually the past perfect is used in indirect speech when the verb is in the past form.

example:

— “I had a brilliant time,” Mr Jones said - Mr. Jones said: “I had a great time.”
— Mr Jones said that he had had a brilliant time - Mr. Jones said he had a great time.
— No one told me that the mall had closed Nobody told me that the mall was closed.

7. The past perfect often refers to situations that have changed.

In colloquial speech had often emphasized.

example:

A: What are you going to do this evening? – What are you going to do tonight?
-B:I had wanted to go to a bar but look at the weather! I wanted to go to a bar, but look at the weather! (We focus on the verb had and the meaning is: now I have changed my mind about going to a bar).

8. Past Perfect in conditional sentences of the 3rd type

example:

— He wouldn't have missed the meeting if he had been on time - He wouldn't miss the meeting if he was on time. (But he didn't show up on time, so he missed the meeting.)

We use this type of conditional sentence when we regret something or cannot change the situation in the present, because in the past, the action was not performed.

9. Past Perfect is used with hardly…when, scarcely…when, no sooner…than, barely…when

Often they are used when one event immediately follows another.

example:

— I had hardly arrived to work when it started to hail - I had barely arrived at work when the hail began.
— We had scarcely finished eating when the doorbell rang - We had barely finished eating when the doorbell rang.
— She had barely won the competition when her fans started to clap - She had barely won the competition when her fans started clapping.
— I had no sooner turned my new computer on than it went down - I didn't have time to turn on my new computer when it broke down.

In order to emphasize, the word order can be changed.

Compare:

— Hardly had I arrived to work when it started to hail - As soon as I arrived at work, the hail began.
— scarcely had we finished eating when the doorbell rang - As soon as we finished eating, the doorbell rang.
— Barely had she won the competitions when her fans started to clap - As soon as she won the competition, her fans began to clap.
— No sooner had I turned my new computer on than it went down - Before I could turn on my new computer, it broke down.

Remember that hardly, hardly, scarcely are followed by when. No sooner is used with than.(Sooner is a comparative form of soon).

10. Three conjunctions are used with this tense

These unions are very often found in dialogues, books, newspapers. Past Perfect is introduced by conjunctions such as when, before, after. They help us recognize the past perfect tense.

example:

— Liza had left when Henry arrived.
or
—Henry arrived when Liza had left.

take notes:

The most common mistake with the Past Perfect Simple is that this tense is overused or used when talking about the distant past.

For example, native speakers won't say that:

— The Romans had spoken Latin - The Romans spoke Latin.

But it's best to say:

— The Romans spoke Latin.

Because it describes a past event, not an event before another past event.

Verbs that cause confusion

A verb combination that often causes confusion in the Simple Past Perfect is Had Had.

For example:

— He had had enough to eat but he wanted an ice-cream anyway.

The first had is an auxiliary verb, in English Auxiliary or helping verb. The second verb had is in the past participle, that is, the past participle. This sentence can be written in English like this:
- Even though he ate enough, he wanted an ice-cream after that - Despite the fact that he ate, he wanted ice cream.

Marker words (pointer words) in Past Perfect

Signal words help us recognize what tense is used in a sentence. The clue words for the past perfect tense are listed below:
For, since, already, after, just, never, yet, not yet, once, before, by, by the time.

Some satellite words of the Past Perfect are the same as for. The difference is that the auxiliary words for the past perfect refer to the past tense, not the present.

Example sentences with words with time markers:

— He had already eaten by the time we arrived - By the time we arrived, he had already eaten.
— I had never been out of Germany - I have never been outside of Germany.
— He had cooked dinner before Ann came - He cooked dinner before Anna came.

Sentence forms in Past Perfect

To conjugate the past perfect tense in English, we follow the rule: had + past participle. The tables below show examples of affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences. Be sure to pay attention to the abbreviated forms that are often used in colloquial speech.

Affirmative sentences

The affirmative form in English is built according to the scheme:
Subject + had + verb 3 + Rest of sentence

Who? Who?	Form of verb (verb form)	Examples (examples)
I	had + Verb 3	I had cleaned the floor
He/She/It	had + Verb 3	He had crashed into a tree She had saved money It had lost the wallet
You	had + Verb 3	You had seen the city
We	had + Verb 3	We had found a coin
They	had + Verb 3	They had ridden a bike

Negative sentences

The formula for the formation of negative sentences in Past Perfect:
Subject + had + not + verb 3 + Rest of sentence.
Remember that the particle not comes after the auxiliary verb.

Who? Who?	Form of verb (verb form)	Examples (examples)
I	had + not + Verb 3	I had not been cleaned the floor
He/She/It	had + not + Verb 3	He had not crashed into a tree She had not saved money It had not lost the wallet
You	had + not + Verb 3	You had not seen the city
We	had + not + Verb 3	We had not been found a coin
They	had + not + Verb 3	They had not ridden a bike

Abbreviated form of negative sentences:
— I hadn't crashed into a tree.

Interrogative sentences

In Past Perfect interrogative sentences, the auxiliary verb comes before the subject.

verb to have	Who? Who?	Form of verb (verb form)	Examples (examples)
Had	I	Verb 3	Had I cleaned the floor?
Had	He/She/It	Verb 3	Had he crashed into a tree? Had she saved money? Had it lost the wallet?
Had	You	Verb 3	Had you seen the city?
Had	We	Verb 3	Had we found a coin?
Had	They	Verb 3	Had they ridden a bike?

Shortened interrogative-negative form:

— Had they not ridden a bike?
— Hadn't they ridden a bike?

Difference between Past Simple and Past Perfect

We use to describe events in chronological order. Past Perfect [paste perfect] we use to describe that one of the events happened before. Compare two sentences:

— When he arrived, his wife left– When he arrived, his wife left (She left after his arrival).
— When he arrived, his wife had left– When he arrived, his wife left (She left before he arrived).

A detailed article that will reveal the topic - The difference between Past Simple and Past Perfect

General Table Past Perfect

Offer types	PAST PERFECT
Affirmative sentence	S + had + V.3 (past participle) S- subject
Negative sentence	S + had not (hadn't) + V.3 (past participle) S- subject
Interrogative sentence (general question)	Had + S + V.3…?(past participle) S- subject WH-why, where, when, etc.
Special question	WH + had + S + V.3 + …? S- subject WH-why, where, when, etc.

Exercises and answers for Past Perfect

Do past perfect tests to reinforce the material. In order to better remember new words and rules, we advise you to write all the exercises in a notebook.

Exercise 1. Open parenthesis. And write which action started first.

1. When she (leave) the house, she (realise) that she (forget) her keys.
First action is…

2. When I (see) Olga (realise) that I (meet) her before.
First action is…

3. Sara (start) studying after Sam (leave).
First action is…

4. They kept arguing about the money their mother (leave) them in her will when she (die).
First action is…

5. After I (finish) my homework I (decide) to go for a walk.
First action is…

Answers. Answers to the exercise:

1. left, realized, had forgotten. First action was forgotten
2. saw, realized, had met: had met
3. started, had left: had left
4. had left, died: had left
5 had finished, decided: had finished

Exercise 2. Expand the brackets using Past Simple or Past Perfect

1. I was worried because Peter (not call) yet.

2. I was so worried that I (call) Peter.

3. She (go) to the market and (buy) some vegetables.

4. Nancy (be) in a hospital for five weeks before she fully recovered.

5. My brother was upset because he (fail) the exam.

6. They got on the motorbike and (drive) away.

7. Nobody (know) where Ryan (put) the front door key.

8. I (be) 21 and I (just/leave) college.

9. When I (arrive), the show (start/already).

10. There were no sweets left when I came back. My sister (eat) them.

Answers. Answers to the exercise:

1. hadn't called
2. called
3. went, bought
4. had been
5.had failed
6. drove
7. knew, had put
8. was, had just left
9. arrived, had already started
10. had eaten

Exercise 3. Put the sentences in the interrogative and negative forms.

1. They (not practice) enough, so they lost the match.

2. When I came home, Ted (not paint) the walls yet.

3. The parrot flew away because my little brother (not close) the window.

4. I went to the country which I (not visit) before.

5. My parents (never go) to the UK either.

6. you (hear) the news before they told you?

7. What did she (find) before she cried?

8. you (finish) drinking your tea when Rob came?

9. she (have) breakfast before she left the flat?

10. Why Lucy (not clean) the kitchen before her mother-in-law came?

Answers. Answers to the exercise:

1. hadn't practiced
2. hadn't painted
3. hadn't closed
4. hadn't visited
5. had never gone
6. had you heard
7. had she found
8. had you finished
9. had she had
10. hadn't Lucy cleaned

Without violating tradition, we suggest that you make 5, and preferably 10 sentences in Past Perfect Tense. Don't forget to share your achievements in the comments below the article.

What is Past Perfect in English?

This is the time that shows that some action happened before another. Imagine that you woke up in the morning, had breakfast and decided to go to the mall. As you got closer to the car, you saw that someone had written on the window: Your soul was here.

And when you tell this story to your friends, then you will need exactly this time, which is described in this article. It might sound like this in English:

— I had a quick cup of black coffee, got dressed and went out to the car. When I drew up closer to the car, I saw that someone had defaced my windscreen.
This way, your friends will be able to understand that someone messed up your windshield at some point in the past before you saw it.

Watch clips from films on our YouTube channel, how actors use the Past Perfect.

past perfect- is formed using the auxiliary verb to have in Past Indefinite (had) and the past participle (Past Participle) of the main verb.

HAD + PAST PARTICIPLE

In the interrogative In the Past Perfect form, the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject, and the main verb is placed after the subject.

negative the form is formed using the negative particle -not, which is placed after the auxiliary verb.

MeaningPastPerfect

There is no analogue of this tense in Russian, so this tense causes difficulties for Russian speakers.

Compare:

By the time I got to work they had already finished the meeting. (Everything is in the past tense in Russian)

In English, such sentences use different tenses of the verb:

When I came to work they had already completed the meeting (came - Past Simple, had completed - Past Perfect)

Past perfect sentence examples

Susan had left the party when he arrived. - Susan left the party when he arrived.

The Past Perfect is rarely used in everyday speech.

The meaning of using this form is that it is important for the speaker to establish the sequence of events in the past.

AtconsumptionPastPerfect

PastPerfect expresses an action in the past that happened and ended before another past action or before some moment or period of the past tense. The Past Perfect is the past tense because it describes a past perfect action in relation to a moment that is also past. This moment can be specified:

A) time symbols, such as: by the end of the year - by the end of the year, by four o "clock - by four o'clock, by Friday - by Friday, by the 14th of November - by November 14, by that time - by that time, etc .P.:

He had written only two reports by four o'clock - He had only written two reports by four o'clock.

Marina had left by the 15 th of June- Marina left (already) by June 15

By ten o'clock on Friday I had already repaired my car- By 10 o'clock I had already repaired my car

b) another past action, which is expressed by the verb in Past Indefinite, and which happened after the event expressed by the Past Perfect form:

When I arrived to the airport the plane had already gone – When I arrived at the airport, the plane had already departed (the verb arrived - expresses an action that happened later - it arrived at the airport, and the plane left before that)

They had discussed the contract when I come When I arrived, they discussed the contract

c) The moment until which the action expressed by the Past Perfect took place may not be specified in this proposal. It is mentioned in another sentence:

She received a letter from my mother yesterday. She had not heard from her for a long time. - She received a letter from my mother yesterday. She hasn't heard from her in a very long time.

Important:

In a situation where we are talking about two or more past actions that are transmitted in the order in which they occurred, they are expressed by verbs in Past Simple (Indefinite):

I took a bath and went to bed I took a bath and went to bed.

But if the sequence of actions is interrupted by a mention of previously completed actions, then such previously completed actions are expressed by verbs in the Past Perfect:

I met Jack, we had lunch and went to office but i remembered that i had promised my wife to call her I met Jack, we had lunch and went to the office, but I remembered that I promised to call my wife

(In this example, the verbs met, had, went, remembered - indicate the sequence of actions that happened in the past in the order in which they happened, but the verb had promised - used in the Past Perfect interrupts this chain, because he PROMISED to his wife before how he met Jack, they had dinner, etc.)

She came home late in the evening. She had signed three contracts and had called clients. She had dinner and went to bed - She came home late at night. She signed 3 contracts and called clients. She had dinner and went to bed.

The negative form of the Past Perfect means that the action has not yet ended at a certain point in the past.:

I had not read the book by Saturday I had not read this book by Saturday.

When we called for Julia, she hadn't yet got up When we went for Julia, she had not yet got up (she was in bed).

Other uses of Present Perfect:

a) Past Perfect is used instead of Past Perfect Continuous (with verbs not used in Continuous). In such a sentence, the time during which the action took place must be indicated.

Important:

Verbs expressing hope, intention, desire: hope hope, expect expect, think think, want want etc. are used in the Past Perfect form when it is understood that they didn't come true.

I had hoped would you help me I was hoping you could help me (but didn't).

I had thought you knew about our problem I thought you knew about our problem (but I was wrong).

b) The Past Perfect can be used in cases where the Past Perfect Continuous could be used. This is done in order to focus not on the duration of the process, but on the very fact of the action.

When I found out about her she had lived in USA for three years When I found out about her she lived (already) in the USA for 3 years

c) Past Perfect can be used in subordinate clauses of time, the action of which is future in relation to past events. Such sentences are introduced by conjunctions of time: after after, when When, assoonas as soon as,until (till) until, and so on. The speaker assumes that this action will be completed before the action of the main clause occurs. In this meaning, Past Perfect is translated into Russian as a form of the future tense.

He said that he would take a vacation as soon as he had finished the project- He said he would take a vacation as soon as he finished the project.

She would sit with her baby tonight after Maria had gone – She will babysit her baby tonight, after Maria leaves.

How to get out of the past and return to the earlier past? It is not a time machine that comes to the rescue, as one might think initially, but a solution that is much simpler and more interesting at the same time: Past Perfect Simple time - 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 brother. But there are also disagreements between them - temporary forms. Depending on what kind of action we have before us - regular, long-term or completed, four aspects are distinguished in each of the three times: Simple (Simple), Continuous (Long), Perfect (Perfect), Perfect Continuous (Long Perfect).

Today, the focus is on the rules for using Past 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. Conversely, complex problems 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 time is never used on its own. It always "works" cohesively, side by side with another action in the past, and indicates that the action expressed by it happened before another action or before a certain time. Consider 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 this or that temporary form, it is necessary to understand what happened first and what happened second, or two actions happened simultaneously. In the first case, we managed to get on the bus we needed and use Past Simple (Simple Past), i.e. the events in this sentence happened sequentially one after another. In the second example, we were late and missed 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.

Use cases

There are other less common cases of using the past perfect tense:

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 got home, mine had 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 the way 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 now (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 cooked dinner when he knocked on the door);
Yet - more (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 (Her new book was wonderful because she had worked on it since last year - Her new book was wonderful because she had been working on it since last year).

Adverbs yet (yet), just (just now), already (already) are a common feature for the two times 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) with the ending - ed: to use - used (use - used). If the verb belongs to the group of irregular verbs, 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 Past Perfect (Past Perfect) is formed with the help of a negative particle not (not), which is placed between the auxiliary verb had 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 time Past Perfect (Past Perfect) in the question, the auxiliary verb comes first had, followed by the subject (pronoun or noun) and the main verb expressed by Participle II (Past Participle):

Had I opened? (did I open?), 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 are interrogative words (Who? - Who?; What? - What?; Which? - What?; 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 go to school?), When had we bought? (When did we buy?).

What have we learned?

Today we got acquainted with the Past Perfect (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.

Topic quiz

Article rating

Average rating: 4.1. Total ratings received: 845.

The past perfect tense or Past Perfect Tense is another complex tense form of the English language that describes events in the past tense. Since there is no analogue to this form in Russian, efforts must be made to understand its essence and assimilate 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 ended before a specific point in the past tense. For obvious reasons, it is also called "prepast".

Trace the difference between "past" and "prepast" tense in the following example:

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

As you can see, in these sentences in English, different tenses are used, while in Russian they are the same. In the first Past Simple. In the second Past perfect, because the action preceded the 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.

Subl. + had + Past Participle …

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

Had + Gen. + 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

Subl. + had + not + Past Participle …

Conjugation table of the verb to grow in Present Perfect Tense

Number	Face	affirmative form	Interrogative 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 moment in the past with adverbial words that indicate the time by which the action was completed:

by then
by that time
by Friday - by Friday
by 9 o'clock - by 9 o'clock
by the 21th of November
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 before which the action was completed can be determined by the 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 compound sentence 2. In compound sentences, to express a past action that preceded another action in the past, expressed by a verb in the Past Simple. As a rule, such sentences include subordinate clauses of time after conjunctions:

when - when
after - after
before
until - until
as soon as - as soon as

Nick had finished his work before his boss came in - Nick finished work before his boss came in
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 cooked breakfast, I called him

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

for a long time - for a long time
for three years (hours, months, days) - within 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 had 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. Usually with verbs:

expect - expect
hope - hope
want - want
think - to 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 that it will not be easy.
She had intended to cook a dinner but she ran out of time - She was going to cook dinner, but did not 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 the 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. It takes a lot of practice to master this material well.

Check out the following videos that you might be interested in:

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

"Past Perfect Tense English Grammar"

Popular in category: