Past perfect examples of the construction and use of expressions in colloquial speech. Past Perfect Tense (the past of the past) - structure, usage, examples

Quite often, times in English become for many people. But in fact, everything is quite simple: you just need to sit, understand the rules and read more texts.

Past Perfect: what is this time

This is the so-called past tense, when all the action takes place in the past, but ends before a certain moment or the beginning of another action (or event) is also in the past. In other words, this is everything that has already happened, before something else happened (which also had time to end). Everything refers to a certain time or moment, already lived and past. Usually, in the Past Perfect, the rules provide for the use of several adverbs showing an earlier event: never, ever, yet, already. Example: By the time Julia arrived at the building, Mary had already left. - By the moment Juliya got to the building, Mary had already left.

Past Perfect: education rules

Everything is very simple here. To use this time, you just need to take the second have (already familiar had) and the third form of the verb necessary for the meaning (that is, the past participle). For regular verbs, it is formed by simply adding the ending -ed, for incorrect ones, it is taken in the dictionary and memorized.

1. Affirmative form: I/You/She/They/He had read it.
2. Negative form: I/She/He/You/They had not (hadn't) read it.
3. Interrogative form: Had I/You/She/He/They read it?

Past Perfect: rules and examples of use

There are two options here that you should always consider and not forget about

1. If the described action took place before a certain point in the past. Example: By 2000, she had become a world famous singer. - By 2000 she had become a world-famous singer. Thus, a starting point is immediately set and it is indicated that she achieved success precisely by the year 2000 and not earlier (that is, a certain event or time takes place in the past).
2. If an event or action happened before the start of another action, it is also in the past. The past perfect (the rules say so) is used precisely to describe the event that happened earlier. What happened later is described by Example: She didn't want to go to the cinema with us yesterday because she had already seen The Lord of the Rings. - She didn't want to go to the cinema with us yesterday, because she had already seen "The Lord of the Rings". At the same time, the adverb used immediately demonstrates which of the described actions and events happened before the other.

Difference from other past tenses

Past Perfect (the rules for its formation are very simple and logical) differs from other times, such as Past Simple, (the rules for their formation are also quite easy: the first is formed by a simple change in the verb and means a simple action that took place in the past, without any pitfalls; the second shows that the event or action happened in the past, but ended exactly at the specified moment in the present or is completed only now.It is formed by using the form of the verb have in the present tense and the semantic verb necessary for the sentence), and it is quite easy to catch this difference. To do this, one should not only learn the form of education, but also think about the meaning of the sentence as a whole, in order to capture its logic and meaning, and not translate word for word. In the latter case, the words will simply mix up, and there will be no understanding of the text. However, with a thoughtful approach to English grammar, there will be no difficulty in understanding both written text and spoken language.

The palette of the English system of times is simply replete with diversity. Some of the shades shine brighter, some dimmer. One of the most saturated can be called Past Perfect. How, with the help of grammatical constructions and the lexical diversity of this tense, to make speech expressive?

The past completed tense, as Russian-speaking “students” often call it, carries a certain sense of completeness. In other words, for example, when describing an event, we often make comments about what happened before the main action. “When my mother came, I already fell asleep” - in this sentence there are two past tenses - “came”, “fell asleep”. Which one happened first? The second means that we will express it Past Perfect.

Education

This form is one of the simplest. Yes, you will need an auxiliary verb. "had" + V 3 or Ved. Remember that all verbs in English can be grouped into regular and irregular. The latter have 3 forms, which, well, what to do, you have to learn by heart. All of them are placed in the table of irregular verbs. At this time, we need the 3rd column - V 3. If the verb is correct (it is not in the table), then we add the ending -ed.

I had worked. - work - the correct verb
I had taught. - teach is an irregular verb.

Let's take a closer look at the formation of all types of sentences in paste perfect using the example of to ask.

In writing, and in colloquial speech, abbreviated forms are often used, which facilitate the process of perception.

I had = I'd, you had = you'd, he had = he'd
had not = hadn't

I had written a composition by six o'clock. = I'd written a composition by six o'clock. I had written the composition by 6 o'clock.

I had not written a composition by six o'clock. = I hadn't written a composition by six o'clock. I had not written an essay by 6 o'clock.

As you can see, there is nothing terrible and difficult in education. It is worth remembering once that in the question had is placed before the subject, and in negation not is added to this auxiliary verb. It is important to remember that had is not translated.

Using The Past Perfect Tense

This time is not difficult in terms of use, if you only clearly understand the situations of its use. Some sentences often use signal words such as just, already, never, yet.

1. The action ended before another event in the past. The sentence can be complex (consist of two), one of which (dependent) is introduced by the unions when, before, after, or simple, in which the preposition by is used as an indicator of the end of the action.

• With the help of prepositions by the end of the year, by 3 o'clock, by Monday, by the time, before, after.

They had finally got their long-awaited pay rise by the end of the year. By the end of the year, they finally got the long-awaited pay raise.

Before he opened the door, he had called his sister. — Before he opened the door, he called his sister.

By that time they had finished their work. By that time they had already finished the work.

• Structures often used no sooner ... than (as soon as), hardly ... when (hardly, as), scarcely ... when (as soon as, so immediately), barely ... when (barely, like), which, by their meaning, can transform the sentence (inversion). As a rule, they are emotional in nature.

I had scarcely opened the window when the wind came blowing in. - As soon as I opened the window, the wind immediately began to blow.

Jack had no sooner arrived than he was told to come back. - Jack did not have time to arrive, as he was told to return.

• If there is no signal word in the sentence, then you will have to carefully read the context .

I tried to pnone Ann this morning. But there was no answer. She had gone out. I tried to call Anna this morning. But, there was no answer. She's already gone.

The rules for Past Perfect distinguish the following context patterns, remembering which it will be easier for you to use the desired form.

a. After designs: this/that/it was, the first/second/only/ best/ worst time smth happend:

It was the second serious mistake he had made in that job. — It was his second serious mistake he made in his work.

Those were the first things she had bought since Chrismas. It was the first thing she bought since Christmas.

B. With verbs that convey hope, plan, expectation, intention (but not fulfilled).

I had intended to visit a museum, but I ran out of time. I was going to visit the museum, but I didn't have enough time.

C. In indirect speech, with verbs such as say, tell, ask, inform, wonder. Moreover, Past Perfect is used in the subordinate clause.

I wondered if Jim had a chance to discuss the problem with them. I asked if Jim had the opportunity to discuss this problem with them.

2. An action that started before another action but is still ongoing. Here, stative verbs or, as they are also called, non continuous verbs are often used. All the little secrets of these verbs are revealed in the article "".

I knew he had been married for nearly 50 years ago. I knew that he got married about 50 years ago.

George made no answer and we found that he had fallen asleep for some time. George didn't answer and we found that he had been asleep for some time.

How to distinguish Past Perfect from other tenses?

past perfect	past simple	Present Perfect
When the sequence of actions is violated (action precedes). Before I ate, I played and slept. The verb in the main clause in the Past Simple	Everything goes in order (actions are performed chronologically) Played, slept, ate.	When the action in the main clause is in the present
Was Ann at home when he came? No, she had already gone to work. Was Anya at home when he came? No, she already left for work (first she left, then he came)	Was Ann at home when he came? Yes, but she went to work soon. Was Anya at home when he came? Yes, but soon she left for work. (He came, then left - actions one after another)
I wasn't thirsty. I had drunk a cup of tea. - I didn't want to drink. I just had a cup of tea.		I' m not thirsty. I' ve just drunk a cup of tea. - I don't want to drink. I just had a cup of tea.
His car was dirty. He hadn't washed it for weeks. Yesterday he cleaned it. — His car was so dirty. He hasn't washed her in weeks. He washed it yesterday.		His car is dirty. He hasn't washed it for weeks. — His car is so dirty. He hasn't washed her in weeks.

According to the rules for the Past Perfect, this tense can be used in the passive voice. All uses Past Perfect Passive the same, but the shape of the structure is slightly different. The negative and the question are built according to the same principle as in the active voice (after had - not, and auxiliary ch. had before lying)

I + had + been + V3 (Ved)

He (she, it) + had + been + V3 (Ved)

You + had + been + V3 (Ved)

They + had + been + V3 (Ved)

We + had + been + V3 (Ved)

I had been introduced to his friends before. “I was introduced to his friends earlier.

By three o'clock the dinner had been cooked. By 3 o'clock dinner was ready.

This article had been translated when they phoned. The article was translated when they called.

Well, as you can see, Past Perfect grammar is not too difficult. You look at the sentence, determine which of the actions happened first, and put in the correct form. If you learn how to use this time correctly, then believe me, you can tell any story or just retell the story in English without any problems.

Past Perfect is one of the forms of the past tense, denoting an event that happened at a certain moment before another action began.

The very existence of this grammatical phenomenon is a vivid example of how ordered the English language is, how important the sequence of completed events is within its species-temporal paradigm. As shown in the diagram below, an action expressed in this tense occurs before some other action in the past.

Also, instead of action 2, there can be some point in time in the past, before the start of which some event occurred, as shown in the following example:

Ways to form Past Perfect

Affirmative type sentences

In order to get a statement in the Past Perfect, you need the verb had and the 3rd form of the main verb (V3). The ending - ed is added to the correct verb, and if the verb is incorrect, its form is taken from the 3rd column (Participle II).

Below is a table with an example where you can observe the construction of this form of the past tense.

Structure	Subject (Who what?)	HAD	V3 (V+ed/Participle II)
Scheme	☺	had	V3
Example	Mom	had	painted	the wall by 5 o'clock.
Translation	Mother		dyed	wall by 5 o'clock.

It is worth noting that there are often abbreviations. In statements, had is combined with an apostrophe (‘)

She had = She'd

I had = I'd

We had = We'd

Below are examples of the use of verbs in the Past Perfect, both in full and in abbreviated form.

Full form	Short form	Translation
I had read.	I'd read.	I read.
He had smoked.	He'd smoked.	He smoked.
She had written.	She'd written.	She wrote.
It had flown.	It'd flown.	It flew away.
We had broken.	We'd be broken	We broke.
You had rung.	You'd drunk.	You called.
They had invented.	They'd come.	They invented.

Negative sentence type

Negative type sentences are formed by adding not between had and the semantic verb. In this case, the words are arranged in the same order as in the affirmative.

Structure	Subject (Who what?)	HAD	V3 (V+ed/Participle II)
Scheme	☺	had not	V3
Example	Mom	had not	painted	the wall by 5 o'clock.
Translation	Mother	Not	dyed	wall by 5 o'clock.

Abbreviated forms in speech are used much more often than full ones. To shorten it, combine the auxiliary verb had with the particle not using an apostrophe ('), as shown below:

I had = I hadn't

You had = You hadn't

She had = She hadn't

Below are examples of the use of verbs in the Past Perfect in both full and abbreviated form of negative types of sentences.

Full form	Short form	Translation
I had not put.	I hadn't put.	I didn't put it.
He had not blown.	He hadn't blown.	He didn't pout.
She had not learned.	She hadn't learned.	She didn't learn.
It had not flown.	It hadn't flown.	It didn't fly away.
We had not broken.	We hadn't broken.	We didn't break.
You weren't drunk.	You hadn't drunk.	You didn't drink.
They had not invented.	They hadn't invented.	They didn't invent.

Interrogative sentences

In interrogative sentences, the word order is reversed. As can be seen in the table below, the auxiliary verb had should come first, then the subject, and then the semantic verb V3:

Structure	HAD	Subject (Who what?)	V3 (V+ed/Participle II)
Scheme	Had	☺	V3	?
Example	Had	Mom	painted	the wall by 5 o'clock?
Translation	Did you paint	Mother		wall by 5 o'clock.

The following table shows examples of using the Past Perfect in interrogative sentences. You can also observe that the word order is reversed everywhere:

Using the Past Perfect

1. Most often Past Perfect means an event in the past that happened before some other action. This subsequent action is often in the Simple Past.

We drove up to the opera house, but the performance had finished. We arrived at the opera house, but the performance had already ended. (first the performance ended, then we arrived at the opera house).

2. Past Perfect denotes an event, which happened in the past at the designated time. In this case, the very moment by which the action is completed will be indicated. In the following example, this moment is denoted by by:

Matt had finished repairing the car by 9 o'clock. Matt finished repairing the car by 9 o'clock. (repair was completed by the time the clock read 9)

3. Sometimes Past Perfect indicates that an event expressed in this time is the cause of another, subsequent action or state.

She was happy. She had received lots of gifts. - She was happy. She received many gifts.

She didn't invite him for dinner as she had burnt the chicken in the oven. She didn't invite him to dinner because she burned the chicken in the oven.

4. Using Past Perfect denotes a continuous action that began earlier and lasted until some time. In this case, the prepositions since and for are most often used, which are translated as “since” and “during”, respectively.

He deceased last Monday. We had remembered him since he was a toddler. He passed away last Monday. We have remembered him since he was a one year old baby.

She was a talented violinist. We had loved her playing for 10 years. She was a talented violinist. We enjoyed her game for 10 years.

It should be noted that the Past Perfect in this case is used only with those that express emotions, perception. For example, love, know, adore, think, feel, regret, etc. With dynamic verbs, Past Perfect Continuous is necessary to express duration.

Ben retired on July, 2. This dude had been coaching us for 10 years. Ben retired on the second of July. This guy has been our coach for 10 years.

5. In conditional sentences of the third type Past Perfect used to express regret for something that didn't happen. Something in the past could have been done if the condition had been met, but at the present moment it is no longer possible to influence the situation.

If I had met Harry, I would have given a hug to him. If I met Harry, I would hug him.

If she had ironed her dress, her parents would have given her some more funds. If she had ironed her dress, her parents would have given her more money.

6. In sentences where words such as hardly ... when and no sooner ... than are used, Past Perfect denotes a sequence of events. The use of this tense emphasizes that one action happened immediately after another. Similar constructions are translated using the expressions “did not have time ...”, “as soon as ...”, “barely ...”. In sentences of this type, the opposite is true.

Hardly had Jens gone out, when somebody threw a stone to his head. As soon as Jens left, someone threw a stone at his head.

No sooner had Tony sunk into the sea water than the funny dolphin was seen nearby. - No sooner had Tony dive into the sea water than a funny dolphin appeared nearby.

The use of circumstances of time

Past Perfect is used with the following time markers:

• by(to some time/moment)
  Kate had smoked 10 cigarettes by the moment they came (Kate had smoked 10 cigarettes by the time they arrived);
• after(after)
  After he had lost 10 pounds, he changed the size of his clothes (After he lost 10 pounds, he changed the size of his clothes);
• before(before / before)
  Before I came home, I had delayed at college to help the tutor
• when(When)
  Molly had crossed the brook when the dog looked at her (Molly crossed the stream when the dog looked at her);
• earlier(earlier)
  I didn't know where my boyfriend was as he had snaffled my money earlier
• just(just now)
  It was 7 p.m. and she had just taken the shower (It was 7 pm and she had just taken a shower);
• already(already)
  They were going for that city as she had already got a new job (They moved to that city because she had already found a new job);
• yet(still, already)
  They arranged the party but they hadn't brought the drinks yet (They organized a party, but they hadn't brought the drinks yet).

Markers such as yet, already and just also use . It must be understood that when using the Past Perfect, the speaker refers to the past, and the Present Perfect denotes an event that happened in the past, but its consequences affect the present.

I have written 7 poems already. I have already written 7 poems. (I already have 7 poems written)

By the moment I lost my vision, I had written 7 poems already. - By the time I lost my sight, I had already written 7 poems. (I already wrote 7 poems, and then I lost my sight).

Cases of replacing Past Perfect with Past Simple

At the moment, there is a tendency to replace Past Perfect with Past Simple, if the sequence of actions is obvious from the context. Most often this happens in . These sentences use different time markers.

• after (after)

After she had washed the walls in the bathroom, she peeled the vegetables for a salad. = After she washed the walls in the bathroom, she peeled the vegetables for a salad.
After she scrubbed the walls in the bathroom, she cleaned the vegetables for the salad.

• before (before / before)

I had visited my cousin once before I left for Hungary. = I visited my cousin once before I left for Hungary.
I visited my cousin once before I left for Hungary.

• earlier (earlier),

I helped my neighbors though I was incensed by them as they had crashed my motorbike earlier. = I helped my neighbors though I was incensed by them as they crashed my motorbike earlier.
I helped mine neighbors, Although was Very angry on them, That's why What They smashed my moped.

But: If the union when (when) is used in the sentence, the replacement of time is not possible, since the meaning will change.

When we hauled our bags to the hotel, Mary had checked in. When we brought the bags to the hotel, Mary had already checked in.
(Past Perfect means Mary checked in before we dragged our bags to the hotel)

When we hauled our bags to the hotel, Mary checked in. - When we dragged the bags to the hotel, Mary checked in.
(Past Simple shows that first we dragged the bags to the hotel, and then Mary checked in)

At first glance, this time seems difficult. It is important to remember the basic principle - Past Perfect is where two actions have occurred in succession. The one that happened before is expressed in the Past Perfect, and what happened after it is expressed in the Past Simple.

In addition, this time indicates that some past event has ended by some point. In order to make it easier to understand in which cases this time is used, it is necessary to remember the markers that are used with the Past Perfect, study the structure of sentences, and also visualize the sequence of actions.

And in order to finally fix the material and put everything “on the shelves”, we recommend watching the video:

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

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)

Like any time of the Perfect category, the Past Perfect Tense reflects the completeness and completeness of a certain action. But its main difference from that is that there is no connection with the present, and all attention is focused on an action that has already taken place before some other action in the past.

The Past Perfect tense is used quite often, and is typical for both modern colloquial American English and the classic variant, which is the British language.

Example sentences in the Past Perfect look like this:

• He had already learned everything when we came - He already learned everything when we came
• The situation wasn't so bad as I had feared The situation wasn't as bad as I feared.

As can be seen from the examples presented, the essence of this time is to display an action that happened in the past, and it has no connection with the present time, but only shows the result that remains in the past tense.

Past Perfect Education

In many ways, the way Past Perfect Simple is formed is similar to the Present Perfect formation scheme. There is also an auxiliary verb here, only unlike Present, it is one, and this had, i.e., in fact, this is the past form of the verb have (has). The form of the main verb will also be represented as Past Participle, or, as it is also called, the third form of the verb. So, the Past Perfect Active formula looks like this:

Had + V(3) (–ed)

• He had finished his article before we came -He finished my article before topics, How We came
• When Jack called for I had already prepared all the necessary material -When Jack stopped by, I already cooked the whole necessary material

This past tense is simple: if the speaker wants to emphasize the completion of one action before another, then this is the tense that should be used.

Questions and negatives

General issues

In order to form general questions in the Past Perfect, it is enough to be guided by the same principle as with any other perfect tense. A general question is one that begins either with an auxiliary verb or with the verb to be. Since the past perfect tense in English has its own auxiliary verb, then the general question will begin with had:

• Had you explained everything before he left? -You to him All explained before Togo, How He gone?
• Had they already found out all the details of that strange case when you came? -They already figured out All details Togo strange affairs, When You came?

Special questions

Past Perfect interrogative sentences of a special type, which differ in that the speaker wants not only to hear the answer "yes" or "no", but to get more specific information, are also simple in their formation. In view of the fact that the initial position in the sentence is occupied by a special question word ( why, where, when, etc. ), and it is called special. Past Perfect examples of sentences with a special question look like this:

• why had you done all this hard work before we came? Why did you do all this hard work before we got here?
• Where had she been before she returned home?Where was she before she came home?

negatives

The negative with the perfect is formed even more simply: here, the particle not must go immediately after the auxiliary verb, and the rest of the structure of the sentence will remain unchanged. Often, a compressed form of negation is used for reduction (had not = hadn't):

• The rain hadn't stopped before we went away -Rain Not ceased before Togo, How We left
• We hadn't completed the task when the bell rang –We hadn't finished the task when the bell rang

Cases of using Past Perfect

The past perfect tense in English is relevant in the following situations:

1. Precedence

To indicate an action completed up to a certain moment, and the reference here can be either some other action, which will be expressed through and the subordinate part, when the completion of one action is clear from the situation. Typical time markers in this case are adverbs such as before, after, as well as all those words that are typical for any perfect: just, never, ever, yet, etc., which are used in the Past Perfect to coordinate the situation with past tense:

• They had walked only a few steps when the car appeared in sightThey had only gone a few steps when the car came into view.
• After she had cry out I felt relieved- After she cried, I felt relieved
• He told all of us that he had never done harm to anyoneHe told us all that he never hurt anyone

In such proposals, it is clearly visible.

Note: despite the fact that the Past Perfect has fairly standard usage rules, there is one point that deserves attention. Two typical constructions of the English language - hardly (scarcely) ... when ... and no sooner ... than ... - are characterized not only by the use of the Perfect Past tense, but also, i.e., the reverse order of words in the sentence, which is done to give the statement additional expressiveness. In this case, the auxiliary verb had comes before the subject, not after it. Do not confuse such situations with a question; such phrases have an affirmative meaning, but the word order in them is that which is typical for interrogative sentences:

• No sooner had I laid than I heard a doorbellNot managed I lie down, How heard door call
• Hardly (scarcely) had she arrived when al the guests left the room -Barely she arrived, How All guests left room

2. Complete completion of the action

The past complete tense is often used not only to show precedence, but simply to express the complete completion of a particular action. This is usually indicated by the translation:

By that time they had already finished all their preparations - Kto thattime they finished all the preparations

Note: the classic position taken by auxiliary words like just, already, ever, etc. - between auxiliary and semantic verb. The exception is usually the adverb yet, which is typical for questions and negatives and which is used at the end of a sentence:

She said she hadn’ t visited them yetShe said she hadn't visited them yet.

3. With certain verbs

With those (sensory perception, emotions and feelings, mental activity, etc.), the use of the Past Perfect is characteristic, even if the idea of ​​duration is emphasized. Popular indicators of such situations are prepositions for And since:

• He informed me that he had already been there for half an hour -He informed to me, What was there already half an hour
• I found out that she had known me since 2005– I found out that she had known me since 2005.

All of the above rules and examples of using the Past Perfect tense will allow you to better navigate this time, albeit not very difficult, but rather unusual for a Russian-speaking person. English as an object of study will become easier if you try to understand its structure. Specifically, this time will not cause any inconvenience, the main thing is to understand its specifics, remember all cases of use and, if possible, do exercises aimed at training this type of temporary form.