B1 English GrammarPast Perfect Tense
Describe actions that were completed before another past action. Essential for storytelling and explaining sequences of past events.
1Forming the Past Perfect
The past perfect is formed with 'had' + past participle. It's the same for all persons. Use it to show that one past action happened before another past action.
Past Perfect Formation
| Type | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | had + past participle | I had finished. |
| Negative | hadn't + past participle | She hadn't arrived. |
| Question | Had + subject + past participle? | Had you seen it? |
| Short answer | Yes, I had. / No, I hadn't. |
Examples
When I arrived, the movie had already started.
When I arrived, the movie had already started.
movie started before I arrived
She had left before I could say goodbye.
She had left before I could say goodbye.
leaving happened first
Had you eaten before you came?
Had you eaten before you came?
question about earlier action
I hadn't seen him for years.
I hadn't seen him for years.
negative past perfect
2When to Use Past Perfect
Use past perfect when you have two past actions and want to show which happened first. The earlier action uses past perfect; the later action uses past simple.
Time Markers
| Word/Phrase | Example |
|---|---|
| before | I had finished before he arrived. |
| after | After she had left, I found her note. |
| by the time | By the time we got there, it had closed. |
| already | She had already eaten. |
| just | He had just left when you called. |
| never... before | I had never seen snow before. |
Examples
By the time we arrived, the concert had ended.
By the time we arrived, the concert had ended.
concert ended before arrival
I realized I had forgotten my keys.
I realized I had forgotten my keys.
forgetting happened before realizing
She told me she had never been to Paris.
She told me she had never been to Paris.
experience before the telling
After they had eaten, they went for a walk.
After they had eaten, they went for a walk.
eating happened first
3Past Perfect vs Past Simple
Use past perfect when the sequence of events matters or when you want to emphasize that something happened earlier. If events are in chronological order, past simple is often enough.
Examples
I ate breakfast and went to work. (chronological order)
I ate breakfast and went to work.
past simple OK - order is clear
I went to work. I had eaten breakfast earlier.
I had eaten breakfast earlier.
past perfect - jumping back in time
When I got home, my family ate dinner. (together)
When I got home, my family ate dinner.
past simple - same time
When I got home, my family had eaten dinner. (before me)
When I got home, my family had eaten dinner.
past perfect - they finished before
4Past Perfect in Reported Speech
In reported speech, present perfect becomes past perfect. This is because we shift all tenses back when reporting past speech.
Tense Shift
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| 'I have finished.' | She said she had finished. |
| 'We have never met.' | He said they had never met. |
Examples
'I've lost my wallet.' → He said he had lost his wallet.
He said he had lost his wallet.
have lost → had lost
'We've already eaten.' → They said they had already eaten.
They said they had already eaten.
have eaten → had eaten
'I've never been here.' → She said she had never been there.
She said she had never been there.
have been → had been
'Has he called?' → She asked if he had called.
She asked if he had called.
has called → had called