Past Perfect: rules of formation and cases of use. Past Perfect – past perfect tense in English

Past Perfect Tense is translated as “past perfect tense.”

We use this tense to say that an action in the past has ended. to or before some time in the past.

For example:

After I watched the series, I went to bed.

What was the first action? First I watched the series and then went to bed. That is by the time When I went to bed, I had already watched the series.

To show that the first action ended before the second happened, you need to use the past perfect in the first part of the sentence.

In other words, we use the Past Perfect to show the order of actions, that is, what one action in the past happened before another.

Look at the picture:

That is, by the time I watched the film (second act), I had already read the book (first act).

Bonus: Do you want to learn English tenses easily? Sign up and find out how easy it is to master tenses and start speaking English in 1 month using the ESL method!

As you can see, it is not difficult to understand and remember this time. Now let's figure out how to correctly form such sentences.

Formation of Past Perfect tense in English

The Past Perfect tense is formed using had(this is the form verb have in the past tense) and a verb in the past tense.

Verbs in the past tense

IN English There are regular and irregular verbs. Depending on the verb, this form is formed as follows:

• if the verb is correct, then we add the ending -ed to it: cook - cooked, finish - finished.
• if the verb is irregular, then we put it in the 3rd form: do - done, eat - eaten

There is no rule by which we can determine the correct or irregular verb in front of us. You can only find out by looking it up in a dictionary or memorizing it.

The same is true with forms of irregular verbs. You need to memorize them or look them up in the dictionary.

Past Perfect tense formation scheme:

Actor + had + regular verb ending -ed or 3rd form of irregular verb

Important: Usually the past perfect tense is used in complex sentences, consisting of two parts. Moreover, we use the Past Perfect in the part of the sentence that talks about an action that happened first (before another).

In the other part, the Past Simple tense is most often used - past simple.

The two parts of the sentence are connected by the words:

after- after
before- before
when- When
by the time- by that time

She had done her homework before he called.
She had done her homework before he called.

After they had eaten breakfast they went to work.
After breakfast, they went to work.

Abbreviations

We can shorten had in a sentence. It will look like this:

had = 'd

I 'd cooked dinner when they arrived.
I prepared dinner when they arrived.

Negative sentences in the Past Perfect in English

To make a sentence negative, you need to add the negative particle not to the auxiliary verb had.

The outline of such a proposal would be:

Actor + had + not + regular verb ending -ed or 3rd form of irregular verb

He had not worked before he graduated an university.
He didn't work until he graduated from university.

We had not read the book before we went to bed.
We didn't read this book before we went to bed.

Reduction

We can shorten had and not like this:

had + not = hadn’t

For example:

I hadn't called him before he wrote me.
I didn't call him before he wrote.

Interrogative sentences with Past Perfect in English

To form an interrogative sentence, you need to put the auxiliary verb had in first place. The outline of such a proposal would be:

Had + character + regular verb ending -ed or 3rd form of irregular verb?

Had they finished work before they left?
Did they finish their work before leaving?

Had he drunk coffee before he went to work?
Did he drink coffee before he went to work?

So, we've covered the theory, and now let's move on to practice.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English:

1. I watched TV after I read the book.
2. She had breakfast before going to school.
3. They got married before they bought the house.
4. When the rain stopped, we went for a walk.
5. We went to the cinema after we had dinner.
6. He went home after finishing work.

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 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 “pre-past” 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

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)

Past Perfect is used when it is important for the speaker to emphasize the completeness of an action up to a certain moment in the past, therefore, in the bulk of sentences where this tense is used, there are clear time indicators - you should pay attention to this if you are faced with the task of setting the desired type of tense form. But, let's talk about everything in order.

Using the Past Perfect

Past Perfect used to express:

• Actions that began and ended before a moment in the past. A moment can be indicated by time, another action, or a situation.

Jessica had finished her essay by then. By that time, Jessica had finished her essay.

Natalie felt wretched. She hadn't slept well for two nights. “Natalie felt defeated. She hasn't slept well the last two nights.

After everyone had left, Susan began packing hurriedly. After everyone left, Susan began to pack her things in a hurry.

• Consecutive actions that preceded a moment in the past.

Suddenly Luis realized that someone had opened the gate and had put a letter on the lawn. “Suddenly Lewis realized that someone had opened the gate and put a letter on the lawn.

Using Past Perfect instead of Past Perfect Continuous.

There is also a translation into Russian on the site.

As we know, the British love order in everything, and the English language is no exception. In their opinion, every action should have its own order. In Russian, we use one tense to express all past actions. We list a few events, then go back to another event that happened before all the others. An Englishman will never tolerate such “chaos” in his speech. If he forgot about important event, which happened before everyone else, then he will report it in a time specially designated for this called Past Perfect. This is what we will talk about today. C"mon!

What is Past Perfect

Past Perfect Tense is the past perfect tense. We usually use it to talk about an action that ended at or before some point in the past.

For example: When he read the book, he went to bed.

What was the first action? First he read the book and then went to bed. That is, by the time he went to bed, he had already read the book. To show that the first action ended before the second happened, you need to use the Past Perfect in the first part of the sentence - “When he had read the book, he went to bed.” In other words, we use the Past Perfect to show the order of actions, i.e., that one action in the past occurred before another.

How is Past Perfect formed (formulas + examples)

• Statement. The predicate in the Past Perfect consists of two parts: the auxiliary verb " had" And third form of the main verb(To correct verb add the ending “- ed", and we take the irregular form from the third column of the table of irregular verbs).

• Negation. In a negative sentence between the auxiliary verb " had" and the particle " appears as the main verb not».

As with many other tenses, the Past Perfect has shortened forms that are used in colloquial speech. IN affirmative sentence " had» unites With pronoun, V negative- with the particle " not" For example:

I'd come.
You'd finished.
I hadn't come.
You weren't finished.

• Question. An interrogative sentence begins with an auxiliary verb " had", followed by subject And main verb.

Past Perfect marker words

If a sentence contains the following words, then it belongs to the Past Perfect Tense:

by- To;
hardly… when / no sooner… than- as soon as I barely had time;
after- after;
earlier- earlier, before - before;
first- first;
when- When;
just- just now;
already- already;
yet- already, not yet.

Cases of using Past Perfect:

• The 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 denoted by the Past Simple, and special words may be used: “ by"(to some time/moment), " after"(after), " before"(before, before), " when" (When), " earlier" (earlier), " first"(first, first).

Before Anna called her husband she had finished all the work. - Before Anna called her husband, she finished all the work.

Nota bene: if actions are placed in chronological ok, then you need to use Past Simple:

Anna finished all work and called her husband. - Anna finished all the work and (then) called her husband (chronological order).

• The Past Perfect explains the reason: we want to show that the action expressed by the Past Perfect has become reason that another action has taken place.

He was hungry. He hadn't eaten for eight hours. - He was hungry. He didn't eat for 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 she lost her credit card.

• Past Perfect is used after " if"in conditional sentences of the third type ( third conditional). This type of conditional shows regret about the past. We could have done something in the past if we had 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 the morning newspaper, you would agree with me.

• Past Perfect is used in the constructions " hardly … when" And " no sooner … than" These constructions show that one action happened immediately after another. The peculiarity is that they use back order words, as in the question. Such sentences are translated into Russian using the words “as soon as...”, “I didn’t have time...”, “as soon as I...”.

Hardly had the plane landed at the Miami airport, when it started to rain. - The plane had barely landed at Miami airport when it started to rain.
No sooner had I chewed my sandwich than somebody knocked at the door. - Before I had time to chew my sandwich, someone knocked on the door.

• Enumeration of actions happened in the past until the time of the story generally:

I finally caught Lucky and looked around. The nasty dog had scratched the furniture, had torn the wallpapers and had eaten my lunch on the table. - I finally caught Lucky and looked around. The nasty dog ​​scratched the furniture, tore the wallpaper and ate my lunch on the table.

Formation Past Perfect Passive

Like most tenses, the Past Perfect has passive design .

• Statement: subject + had been + verb 3 forms + [by object].

The test had been finished by the end of the day.- The test was completed by the end of the day.
The picture had been painted by the Monday. - The picture was painted by Monday.

Negation: subject + had + not + been + verb 3 forms + [by object].

The test had not been finished by the end of the day. - The test was not completed by the end of the day.
The bicycle had not been repaired by 2 o’clock. - The bicycle was not repaired by two o'clock.

Question: had + subject + been + verb 3 forms + [by object]?

Had the questions been discussed before the exam?- Were the questions discussed before the exam?
Had the picture been painted by the Monday?- Was the picture painted by Monday?

Present Perfect vs Past Perfect

Very often, when translating from Russian into English, you can get confused in choosing the right tense, because they both have similar features. Let's look at the table to get rid of doubts about the differences between Present Perfect and Past Perfect.

Nota bene: We recommend that you read the short theory again and complete the task in our online simulator so that you never have doubts about using the Past Perfect again.

Conclusion

So, today we looked at the forms of formation of affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences in the Past Perfect, both in the active and in passive voice. We remembered which markers you should pay attention to, and figured out how not to confuse the Present Perfect and Past Perfect. But the most important thing to remember is that next to the Past Perfect there must be another action in the past.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with other tenses of the English language

Learn English easy and get skillful!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

The Past The perfect tense, as well as the pluperfect tense, is used for actions that happened before the other. Very often used with . Learn how to conjugate the past perfect tense in English, and learn the rules, examples and uses of the past perfect. After the rules, you can do exercises to test your grammar skills. In Russian we pronounce this time [past perfect] – English transcription.

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

Rules for the formation of Past Perfect

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

Formula:

Uses of Past Perfect

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

1. An action in the past that occurred before some specific moment in the past or an action occurred 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 specific 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 finished most of the work by the time my boss arrived.

2. As can be seen in the examples above, the Past Perfect is usually used together with

Example:

— I had sold my apartment before I moved to London – I sold my apartment before I left for 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 mother was so angry because I didn’t do the shopping for her.
— I had never seen such beautiful sights before I visited Cardiff in 2013 – I had 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 was late for 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 cannot 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 – The 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 had forgotten my keys. (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. (First action – had finished).
— I tape Betty some money only after she had promised to give it back the next day – I lent some money to 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 tense 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 shopping center 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 the 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 the bar).

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

Example:

- No wouldn't have missed the meeting if he had been on time – He would not have missed the meeting if he had been 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 conjunctions hardly…when, scarcely…when, no sooner…than, barely…when

They are often used when one event follows immediately after another.

Example:

- I had hardly arrived to work when it started to hail – I barely arrived at work when the hail started.
- We had scarcely finished eating when the doorbell rang – We had barely finished eating when the doorbell rang.
- She had Barely won the competitions when her fans started to clap – She 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.

• To add emphasis, the order of words can be changed.

Compare:

—Hardly had I arrived to work when it started to hail – As soon as I arrived at work, the hail started.
— Scarcely had we finished eating when the doorbell rang – We had barely finished eating when the doorbell rang.
—Barely had she won the competitions when her fans started to clap – As soon as she won the competition, her fans started clapping.
— 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 after the adverbs hardly, barely, scarcely comes when. No sooner is used with than.(Sooner is comparative form from soon).

10. Three conjunctions are used with this tense.

These conjunctions are very often found in dialogues, books, and newspapers. The Past Perfect is introduced by such conjunctions 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 note:

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 will not 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:

- No 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 was full, he wanted ice cream.

Word markers (words of indicators) in the Past Perfect

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

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

Examples of 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 prepared dinner before Anna arrived.

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 following scheme:
Subject + had + verb 3 + Rest of sentence

Negative sentences

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

Short 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.

Short 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. We use Past Perfect [past perfect] to describe that one of the events happened earlier. 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 his arrival).

An extensive article that will cover the topic - Difference between Past Simple and Past Perfect

General Table Past Perfect

Past Perfect exercises and answers

Take tests on the past perfect tense 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 the parentheses. 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 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 breaking tradition, we suggest you make 5, or better yet 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 shopping center. When you came 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, 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 figure out that someone tampered with your windshield at some point in the past before you saw it.

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