• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Speak Hut

Learn Faster. Live Better.

  • How It Works
  • Courses
  • FAQs
  • Log in

Past Perfect Tense

December 19, 2013 by Bret Tutor

Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Tense Happy Doctor Medium

When we discuss the past in the past we use the past perfect tense. Use it to talk about one event or action in the past that happened before another one in the past.

How do we make the Past Perfect Tense?

The following guideline is used to construct the past perfect tense:

subject + auxiliary verb HAVE + main verb
conjugated in simple past tense past participle
had V3

To create negative sentences using past perfect tense, place not between the main and auxiliary verbs. To ask a question, switch the place of the subject and auxiliary verb. For example, the following sentences are all in the past perfect tense:

subject auxiliary verb main verb
+ She had worked Christmas Eve.
+ I had played before.
– We had not eaten dinner.
– She had not worked that day.
? Had
(auxiliary verb)
they
(subject)
played before?
? Had
(auxiliary verb)
you
(subject)
seen them before?

To communicate in the past perfect tense, we often contract the subject and the auxiliary verb:

She had
He had
She’d
He’d
I had I’d
We had
They had
We’d
They’d

How Do We Use The Past Perfect Tense?

The past perfect tense is used to illustrate an action in the past that occurred before another action in the past, or the past in the past. Look at the first two sentences and how they form an example of the past perfect tense in the third sentence:

  • We ate dinner at 6pm.
  • The movie started at 7pm.
  • When the movie started, we had eaten dinner. (past perfect)
When the movie started we had eaten dinner.
past present
future
The movie started in the past at 7pm.

6pm 7pm

__________ _____________

We ate in the past at 6pm.

Here are a few more examples:

  • I won the game because I had played it before.
  • We arrived late, we had missed our bus.
  • I had arrived earlier than Jim.
  • I had already finished dinner when she called.
  • Jenny did not know him. She had never seen him before today.

The past perfect tense can be thought of as the present perfect tense. The difference is that the point of view is in the past instead of now.

past perfect tense present perfect tense

had

seen

>

has

seen

>

___________  ______
past now future past now future

Imagine that your friend asked you to dinner, but you tell her:

  • I have already eaten dinner.

Later, she says to another friend the following in the past perfect tense:

  • I asked Bob to go to dinner, but he had already eaten.

When we use reported speech we often use the past perfect tense. There are certain verbs such as imagined, thought, wondered, asked, told and said that are used in this type of structure.

  • I told them I had been ill.
  • She explained that she had missed her bus.
  • I didn’t realize they had met before.
  • I asked if she had eaten yet.
  • She wondered when she had met him before.
[slickquiz id=32]

Filed Under: Tenses Tagged With: Grammar, Past Perfect Tense, Tenses

Custom Menu

  • Free Membership
  • Teachers
  • Courses
  • Grammar
  • Pronunciation
  • Login

Shortcodes Ultimate

  • Free Membership
  • Teachers
  • Courses
  • Grammar
  • Pronunciation
  • Login

Copyright © 2021 · Epik Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.