Read and learn about past simple and past perfect!
Past perfect is a verb tense used to show that an action was completed before another action or point in the past. It shows the "first" action in a sequence.
For example:
She had finished her homework before she went out.
They had already arrived at the airport when the flight was canceled.
They had already arrived at the airport when the flight was canceled.
Use of Past Perfect
- Earlier Past Events:
We use past perfect to talk about events that happened before the main event, especially when not told in chronological order.
For example:
When she entered the room, we had already left.
He remembered that he had seen her before.
He remembered that he had seen her before.
- Result of an Earlier Event:
We use past perfect to show the result of an earlier event. It gives more information about an event that happened after it.
For example:
I didn't recognize her because she had changed a lot.
- Quantity or Amount
We use the past perfect simple to say how much or how many we had done of something earlier in the past.
For example:
We had worked for 5 hours when we decided to take a break.
How many times had he called you when you finally picked up the phone?
How many times had he called you when you finally picked up the phone?
- Life Experiences:
We use past perfect to talk about life experiences that happened before another event.
For example:
By the time I started working here, I had already visited 10 countries.
They had learned how to swim before their trip to the beach.
They had learned how to swim before their trip to the beach.
Formation of Past Perfect
Svarīgi!
Remember that there are regular and irregular verbs in English!
Revise regular verbs from 4th grade, and irregular verbs from 5th grade!
- The structure of affirmative sentences:
Subject + had + past participle (3rd form / -ed).
For example:
I had seen it.
You had lived there.
- The structure of negative sentences:
Subject + had + not + past participle (3rd form / -ed).
For example:
I hadn't seen it.
You hadn't lived there.
- The structure of questions:
Had + subject + past participle (3rd form / -ed)?
For example:
Had I seen it?
How long had you lived there?
Compare and Contrast
- Past Simple vs Past Perfect:
We use the past simple for completed actions at a certain time in the past, but we use the past perfect for actions that happened before another action in the past.
For example:
I saw the movie yesterday. (completed action)
I had seen the movie before he told me about it. (an action that happened before another action)
I had seen the movie before he told me about it. (an action that happened before another action)