Past perfect

Introduction

We use the past perfect to describe:

actions that finished before another past action or event
facts or experiences that were true before a past action or event.

Examples:

They had taken many French lessons by the time they moved to France.
They went to France in the past. They took French lessons before that.
I hadn't eaten Mexican food before I went to Mexico last August.
I ate Mexican food for the first time when I went to Mexico in August last year.

Form

We form the past perfect with "had" + past participle:

Positive	I / You / We / They He / She / It	'd had	been	there before.
Negative		hadn't had not

question

Had

I / you / we / they
he / she / it

been

there before?

Examples

I had been to Thailand twice before I got a job there.
I got a job in Thailand in the past. I went to Thailand twice before that.
He hadn’t heard Mozart’s music when he bought the tickets for the concert.
He didn’t hear music by Mozart before buying the tickets for the concert.
Had they read the book before they saw the film?
They saw the film in the past. Did they read the book before that?

Practice

Complete the sentences with the past perfect positive, negative or question form of the verb in brackets:

.

1)

I to see him at the party last night but he wasn’t there. (expect)

2)

They that it was raining when they left the house. (not realise)

3)

he the company before he went for the interview? (research)

4)

They didn’t receive my letter because I it to the wrong address. (send)

Further practice

Complete the sentences with the correct answer from a, b, c or d:
.

1)

We ____ to go to China for many years before we went last summer.

has wanted

'd wanted

had wants

had want

2)

She ____ him for many years before they got married.

'd knew

had known

'd know

had knew

3)

They didn’t buy a map because they ____ there many times before.

'd been

'd being

has been

had being

4)

____ the ending of the film before it finished?

Had guessed you

You had guessed

You guessed had

Had you guessed

5)

She hadn’t ____ any French before she went to France.

spoke

spoken

speak

speaks

6)

____ before the meeting started?

Had they prepared

Had they prepare

They had prepared

They'd prepare

Further language point

We use the past perfect with "ever" / "never" to describe the subject’s experience at a time in the past (we use the present perfect to describe the subject’s experience including up to the present):