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Past Perfect – Definition, Examples & Uses

The past perfect is a verb tense used to describe an action that was completed before another event or moment in the past, helping to clarify the sequence of past events.

It is formed with had + past participle (e.g., I had worked, She had seen), including irregular past participles such as seen or gone.

To form the negative, not is placed between had and the past participle (e.g., had not seen), and in questions, had comes before the subject (e.g., Had you seen it?). The past perfect is commonly used to describe sequences of past actions, time leading up to a specific point in the past, and past habits or states.

How the Past Perfect Is Formed

Form Structure Explanation Examples
Basic Structure had + past participle The past perfect is formed using the auxiliary verb had followed by the past participle. The form does not change for singular or plural subjects. She had finished her homework before dinner started.
They had decided to leave early because of the storm.
He had eaten breakfast before he went to work.
Affirmative Subject + had + past participle Used to describe an action completed before another action in the past. I had gone.
They had gone.
Negative Subject + had not (hadn’t) + past participle Used to show that something did not happen before another past event. She hadn’t finished her report when the deadline passed.
They had not met each other before the conference began.
Interrogative Had + subject + past participle + … ? Form questions by placing had before the subject. Had you finished your homework before dinner?
Had they visited London before they moved to Japan?

When to Use the Past Perfect

Situation Explanation Incorrect Example Correct Example
First of Two Past Actions Use the past perfect for the earlier of two past actions. She left the house before it had started to rain. She had left the house before it started to rain.
Completed Before a Specific Past Time Shows completion before a certain past moment. By 8 p.m., we finished all our assignments. By 8 p.m., we had finished all our assignments.
Cause or Reason in the Past Explains why something happened. He was tired because he worked late the night before. He was tired because he had worked late the night before.
Unreal or Hypothetical Situations Used with if and wish for unreal past situations. If you told me earlier, I would have helped. If you had told me earlier, I would have helped.
Do Not Use Without Second Past Reference Avoid the past perfect with finished time markers like yesterday, last year, or in 2020. I had gone to the store yesterday. I went to the store yesterday.

Adverbs and Signal Words

Adverb / Signal Word Meaning / Usage Example Sentence
already Completed before another past action. She had already left when I arrived.
just Happened shortly before another past action. They had just finished dinner when the guests came.
never Not at any time before a past moment. I had never seen snow before that trip.
ever At any time before a past moment (questions). Had you ever visited Paris before 2020?
still Continuing situation up to a past point. He still hadn’t answered when the meeting started.
previously / earlier At an earlier past time. She had previously worked in marketing.
before Shows that one action happened earlier than another. I had finished my homework before my friend arrived.
after Indicates sequence of past events. After she had locked the door, she left the house.
by the time Shows completion before a specific past moment. By the time the movie started, we had found our seats.
when Introduces a second past action. She had left when I arrived.
until Shows duration up to a past point. He had waited until the bus arrived.
prior to Formal expression meaning “before”. She had completed the training prior to starting her job.
for / since Duration up to a past moment. She had lived in Osaka for five years before she moved to Tokyo.

Common Irregular Verbs

Infinitive Positive Negative
be had been had not been
go had gone had not gone
do had done had not done
have had had had not had
see had seen had not seen
take had taken had not taken
write had written had not written
eat had eaten had not eaten
come had come had not come
know had known had not known

Test your knowledge

Question 1/10
1) By the time I arrived, they ____.
2) She was tired because she ____ all day.
3) When we got to the cinema, the film ____.
4) I didn’t recognize him because I ____ him before.
5) They ____ dinner before the guests arrived.
6) After I ____ my homework, I went out.
7) The train ____ when we reached the station.
8) I was happy because I ____ the exam.
9) She couldn’t enter because she ____ her key.
10) By 2019, they ____ in London for five years.

Find out more

The simple past and past perfect are both used to talk about past events, but they serve different purposes.

Simple past: Describes a completed action in the past, seen as a whole.

Past perfect: Describes an action that happened before another past action.

Examples:

Past Perfect:

I had finished my homework before dinner.

She had left the office when the meeting started.

Simple Past:

I finished my homework yesterday.

She left the office at 5 p.m.

Tip: Use past perfect to show which action came first; use simple past for the later action.

Look for:

  • had + past participle
  • Signal words such as:
    • before
    • after
    • already
    • by the time
    • just
    • never

These words often act as triggers for different tenses:

  • While usually precedes the Long Action (Continuous): "While I was washing the dishes, I broke a glass."
  • When usually precedes the Short Action (Simple): "I was washing the dishes when I broke a glass."

According to standard grammar rules, the answer is no, because verbs such as know, want, believe, need, and belong describe states rather than actions.

For example, it is incorrect to say "I was knowing the answer," and the correct form is "I knew the answer." However, there is an exception: some stative verbs, such as wonder or hope, can appear in the Continuous form to sound more polite, as in "I was wondering if you could help me."