Past perfect
Look at these examples to see how the past perfect is used.
He couldn't make a sandwich because he'd forgotten to buy bread.
The hotel was full, so I was glad that we'd booked in advance.
My new job wasn't exactly what I’d expected.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
Time up to a point in the past
We use the past perfect simple (had + past participle) to talk about time up to a certain point in the past.
She'd published her first poem by the time she was eight.
We'd finished all the water before we were halfway up the mountain.
Had the parcel arrived when you called yesterday?
Past perfect for the earlier of two past actions
We can use the past perfect to show the order of two past events. The past perfect shows the earlier action and the past simple shows the later action.
When the police arrived, the thief had escaped.
It doesn't matter in which order we say the two events. The following sentence has the same meaning.
The thief had escaped when the police arrived.
Note that if there's only a single event, we don't use the past perfect, even if it happened a long time ago.
The Romans spoke Latin. (NOT
The Romans had spoken Latin.)
Past perfect after before
We can also use before + past perfect to show that an action was not done or was incomplete when the past simple action happened.
They left before I'd spoken to them.
Sadly, the author died before he'd finished the series.
Adverbs
We often use the adverbs already (= 'before the specified time'), still (= as previously), just (= 'a very short time before the specified time'), ever (= 'at any time before the specified time') or never (= 'at no time before the specified time') with the past perfect.
I called his office but he'd already left.
It still hadn't rained at the beginning of May.
I went to visit her when she'd just moved to Berlin.
It was the most beautiful photo I'd ever seen.
Had you ever visited London when you moved there?
I'd never met anyone from California before I met Jim.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hi,
I came across these two sentences, and I wish to know which one is more grammatical:
He realized he had forgotten his wallet after he had paid for the meal.
I think both could work well knowing that "after" can be followed by either "past perfect" or "past simple" if the sequence of the actions is clear, I mean when it's clear which action took place first as I understood from Advanced Grammar in Use, by Martin Hewings.
I'll be much obliged if you could guide me, sir.
Hello anymanme2,
I would consider the first sentence to be correct. The second sentence doesn't sound incorrect to me, but the first sentence looks a lot more natural.
Thank you.
Shetu Yogme
Hi aymanme2,
Both are possible. I think the first is better because the past simple 'paid' makes it clear that the realisation and the payment happened almost at the same time. The past perfect 'had paid' in the second sentence would be more likely if the action were some time earlier rather than effectively simultaneous.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Dear Team,
Could you please help me understand the usage of the word 'already' with Perfect Tenses?
Does this word have a meaning that the action started some time ago and lasted for some period of time?
Is it possible to use 'already' with the Past Perfect Continious tense? Or should we always specify 'how long' (e.g. for two years, since 10 AM, etc.) if we want to use 'already' + Past Perfect Continuous?
Here are two examples:
Are both of them correct?
Thank you so much for your kind help!
Hello AnChe,
Already is not about how long something lasted. Rather, it used when an action is complete earlier than expected in some way. It's often used when one speaker thinks something hasn't been done yet and the second speaker wants to let them know that (surprise!) it in fact has been done:
We need to get dinner ready. It's getting late.
No need - I've already done it.
Yes, both of those are correct. You can use perfect continuous forms with already when the action is ongoing (unfinished). Of course, context is key here as with all uses of aspect.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Well, it seems a bit confusing. How can it be possible to use ‘already’ with the Past Perfect Continuous Tense (with no additional reference to the time period or duration) if:
‘Already is not about how long something lastted. Rather, it used when an action is complete earlier than expected in some way.’
For the ongoing action there should be something else (e.g. for an hour, etc.)
Hello again AnChe,
It's true that a time period is usual when using perfect continuous forms but it's not strictly necessary:
Here, the action is unfinished (the engine is not fully repaired). A past perfect simple form would suggest otherwise (...I had already repaired it = it is done) so the continuous is necessary. Context, as I said, is key with all aspects in English, and here you have two aspects: continuous and perfect.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
At eight o’clock in the evening, the clock struck and we gathered around the table.
Mary asked me about the food, and I replied, “It’s a delicious dish; 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 anything like it 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎.” She smiled and told me that since moving to the countryside, she 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝 on the pure vegetables she grows herself on her farm.
Then she told me about my town, and I said to her that the garden where we used to play 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐝 to a wealthy man who built a large store on it, so we no longer have another place to have fun as we did before.
After that, she sat in front of a large musical instrument, and then asked me, “𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 you 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱 the piano?” I replied that I wasn’t interested in music anymore, as I now prefer spending my free time on my computer.
She then suggested that I spend a few days of my holiday with her family, but I told her that I 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 my training 𝘺𝘦𝘵, but I still really appreciate the invitation.
1-The engine produced dense smoke right after I started it.
-->Narrating two past actions in sequence: past simple + past simple.
2-When the guests came in, the food had already been cooked. (Past perfect in passive form) → Someone cooked it before the guests arrived).
3-The car had hit the curb before the driver put on his seat belt.
4-The villagers couldn't put out the fire even after they had separated the fields from the burning forest.
5-The car had just stopped before it reached the gas station.
6-I had never paid him any money before the quality control team came to inspect the goods.
7-A massive hurricane struck the town, something that had never happened there before.
8-The criminal had still insisted on denying, despite the evidence that was presented to him.