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 Peter
Thank you for your valuable feedback
When we talk about past perfect saying that it refers to an action that happened before another action, happened refers to the start of the action or the end of it?
For example : My mother had cooked the meal when I came home.
My mother started cooking, ended cooking, or had completed most of the cooking when I came home?
As I’ve seen Kirk comment that past perfect doesn’t indicate when it is completed it maybe before or at the same time with the other action.
Andi
Hello Andi,
This is really a question about the simple form vs the continuous/progressive aspect.
My mother had cooked - focus on the result; the meal was ready and the cooking was finished.
My mother had been cooking - focus on the activity; the meal is probably not ready (though it is ambiguous) but I can see the mess or I can see that she is tired, or I can smell the food etc.
Generally speaking, the continuous/progressive aspect focuses on the activity or procress and suggests in many contexts that an action is incomplete or in progress, while the simple sees an activity as a whole and focuses on the result of the activity or some other kind of achievement. However, these are general tendencies which particular contexts or lexis may change.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you Peter very helpful indeed
Dear Team, Could you please help me to enhance the paragraph and let me know the reasons for the changes
I know that simple past and past perfect can be used for describing past events.
I had completed all my homework before we started the trip. By the time I came back, I had fallen sick. I didn't attend any of the exams. First, my parent had talked to my class teacher then she had spoken to the principal and then they gave me a second chance to appear for the exam. When I was celebrating my bday that year, during holidays, I came to know that they had become the school topper that year.
First my parent had talked to my class teacher then she had spoken to the principal and then they gave me a second chance to appear for the exam. - Is this a correct way to use first along with past actions as I saw this in one of the comments.
Hello Neeraja J,
I'm afraid we don't provide a correction or checking service like this. We're happy to answer concrete questions on issues of grammar but this goes beyond what we can do. We're a small team here at LearnEnglish and we have limited time, unfortunately!
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you for your response! I understand, and I appreciate you letting me know.
"First, my parent had talked to my class teacher, then she had spoken to the principal, and then they gave me a second chance to appear for the exam."
I’m wondering if this is the correct way to describe a past action or if it’s better to use the simple past tense instead. Could you please clarify?
Thank you for your help!
Hello again Neeraja J,
Very often in contexts like this you have the option of using the past perfect for the earlier action(s) or using the past simple. The past simple shows a sequence without necessarily the actions being linked (though they may be). The past perfect shows a much clearer link, where the later action is changed or caused by the earlier action, or where the later action would not be possible without the earlier action.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Peter
Thank you a lot for your response
Browsing the comments here I came across this sentence:
Before our conversation yesterday, I had believed that you 1)had gone / 2)went to Harvard.
The speaker said that 1) happens before and 2) happens at the same time with believing.
Can you please add some clarification on why is that so?
Which past action or point in time does had gone refers to?
Andi
Hello Andi,
'Had gone' emphasises that the situation is not current (we are talking about a time earlier in the person's life), while 'went' may refer to a current situation or one that is finished (earlier in life).
It's difficult to say more without more context.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Peter
Your response is highly appreciated
Before our conversation yesterday, I had believed that you 1)had gone / 2)went to Harvard.
Is the following observation correct?
The verb believe is said to attract the subjunctive mood. Since he believed that he had gone but actually he didn’t go. It’s an imaginary situation. Past perfect subjunctive had gone refers to a past situation whereas past subjunctive went refers to a current situation.
Andi