Past Perfect: rules of formation and cases of use. How to learn to use the Past Perfect tense? Rules and numerous examples

past perfect- past perfect tense. Its peculiarity is that it is not used in speech on its own and is necessarily attached to another action. Why do the British need it? The reason lies in their love for order and organization. In Russian, we use the same tense to express all past actions. We list a few events, then return to another event that happened before all the others. An Englishman in his speech will never allow such "chaos". If he forgot about an important event that happened before everyone else, he will report it at a specially designated time for this - past perfect.

How is the Past Perfect formed?

Statement

Predicate in past perfect consists of two parts: auxiliary verb had and the third form of the main verb (we add the ending to the regular verb - ed, and we take the form of the wrong one from the third column).

Negation

In a negative sentence between an auxiliary verb had and the particle appears as the main verb not.

As in many other times, past perfect there are abbreviated forms that are used in colloquial speech. In an affirmative sentence had combined with a pronoun, in the negative - with a particle not. For example:

I'd done.
You'd decided.
I hadn't done.
You didn't decide.

Question

An interrogative sentence begins with an auxiliary verb had, followed by the subject and the main verb.

In order to consistently study past perfect, we have divided all its functions into three levels. In the green block you will find what you need to know at the beginner level, in the yellow block for the intermediate level, in the red block for the advanced level.

Using the Past Perfect

First level

past perfect always goes hand in hand with another action in the past. past perfect shows an action that happened before another action or a specific moment in the past. Another action in the past is most often indicated past simple, while special words can be used: by... (to some time/moment), after(after), before(before, before) when(when), earlier(before), first(first, first).

We arrived at the station at 7.30, but the train had left. We arrived at the station at 7:30, but the train had already gone. (first the train left, then we arrived at the station)

He had been a usual clerk before he became a successful businessman. - He was ordinary clerk before that, as became a successful businessman.

Often past perfect explains the reason: we want to show that the action expressed past perfect, caused another action to occur.

He was hungry. He hadn't eaten for eight hours. - He was hungry. He did not eat eight hours.

She couldn't buy a new pair of shoes as she had lost her credit card. She couldn't buy a new pair of shoes because lost credit card.

Time past perfect similar in meaning to Present Perfect with the difference that the time of the action does not occur in the present (now), but in the past (then).

They are not at home. They have gone shopping. → They were not at home. They had gone shopping.
Them No Houses. They are gone go shopping. → Their did not have Houses. They are gone go shopping.

Another common feature Present Perfect and past perfect- adverbs just(just now), already(already), yet(already, still).

They were moving to another country, but they hadn't told their parents yet. - They moved to another country, but haven't said yet about it to your parents.

The most common mistake made with past perfect- use this time where it is not necessary, most often instead of past simple. For example, when we talk about a simple action that happened a long time ago. remember, that past perfect works only when there are two actions.

I learned English at school. - I learned English at school.
I had learned English before I entered the university. - I learned English before that, as entered the University.

Where else is the Past Perfect found?

Middle level

past perfect shows that the action began in the past and continued until a certain point in the past. Prepositions already familiar to us are often used here. for(during) and since(since).
He didn't want to drive that car anymore. He had driven it for 30 years. He didn't want to drive that car anymore. He drove her 30 years old.

Her speech was impressive. She had worked on it since Monday. Her speech was impressive. She is worked over it since Monday.

This function is not fully applicable to past perfect she belongs by right Past Perfect Continuous. past perfect in this sense is used with state verbs (), i.e. verbs that cannot "last".

Before we talked, Mary had been upset for three days. She had been crying all this time. Before we talked, Mary was frustrated for three days. She is cried all this time.
AT past perfect, As in Present Perfect, there is a function by which we talk about personal experience. The difference is that past perfect we use when talking about our experiences in the past.
The last week of my holidays was the worst week I had ever had. The last week of my vacation was the worst week I have ever had. was.

By the time I moved to Dublin I had written seven books and I was working hard on the eighth. – By the time I moved to Dublin, I wrote seven books and was actively working on an eighth.

Difficult cases of using Past Perfect

High level

past perfect used after if in conditional sentences of the third type (). This type of conditional shows regret for the past. We could do something in the past if we fulfilled the condition, but in the present we can no longer change the situation.
If I had known about your problem, I would have helped you. - If I knew about your problem, I would help you.

If you had read the morning newspaper, you would have agreed with me. - If you was reading morning paper, you would agree with me.
past perfect used in structures hardly ... when and no sooner ... than. These constructions show that one action happened immediately after another. The peculiarity is that they use the reverse word order, as in the question. Such sentences are translated into Russian using the words “as soon as”, “I didn’t have time”, “barely I”.
hardy had the plane landed at the Miami airport, when it started to rain. - Barely airplane landed at the Miami airport as it started to rain.

No sooner had I chewed my sandwich than somebody knocked at the door. - Did not have time I chew your sandwich as someone knocked the door.
In modern English past perfect are increasingly being replaced by past simple, especially in American English. We can use past simple instead of past perfect if the sequence of events is clear from the context. In such sentences there are words after(after), before(before), earlier(before), first(first, first), etc.
After he had finished repairing his car, he took a shower. = After he finished repairing his car, he took a shower. - After is he finished fix the car, he took a shower.

I agreed to meet her though I was angry with her as we had quarreled earlier. = I agreed to meet her though I was angry with her as we earlier. - I agreed to meet her, although I was angry with her, because we had a fight.

This rule does not work with the union when(when): with the change of tense, the meaning of the whole sentence may change.

When we came home, she had cooked already prepared dinner. (Past Perfect means dinner was done before we got home)

When we came home, she cooked dinner. When we got home, she prepared dinner. (Past Simple shows that first we came home and then she cooked dinner)

The more complex time seems, the less meaning it has. This rule also applies to past perfect. The main thing to remember is next to past perfect there must be another action in the past. To better remember this time, take the test and download the table, in which you can always peep and refresh your knowledge.

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Test

Past Perfect - Past Perfect Tense in English

The British are very scrupulous about the distinction between time intervals. If Russian grammar is limited to the past, present and future tenses, then the English language system has divided each of these traditional forms into four more subforms. As a result, 12 time groups were obtained, with a clearly defined scope of each type of structure. Today we will look at the category of the past perfect tense, study its meaning and give examples of use in sentences and dialogues for the past perfect. Despite the fact that in Russian there is no analogue of this tense, the topic does not cause any particular difficulties.

Briefly about the use of Past perfect

The main purpose of this category of time is to express the sequence of events in the past, previous experience. The predicate of the action that ended earlier is put in Perfect Past, and the verb of the second sentence usually has the form Past Simple. The completion of an event can also be expressed by a specific time indicator.

She remembered that she had met these children beforeShe isrememberedwhatshe ismetthesechildrenbefore.
I had written this report by 8 o'clock – Icompletedthisreportto 8hours.

In rare situations, the continuous tense may be used instead of the simple past. This is necessary if they want to emphasize the incompleteness of the second act, at the time of the end of the events preceding it.

By that time I had read the book and was watching TV – Toto thattimeIfinished readingbookandalreadywatchedTV set.

In sentences with Past Perfect Tense, the reverse rule applies. The Past Perfect Continuous form cannot be used with verbs of feelings, possessions, states, relationships, therefore, a simple paste perfect is used with such predicates.

I had owned thecar for 8 years already when I decided tosellit I had owned this car for 8 years when I decided to sell it.

And the last situation in which it is necessary to use this tense is the presence in the statement of the phrases " scarcely…when», « nosooner…than», « hardly…when". Such a sentence is translated into Russian by the words " barely... how; didn't make it... how". Note the slight design change: had stands before the subject.

Scarcely had she entered apartments, when the telephone rank – Barelyshe isenteredinapartment,asrangtelephone.

Having remembered the cases of using the past perfect, we will consider examples of sentences and learn how to independently create such constructions of time.

Past perfect examples

In this section, we will analyze the rules and examples of the use of this tense category in various everyday situations.

So, if we need to make an expression in the Past Perfect in the form of a statement, then we should use the auxiliary verb had and the third form of the verb, which is participle II.

In this case, the event that follows in meaning can stand both in the first and in the second place.

It was the best film I (1) had (2) ever watched (3)- It was the best movie I have ever seen.

Interrogative sentences require a slight change in construction, namely the introduction of an auxiliary had to the fore.

Had (1) you (2) cleaned(3) the room by 11 o'clock? – Youremovedroomto 11hours?

According to this scheme, the so-called general questions are built. There are also statements with special interrogative words, negative questions, as well as expressions of doubt. We will not give separate schemes for them, a little later we will be told about the situations of such use of the past perfect by the examples given at the end of the material.

Negative sentences do not change the word order of the affirmative phrase, but are also associated with the verb had. To make a negation, the word not is added to this verb. Often there is a reduction in shape, and the overall design looks like hadn't.

My daughter(1)hadn't(2+3)done(4)her homework yet when I cameMydaughtermorenotdidmyhomework when I arrived.

Regardless of the type of sentence, many examples of the past perfect often contain time indications ( words) introduced by words by, since, just, for, already, never, yetbeforeuntil.

Let's consolidate the ability to build this structure correctly by analyzing the most typical examples of its use.

Situation	Translation
No sooner had Mary gone at work than children ran to play in the yard.	Before Mary left for work, the children ran to play in the yard.
Hadn't Jack switched off the TV set when he left the house?	Didn't Jack turn off the TV when he left the house?
We were surprised when we learned that this movie won't a prize.	We were surprised when we learned that this film won the prize.
I hadn't watched the film by 3 o'clock because the guests arrived.	I hadn't finished watching the movie by three o'clock because the guests had arrived.
Yesterday you gave me the beautiful flowers of your garden. Who had grown the flowers? I think you had done it , didn't you ? Yes, I had .	Yesterday you gave me beautiful flowers from your garden. Who grew these flowers? I think you did it, didn't you?
Did you call your girlfriend? I called her, but she hadn't come home yet. Why didn't she come home yet? (colloquial form) = why had she not come home yet? (official form) She was very busy with work.	Did you call your girlfriend? I called her, but she hasn't come home yet. Why hasn't she come home yet? She was very busy at work.
Do you speak to your neighbors again? Yes, they apologized for the words that they had said then .	Are you talking to your neighbors again? Yes, they apologized for the words they said then.
Mother had known the truth before I told her it hadn't she ? yes, she had .	Mom knew the truth before I told her, didn't she? Yes, I knew.
yesterday, we hadn't done this exercise. Translate the text today.	We didn't do this exercise yesterday. Translate text today.
Had your sister cooked a pie or a cake when you returned? She had cooked a cake and ten muffins.	When you came back, did your sister make a pie or cake? She made a cake and 10 cupcakes.
Did they buy their car last week? No, they didn't. They had bought it the week before .	Did they buy their car last week? No, they bought it the week before last.

We looked at examples of various sentences in the past perfect, and learned how to compose them according to grammatical patterns. In order for the new information not to be forgotten after 30 minutes, but firmly settled in our head, it is necessary to complete several. Good luck in improving your English and see you soon!

Like any time of the Perfect category, the Past Perfect Tense reflects the completeness and completeness of a certain action. But its main difference from that is that there is no connection with the present, and all attention is focused on an action that has already occurred before some other action in the past.

The Past Perfect tense is used quite often, and is typical for both modern colloquial American English and the classic variant, which is the British language.

Example sentences in the Past Perfect look like this:

He had already learned everything when we came - He already learned everything when we came
The situation wasn't so bad as I had feared The situation wasn't as bad as I feared.

As can be seen from the examples presented, the essence of this time is to display an action that happened in the past, and it has no connection with the present time, but only shows the result that remains in the past tense.

Past Perfect Education

In many ways, the way Past Perfect Simple is formed is similar to the Present Perfect formation scheme. There is also an auxiliary verb here, only unlike Present, it is one, and this had, i.e., in fact, this is the past form of the verb have (has). The form of the main verb will also be represented as Past Participle, or, as it is also called, the third form of the verb. So, the Past Perfect Active formula looks like this:

Had + V(3) (–ed)

He had finished his article before we came -He finished my article before topics, as we came
When Jack called for I had already prepared all the necessary material -When Jack stopped by, I already cooked the whole necessary material

This past tense is simple: if the speaker wants to emphasize the completion of one action before another, then this is the tense that should be used.

Questions and negatives

General issues

In order to form general questions in the Past Perfect, it is enough to be guided by the same principle as with any other perfect tense. A general question is one that begins either with an auxiliary verb or with the verb to be. Since the past perfect tense in English has its own auxiliary verb, then the general question will begin with had:

Had you explained everything before he left? -You him all explained before Togo, as is he gone?
Had they already found out all the details of that strange case when you came? -They are already figured out all details Togo strange affairs, when you came?

Special questions

Past Perfect interrogative sentences of a special type, which differ in that the speaker wants not only to hear the answer "yes" or "no", but to get more specific information, are also simple in their formation. In view of the fact that the initial position in the sentence is occupied by a special question word ( why, where, when, etc. ), and it is called special. Past Perfect examples of sentences with a special question look like this:

why had you done all this hard work before we came? Why did you do all this hard work before we got here?
Where had she been before she returned home?Where was she before she came home?

negatives

The negative with the perfect is formed even more simply: here, the particle not must go immediately after the auxiliary verb, and the rest of the structure of the sentence will remain unchanged. Often, a compressed form of negation is used for reduction (had not = hadn't):

The rain hadn't stopped before we went away -Rain not ceased before Togo, as we left
We hadn't completed the task when the bell rang –We hadn't finished the task when the bell rang

Cases of using Past Perfect

The past perfect tense in English is relevant in the following situations:

1. Precedence

To indicate the action completed up to a certain moment, and the reference point here can be either some other action that will be expressed through and the subordinate part, when the completion of one action is clear from the situation. Typical time markers in this case are adverbs such as before, after, as well as all those words that are typical for any perfect: just, never, ever, yet, etc., which are used in the Past Perfect to coordinate the situation with past tense:

They had walked only a few steps when the car appeared in sightThey had only gone a few steps when the car came into view.
After she had cry out I felt relieved- After she cried, I felt relieved
He told all of us that he had never done harm to anyoneHe told us all that he never hurt anyone

In such proposals, it is clearly visible.

Note: despite the fact that the Past Perfect has fairly standard usage rules, there is one point that deserves attention. Two typical constructions of the English language - hardly (scarcely) ... when ... and no sooner ... than ... - are characterized not only by the use of the Perfect Past tense, but also, i.e., the reverse order of words in the sentence, which is done to give the statement additional expressiveness. In this case, the auxiliary verb had comes before the subject, not after it. Do not confuse such situations with a question; such phrases have an affirmative meaning, but the word order in them is that which is typical for interrogative sentences:

No sooner had I laid than I heard a doorbellNot managed I lie down, as heard door call
Hardly (scarcely) had she arrived when al the guests left the room -Barely she is arrived, as all guests left room

2. Complete completion of the action

The past complete tense is often used not only to show precedence, but simply to express the complete completion of a particular action. This is usually indicated by the translation:

By that time they had already finished all their preparations - Kto thattime they finished all the preparations

Note: the classic position taken by auxiliary words like just, already, ever, etc. - between auxiliary and semantic verb. The exception is usually the adverb yet, which is typical for questions and negatives and which is used at the end of a sentence:

She said she hadn’ t visited them yetShe said she hadn't visited them yet.

3. With certain verbs

With those (sensory perception, emotions and feelings, mental activity, etc.), the use of the Past Perfect is characteristic, even if the idea of duration is emphasized. Popular indicators of such situations are prepositions for and since:

He informed me that he had already been there for half an hour -He informed to me, what was there already half an hour
I found out that she had known me since 2005– I found out that she had known me since 2005.

All of the above rules and examples of using the Past Perfect tense will allow you to better navigate this time, albeit not very difficult, but rather unusual for a Russian-speaking person. English as an object of study will become easier if you try to understand its structure. Specifically, this time will not cause any inconvenience, the main thing is to understand its specifics, remember all cases of use and, if possible, do exercises aimed at training this type of temporary form.

Past perfect - Past Perfect

Designations: + statement, ? question, - negation.

+		?			-
... had + III.		Had ... +III?			... had not + III.
I	had painted.	Had	I	painted?	I	had not painted.
You			you		You
We			we		We
They			they		They
He			he		He
She			she		She
It			it		It

Abbreviations: I had = I "d, you had = you" d, we had = we "d, they had = they" d, he had = he "d, she had = she" d, it had = X, had not = hadn"t ().

-ed pronounced according to the following rules:
1. [d]- after vowels and voiced consonants:
[b], [?], [v], [ð], [z], [?], , [m], [n], [?], [l], [j], [w], [ r]; except [d] (item 3)
2. [t]- after voiceless consonants:
[p], [k], [f], [θ], [s], [?], [h], ; except [t] (item 3)
3. [?d]- after sounds [d] and [t]

Note: About sounds - in the material "Sounds of the English language. Phonetic notes".

Using the Past Perfect

1. Past Perfect is an action that ended up to a certain point in the past. The period can be defined:
a. Circumstance of time.
By Thursday she had already prepared for the journey. By Wednesday, she had already prepared for the trip.
In such sentences, the expression by + time (to which the action took place) is used.
by midnight
by six o "clock
by Friday
by the 20 th of June
by the end of the month
by then/by that time
by that moment
and etc.
b. Another, later past action, expressed in Past Simple.
When I looked out of the window the rain had already started. When I looked out the window, it was already raining.
in. context or situation.
He showed me the ring he had bought for her. He showed me the ring he bought for not.
2. Past Perfect is often used instead of Past Perfect Continuous to express an action that began before a certain moment in the past and was still going on at that moment. It is used with verbs that are not used in the continuous form.
When Grace came to the destination Austin had already been there for an hour. When Grace arrived at the appointed place, Austin had already been there for an hour.
In such proposals, the period of time must be specified.

Note 1: Verbs that express desire, intention and hope are used in the Past Perfect to indicate that this intention, hope or desire did not come true.
He had expected you to support but you didn't. He expected you to help, but you didn't.

Note 2: Sometimes when not emphasis should be placed on duration important fact his accomplishments, the Past Perfect is used.
When I got my first job I had lived outskirts of town. When I got my first job, I lived on the outskirts of the city.
But grammatically it would be more correct to use the long form:
When I got my first job I was living outskirts of town.

3. Past Perfect is a future perfect action in the past in subordinate clauses of time.
She said that Michael would come back as soon as he had done all work. She said that Michael would return as soon as he finished all the work.
4. Past Perfect is used in constructions with the words hardly / scarcely (barely), as well as with the adverb no sooner (only; as soon as).
He had hardly entered the room when the phone rank. As soon as he entered the room, the telephone rang.
or the same but with a different word order:
Hardly had he entered the room when the phone rank.
He had no sooner come home then he saw his brother. As soon as he entered the room, the telephone rang.
with a different word order:
No sooner had he come home then he saw his brother.

affirmative form

Subject + had + Infinitive without to ending -ed (form Past Participle for irregular verbs)

1. It was late and everyone had gone home already - It was late and everyone had already gone home.

had - auxiliary verb
gone is the Past Participle of the irregular verb go

2. I saw him when he had just returned from his holiday - I saw him when he had just returned from vacation.

had - auxiliary verb
returned - infinitive without to ending -ed

3. She had woken up long before her alarm clock rang - She woke up long before her alarm rang.

had - auxiliary verb
woken is the Past Participle form of the irregular verb wake

negative form

Subject + had + not + Infinitive without to ending -ed (form Past Participle for irregular verbs)

1. It was a lovely evening. We had not seen each other for a while - It was a wonderful evening. We haven't seen each other for a while.

had - auxiliary verb
not - negative particle
seen - the Past Participle form of the irregular verb see

2. When he called her in the office she had not arrived yet - When he called her at the office, she had not arrived yet.

had - auxiliary verb
not - negative particle
arrived - infinitive without to ending -ed

3. I was happy he offered me a snack as I had not eaten anything - I was glad that he offered me a snack, since I didn’t eat anything.

had - auxiliary verb
not - negative particle
eaten is the Past Participle of the irregular verb eat

Interrogative form

had + Subject + Infinitive without to ending -ed (form Past Participle for irregular verbs)

1. Had you signed the document before you sent it out? Did you sign the document before you sent it? (general question)

had - auxiliary verb that stands in place before subject to form a question
signed - infinitive without to ending -ed

2. Where had you been before you traveled to China? Where were you before you went to China? (special issue)

had is an auxiliary verb that stands after the question word where and before subject
been - the Past Participle form of the irregular verb be

3. How long had you known each other before moving in together? How long did you know each other before you started living together? (special issue)

had is an auxiliary verb that stands after question word how long and before subject
known - the Past Participle form of the irregular verb know

#2 Cases of using the Past Perfect

1. To express an action in the past that happened up to a certain point in past.

On my way to work I realized I had taken the wrong bus - On the way to work, I realized that I got on the wrong bus. (the sentence describes a situation in the past where one action (had taken) preceded and completed before another action (realised) took place)
Exams started after the term had finished - Exams started after the semester ended. (the sentence describes a situation in the past, where one action (had finished) precedes and ended before another action (started) happened)

2. When listing past actions in chronological order (as they followed one after another), Past Simple is used. If the integrity of this chain is interrupted by a mention of an action that took place earlier, then the Past Perfect is used to express this action.

I called the agent and asked a question about those tickets I had bought earlier - I called the agent and asked a question about the tickets I bought earlier. (in this example, the chronological order of actions that happened in the past (called, asked) is interrupted by a mention of an action that happened earlier (had bought) )
We went to a shop, then went to the cinema to watch a movie and after that arrived at the restaurant where we had reserved a table - We went to the store, then went to the cinema to watch a movie, and after that we arrived at the restaurant where we reserved table. ((went, went, arrived) is interrupted by a mention of an action that happened earlier (had reserved) )

3. After if, wish and would rather The Past Perfect is used to express past actions that could have happened but did not.

I wish I had been there at that moment - It's a pity that I wasn't there then.
I would rather they had not said that at all - I would rather they didn't say that at all.

4. We use the Past Perfect instead of Past Perfect Continuous with those verbs that are not used in the tenses of the Continuous group. Usually Past Perfect Continuous is used when talking about an event that lasted for some time in the past before another action took place in the past.

She told me that they had been there for a week She told me that they had been there for a week. (the verb to be is not used in Continuous tenses)
They had known each other for 10 years before they founded their company - They knew each other for 10 years before they founded their company. (the verb to know is not used in Continuous tenses)

5. Past Perfect can be used with the following temporary words and expressions: after(after), as soon as(once), when(when), before(until), by the time (that)(by the time when). Please note that these words and expressions not always indicate the obligatory use of the Past Perfect.

As soon as he had defended his dissertation they him a workplace - As soon as he defended his dissertation, he was offered a job.
I sat down to watch TV after everyone had left - I sat down to watch TV after everyone had left.

By the time they noticed the loss the suspect had already disappeared - By the time they discovered the loss, the suspect had already disappeared.

6. To express unfulfilled hopes and desires.

I had hoped to improve my English during that course, but I could not
I had wanted to give them a call but I was so busy - I wanted to call them, but I was so busy.

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