Examples of sentences in English past perfect. Past Perfect - Past perfect tense in English. Verb conjugation in Past Perfect

past perfect formed with the help to had in past tense form ( had- for all persons) and the past participle of the semantic verb: I / he had written. Past Participle (participle) of regular verbs is formed by adding the ending to the infinitive –ed: to invite- invite ed. When added to a verb –ed sometimes there are changes in its spelling: to stop - stopp ed. Past Participle of irregular verbs must be remembered: to tell-told-told. Additionally about.

Abbreviated forms:

‘d= had
hadn't= had not

Using the Past Perfect

1. An action that took place before another action in the past. Indicated by the notation of time ( by Monday - by Monday, by evening - by evening, by 3 o'clock - by 3 o'clock, by that time - by that time) or other (later) actions expressed by time .

Examples: I had came to them by 5 o'clock. I came to them at 5 o'clock.
I had translated the text by Wednesday. – I translated the text by Wednesday.
my parents were glad to hear that I had passed all exams. My parents were happy to hear that I passed all the exams. (first I passed the exams - Past Perfect is used, and then my parents heard about it - Past Simple is used, i.e. one action happened before another)
my sister said that I had given her wrong address. My sister said I gave her the wrong address. (at first I gave my sister the wrong address - Past Perfect is used, and then the sister said that the address was wrong - Past Simple is used, that is, one action happened before the other)

2. An action that began up to a certain moment in the past and lasted until that moment. Past Perfect is used most often with verbs that are not used in the Continuous form. Additionally about.

Examples: When Sally arrived to the party, her friends had been there for half an hour. When Sally came to the party, her friends had already been there for half an hour.

3. Verbs in the Past Perfect can express two or more previous actions, and one of them can precede the other.

Examples: She said that she had drawn the money from her account and (had) sent them to her sister. She said she had withdrawn money from her account and sent it to her sister. (action expressed by the verb had drawn precedes the action expressed by the verb had sent)

4. If two or more past actions are transmitted in the sequence in which they occurred (i.e., actions are listed), the Past Simple form is used.

Examples: He entered room, took something from the desk and went out. He entered the room, took something from the desk and left. (here the verbs entered, took, went out denote a chain of actions that followed one after another, so they are expressed using Past Simple)

5. If the sequence of actions is interrupted by a mention of previously completed actions, then such previously completed actions are used in the Past Perfect.

Examples: He entered the room which he had reserved the day before, took something from the desk and went out. He entered the room he had booked the day before, took something from the desk and left. (here the verbs entered, took, went out denote a chain of actions that followed the bottom after another, so they are expressed using the Past Simple. These actions are interrupted by the verb had reserved- an action that happened earlier, therefore Past Perfect is used here)

The past perfect tense often seems complicated and incomprehensible, because there is no analogue in Russian. In this article, we will talk about how and when to use the Past Perfect, as well as compare it with other tenses that express the past.

Most often, the Past Perfect is used to refer to an action that preceded another or several other events in the past. But that's not all there is to know about this time. In the article we will talk about the rules for using the Past Perfect, and also, using examples, we will analyze which tense form should be chosen when talking about the past - Past Simple vs. Past Perfect, Present Perfect vs. past perfect.

Past Perfect Education

To get started, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the table below and figure out how Past Perfect Tense is formed.

Examples of affirmative sentences in Past Perfect:

I had lost my old phone. - I lost your old phone.
We had talked it over before. - We are discussed before.
He 'd called his mom. - He called mom.

Examples of negative sentences in Past Perfect:

They didn't talk much. - They are did not say a lot of.
I hadn't finished my make-up by that time. - I still didn't finish paint by then.

Examples of interrogative sentences in Past Perfect:

Had you washed your hands? - You washed up arms?
Had she come home? - She is came home?

Using the Past Perfect

Let's find out when the Past Perfect is used:

1. The Past Perfect is used when we have two actions in the past and it is important for us to show that one of them happened before the other. The event that happened earlier is described using the Past Perfect, and the second action is described using the Past Simple.

   She came to the office to meet him, but he had already left. - She is came to the office to meet him, but he's already gone.
   I was not hungry because I had lunch with my colleague. - I was not hungry as i am had lunch with a colleague.

   When describing the point at which an action was completed in the past, we often use constructions with by. For example, by Friday (by Friday), by the end of the year (by the end of the year), by July 11th (by July 11th), by 5 o'clock (by 5 o'clock), by then (to that time).

   They had to run out of money by the end of the month. - By the end of the month they have run out money.
   my sister had finished all her wedding preparations by the end of the spring. - My sister finished all preparations for the wedding towards the end of spring.

   Let's look at the features of this Past Perfect function:

   • Past Perfect is used in sentences with verbs that are associated with thought processes: think (think), know (know), decide (decide), believe (believe, believe), hope (hope), remember (remember), forget (forget) etc. We use these verbs in Past Simple, and the second part of the sentence - in Past Perfect. For example:

     I thought you had called Eric to invite him to the party. - I thought, What are you called Erica to invite him to the party.
     We hoped that he had caught the train. - We hoped, what he managed On the train.
     He remembered that he had left his passport at home. - He remembered, what left home passport.

   • Past Perfect is used when you need to explain the reason for what happened. In the part of the sentence where the reason is indicated, we use the Past Perfect, and where the result of the action is the Past Simple. The words because (because) and as (because) will help connect the two parts of the sentence.

     I was very upset as my son had forgotten about my birthday. - I was very upset because my son forgot about my birthday.
     I got this job because I had prepared for the interview really well. - I received this job, because very good got ready to the interview.

   • The Past Perfect is used with state verbs (for example, be, have, know) when we talk about how long the action lasted until a specific moment in the past. Such sentences often accompany the words since (since some time) and for (during some period).

     He told me that his best friend had been ill since last week. - He told me that his best friend sick with last week.
     When they got married, they had known each other for 10 years old - By the time they got married, they were familiar 10 years.

2. Past Perfect is used in conditional sentences of the third type - in the part of the sentence where there is a condition. In such sentences, regrets are expressed about what happened in the past and cannot be changed in any way in the present. For example:

   If you had left earlier, you would not have missed the train. - If you came out earlier, you wouldn't have missed the train.
   He would have passed the exam if he had not skipped so many classes. - He would have passed the exam, if not walking so many lessons.

3. Another way to express regret about the past is the I wish + Past Perfect construction. Please note that the English affirmative sentence in this case will be translated into Russian as negative.

   I wish I had studied better at school. - It's a pity that i'm at school did not study better.
   I wish they had invited us to the birthday party. - It's a pity, what they not invited us for a birthday.

4. The Past Perfect is used in indirect speech.
   

   Direct speech		Indirect speech
   past simple	“I read about it,” he said. - "I was reading about it,” he said.		He said that he had read about it. - He said that was reading about it.
   	“They were two hours late,” mom complained. - "They are late for two hours, ”mother complained.		Mom complained that they had been two hours late. - Mom complained that they late for two hours.
   	“I have found the keys!” Rob cried. - "I found keys! Rob shouted.		Rob cried that he had found the keys. - Rob shouted that found keys.
   	“We have done our homework,” the children said. - "We made homework,” said the children.		The children said that they had done their homework. - The children said that made homework.

   Please note that in modern spoken English in indirect speech, the use of Past Simple and Present Perfect is allowed.

   My wife told me that she was here in childhood. My wife told me that she was here as a child.

Past Simple vs. past perfect

Let's look at the difference between Past Simple and Past Perfect. Past Simple is used when actions occur in chronological order, and Past Perfect is used when you need to show which action happened first, before the rest of the actions.

He started the car, turned the radio on and fastened the seatbelt. - He started car, turned on radio and fastened safety belt.

The actions are described in chronological order: first he started the car, then turned on the radio and fastened his seat belt.

He started the car, turned the radio on, but before he had fastened the seatbelt. - He started car, turned on radio, but before that fastened safety belt.

The actions are not described in chronological order: first he fastened his seat belt, and then he started the car and turned on the radio.

Please note that the word when (when) is often used in such sentences.

When I got home, my son took my car. - When I came home my son took I have a car.
When I got home, I found that my son had taken my car. - When I came home, I found that my son took my car.

If it is clear from the context that one action happened before another, you can use both Past Perfect and Past Simple. The following marker words often help to understand the context and sequence of events: before (before, before), after (after), as soon as (immediately after, as soon as), first (first, first), earlier (earlier), etc.

I didn't worry about speaking in front of so many people. I gave / had given public speeches earlier. - I didn't worry about speaking in front of a lot of people. Me and previously spoke in public.
Before he proposed to her, he spent / had spent many hours looking for a perfect ring. - Before you do her sentence, he spent many hours in search of the perfect ring.

We were late because Eric spilled / had spilled the coffee and had to change. - We late because Eric shed coffee and he needed to change.
I agreed to go to the cinema with her even though I saw / had seen that film before. - I agreed go to the cinema with her, even though I saw This movie before.

Present Perfect vs. past perfect

English learners often wonder what is the difference between Present Perfect and Past Perfect. The Present Perfect is used for an action that has ended so far, while the Past Perfect is used for an action that has started and ended at a certain point in the past. The difference between these times is shown schematically below.

The main marker words Past Perfect and Present Perfect: already (already), just (just now), yet (already; not yet), ever (ever), since (s), for (during).

Let's look at the difference between Present Perfect and Past Perfect with examples:

And now we offer to pass a small test on Past Perfect.

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 question)

• 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 question)

• 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 the 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) preceded 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 occurred 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 didn't.

• 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(before), 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.

past perfect- past perfect tense. It denotes an action that takes place before a certain time in the past or before the start of another action (event) in the past.

It can be said that past perfect- this is an analogue of Present Perfect, only for the past. If in the Present Perfect the action has taken place by now, then in the Past Perfect - by some point in the past.

For past perfect typical use of adverbs already, yet, ever, never, as for the Present Perfect. These adverbs show which action happened before, which means for which action you need to use the Past Perfect.

Example

By the time Mary got to the office, her boss had already left. By the time Mary arrived at the office, her boss had already left.

Past Perfect Education

past perfect formed using the second form of the verb to have - had and the third form of the semantic verb (Past Participle). The third form of regular verbs is formed with the help of the ending - ed, and for incorrect ones, see Irregular Verbs .

I had done.
He had done.
They had done.

Had I done?
Had he done?
Had they done?

I hadn't done.
He hadn't done.
They hadn't done.

Short form
had not = hadn't

Using the Past Perfect

1. The action happened before a certain time in the past

Examples

By 1995, he had become a famous artist. - By 1995 he had become a famous artist.
Those. he became a famous artist at a certain time in the past.

2. The action happened before another time (event) in the past

In this case, Past Perfect is used to describe an earlier action (event), and Past Indefinite is used to describe a later one.

Examples

I didn't want to go to the cinema yesterday, because I had already seen the film. - I did not want to go to the cinema yesterday, because I had already seen this film.
Those. I saw this movie before, until yesterday.

Adverb already shows which action happened first. It helps to understand for which action you need to use past perfect.

When learning a language, there comes a time when you need to move on to more complex topics related to tenses. However, from one view of all these Perfect and Perfect Continuous, the head starts to go round, and it seems that it will take months to study them. In fact, these are just far-fetched stereotypes that are easy to destroy. Actually, this is what we will do today, having considered one of the most interesting tenses in the English language - the Past Perfect tense (pronounced [paste perfect]).

Past Perfect Tense or Past Perfect Tense is a tense used to express an action that ended at a specific moment in the past. It is not used on its own, as it is associated with another event.

Simply put, the Past Perfect Tense expresses an action that happened before another action, so they are used in the same context to emphasize that. Due to its function, this tense is called "prepast". The Past Perfect is used relatively rarely, mostly in British English. American English, on the other hand, which strives for the maximum simplification of the language, often replaces this time with Past Simple.

Nevertheless, if you are studying English, you need to know this time, because a) it can easily meet you and you need to be prepared for this; b) there are certain situations where you can’t do without this time, otherwise you can be misunderstood. Therefore, let's take a closer look at the rules, forms and ways of using this time.

Past Perfect: education rules

The grammar of the Past Perfect is based on two verbs: auxiliary and semantic.

The verb to have in the form of the past tense (had) acts as an auxiliary. A semantic verb is added to it, which is expressed by the past participle (Participle II). With the first verb, everything is clear, since it always remains unchanged for this tense. The second verb differs depending on whether it is correct or not.

For regular verbs, the third form or past participle is constructed similarly to the simple past tense. To form a form, you must add the ending -ed to the verb.

But the third form of the wrong verb will have to be memorized, because the grammar of the language does not explain how the words of this group are formed. You can study this and two other forms using the table of irregular verbs. Here are some examples:

To form a sentence in the Past Perfect with irregular verbs, only the third column is needed. Compare:

If you have studied past irregular verbs, the past participle will not be difficult for you, since many verbs are identical in both forms. However, this form can take time to memorize, so try to put these words into practice and make sentences with them to speed up the process.

Past Perfect: sentence forms

Having studied the rules for the formation of Past Perfect, you need to understand how to build sentences in this tense.

1. To build an affirmative sentence in the Past Perfect, a standard formula is used, the only difference of which is the presence of the auxiliary verb had and the main verb in the third form:

If you want to express your thought not in Past Perfect Active (active voice), but in Past Perfect Passive (passive voice), after the verb had, you must put the verb been.

1. For a negative sentence, all members remain in their places, but the negative particle not is added to the auxiliary verb had.

Both for the affirmative and for the negative forms of the Past Perfect in English, abbreviations are used:

1. The interrogative form of this tense depends on the type of question:

• A question that begins with an auxiliary verb (general and alternative) is formed according to the following pattern:

• Special questions begin with an interrogative word followed by the auxiliary verb had. Word order scheme:

• For a disjunctive question, a “tail” with an auxiliary verb with the particle not and a pronoun is added to the affirmative sentence in the Past Perfect, and only the auxiliary verb and pronoun are added to the negative. Examples:

For general and disjunctive questions, short answers are used, which should contain only an auxiliary verb. Alternative and special questions require a full answer, expressed in an affirmative or negative sentence.

Having studied the formation of the Past Perfect and the forms of the sentence, it remains to understand when and why this time is used.

Past Perfect: use

Since the Past Perfect is rarely used, there are not so many cases of its use.

1. The Past Perfect is used to show an action that happened before a certain point in the past. In such cases, in the Past Perfect sentences, you can find the preposition by - to (for some time).

1. Time is also used to show that some action happened before another. This “other” completed action itself is used in the Past Simple tense. The following words can help build a similar construction in the Past Perfect:
   - before (before),
   - first (first),
   - after (after),
   - as soon as (as soon as),
   - earlier (earlier),
   - when (when).

In this construction, you can replace Past Perfect with Past Simple:

The exception is the word when, since using different tenses with this word changes the meaning of the sentence. Compare:

1. The use of the Past Perfect is possible to explain the reason why another action occurred. As in the case above, sentences in the Past Perfect are used with the Past Simple.

For this construction, an analogy can be drawn between Present and Past Perfect, the difference of which is that the first time implies the present, and the second the past. Compare:

1. Another similarity between these two tenses is the use of such adverbs as already (already), just (just), yet (not yet).

1. In addition to the cases mentioned, using the Past Perfect is possible to talk about your experience. Often in such sentences you can find the adverb ever (ever).

1. The past perfect tense in English is used to list events that happened before another event.

1. Past Perfect can play the role of Past Perfect Continuous, showing that some action began and continued until a certain point in the past.

According to the rules, Past Perfect in these cases can only be used when the sentence contains state verbs (state verbs) that cannot be used in Continuous tenses. However, now Past Perfect is often used to show an incomplete action with other verbs. Such sentences can be used with the words since (since) and for (during), used as prepositions.

1. The Past Perfect is also used for the third type of conditional sentences (Third Conditional), which shows regret that something was or was not done in the past, but nothing can be changed. Study the table to understand how such sentences are built:

Note that if a sentence begins with "if" you must use a comma before the second part so that the sentences do not merge.

1. You can also show regret or an intention that did not materialize using the verbs: think (think), hope (hope), expect (expect), want (want), intend (plan):

1. You will recognize the past perfect tense in the following constructions:

• nosooner…than(as soon as) - the construction is used to show that after the first action, the second immediately happened.

As you can see, no sooner is used to introduce the first action in a sentence.

• hardly...when /before and scarcely…when /before(barely) - similar constructions that perform the same function as no sooner ... than.

Please note that in such constructions the reverse word order is used. However, attempts to simplify the language also affected these phrases, so now you can find such sentences with direct order:

1. The perfect form can also be used to express the future tense in the past in subordinate tenses.

Having carefully analyzed all the cases of using the Past Perfect, you can be sure that the grammar of this tense and its practical examples are not difficult to understand. Even if initially you will have problems with the formation and use of the past perfect tense, with proper practice and exercises, all difficulties will disappear on their own.

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