Past Perfect Simple
- The Past Perfect Simple connects 2 points in time in the past together. Typically we relate to a point in time in the past and what preceded it. This tense is used to provide a more comprehensive picture of an occurrence\period in the past.
- Let’s examine the following sentence: “We were discussing which movie to watch and someone suggested we watched Die Hard with Bruce Willis.I had seen this movie before." The speaker is perhaps trying to say that they weren’t interested in watching the movie again\or that they could provide some information about the movie. They do it by describing an action that preceded the point in time where they were discussing which movie to watch. That action happened before their discussion and had a bearing on it.
We use the Past Perfect Simple to talk about:
- Life\professional experiences\accomplishments up until a certain point in the past. (American and British English)
- Superlatives around a point in the past. (American and British English)
- Situations – from the past until a point in the past. (American and British English)
- An uncompleted action with importance until a point in the past (American and British English)
- How much had been completed of a task until a point in the past. (American and British English)
- Changes that affected a point in the past. (American and British English)
- How many times something happened up until a point in the past. (American and British English)
- Things that had just happened and had a result in a point in the past. (Mainly British English)
- Landmarks in a story. (Mainly British English or formal English)
I had never been to New York before we moved there in 1998. (experience) | She had worked for a big company before she started her work at Intel, that’s why she didn’t find it difficult to get used to procedures. (experience) |
The first time I saw Forrest Gump in the theatre I thought it was the best movie I’d ever seen. (superlatives around a point in the past) | At that time during the 2008 Olympics, it was the biggest swimming pool any country had ever built in history. (superlatives around a point in the past) |
I had been in New York for 15 years when I finally decided to move back to Israel in 2010. (situations) | She had known Jack for 9 years prior to their engagement. (situations) |
In June 1943, before the invasion, the general hadn’t yet figured out a clear strategy to defeat the enemy. (Uncompleted action until a point in the past) | Remember?! You hadn’t bought tickets and we had to wait out in the rain in line for 45 minutes. (uncompleted action until a point in the past) |
We had booked the caterers, but hadn’t sent the invitations, that’s why everyone was so late, we had to call everyone one by one. (how much completed) | I had prepared the food, called the guests, but hadn’t made the cake; I had nothing to give the guests when they arrived. (how much completed) |
The weather had become colder, we had to buy ourselves some warm clothes. (changes in past) | The cost of living had gone up; we were forced to move to a smaller apartment. (changes in past) |
By the end of December, it had already rained 4 times. (how many times until a point in the past) | By the end of last year, she’d already taken the test 3 times. (how many times until a point in the past) |
I was sitting in my room, thinking about her, I had just finished writing a letter to her. (just happened) | Why didn’t you buy the car in the end? I wanted to, but when I arrived, the shop had just closed, I was really disappointed. (just happened) |
So, after a 10 year on and off relationship Jen and Joe had finally gotten married. (landmark in a story) | On 1 September 1939, Germany had invaded Poland, the world was at war. (landmark in a story) |
Past Perfect Simple Structure:
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I had studied at Bright English. |
I hadn’t studied at Bright English. |
Had I studied at Bright English? |
|
Yoni and I (we) had studied at Bright English. |
We hadn’t studied at Bright English. |
Had we studied at Bright English? |
|
You had studied at Bright English. |
You hadn’t studied at Bright English. |
Had you studied at Bright English? |
|
The men (they) had studied at Bright English. |
They hadn’t studied at Bright English. |
Had they studied at Bright English? |
|
Ben (he) had studied at Bright English. |
He hadn’t studied at Bright English. |
Had he studied at Bright English? |
|
Maya (she) had studied at Bright English. |
She hadn’t studied at Bright English. |
Had she studied at Bright English? |
|
The computer (it) had studied well. |
It hadn’t studied well. |
Had it studied well? |
Past Perfect Simple Rules:
Subject + had + past participle (v3)
- We use had + past participle (v3) to make the Past Perfect Simple. (I had broken)
- We use the d,ed,ied verb form in regular verbs instead of the v3 (broken). (I had worked there before)
- I, we, you, they, he, she, it = had
- We use had to make questions. (See table above.)
- We use hadn’t to make negatives.
- Unlike do,does,did, had auxiliaries do not cancel conjugation of the main verb.(He hadn’t seen him before | he didn’t see him | he doesn’t see him a lot)
Common time expressions in the Past Perfect Simple:
by 2008,2009 etc, before + time expression, never, ever, for, since, already, yet, just.
