The past perfect tense is a verb form used to describe an action that was completed before another action or point in the past. It is formed with had + the past participle of the main verb. For example: "She had finished her homework before the movie started," or "By the time we arrived, the train had left." In these sentences, had finished and had left are past perfect verbs, emphasizing that one event occurred prior to another in the past.
The past perfect is categorized based on the regularity of the past participle. Regular verbs add -ed to the base form (e.g., work -> had worked), while irregular verbs use unique past participles (e.g., eat -> had eaten, write -> had written). The distinction lies in memorization: regular verbs follow predictable patterns, whereas irregular verbs require learning individual forms. Additionally, past perfect can be affirmative (had done), negative (had not done), or interrogative (Had they done?), each altering sentence structure for clarity or emphasis.
Below are some most frequent used English past perfect verbs.
Had eaten (to consume food)
Had gone (to move from a place)
Had written (to create text)
Had seen (to perceive visually)
Had broken (to damage)
Had spoken (to communicate verbally)
Had taken (to carry or acquire)
Had begun (to start)
Had forgotten (to fail to remember)
Had chosen (to select)
In formal contexts, past perfect verbs like had concluded ("The committee had concluded the meeting") or had implemented ("They had implemented the policy") are common. Informal usage often includes contractions, such as hadn't realized ("I hadn't realized you were here") or 'd finished ("She 'd finished the chores"). Regional variations exist: British English may use had got ("He had got a promotion"), while American English prefers had gotten ("He had gotten a promotion"), both meaning "received." Misunderstandings arise if regional forms are used inconsistently.
The past perfect is appropriate for clarifying the sequence of past events ("By the time she called, I had already left"), expressing regrets ("I wished I had studied harder"), or hypothetical scenarios ("If they had arrived earlier, they would've seen the show"). It also describes completed actions influencing later past events ("The team had practiced diligently, so they won"). For example: "He had repaired the car before the trip," or "We had never visited that museum until last year."
Misusing the past perfect can confuse timelines. Saying "I had eaten sushi when she called" instead of "I ate sushi when she called" inaccurately implies the eating was fully completed before the call. Avoid past perfect for simultaneous actions ("While I had cooked, she set the table" should be "While I was cooking, she set the table"). Using it unnecessarily ("She had graduated in 2010" when no subsequent action is mentioned) can also create vagueness.
English has thousands of past perfect verbs, combining had with both regular (-ed) and irregular past participles. Categories range from simple (had walked) to complex irregular forms (had swum, had borne). Self-assessment methods include converting past-tense narratives into past perfect (e.g., rewriting "She left after finishing" as "She left after she had finished"), identifying errors in sentences ("They had went home" -> "They had gone home"), or creating timelines to visualize event sequences. Peer-reviewed exercises, such as explaining why "He had slept before the alarm rang" is correct, also test comprehension.
One simple way to check your current knowledge level of past perfect is by testing your skills. Try out to guess what are the expressions on the sentences gaps below:
1. She ______ (finish) her work before the meeting.
2. They ______ (eat) all the pizza by 8 PM.
3. He ______ (watch) the movie before it was deleted.
4. The teacher ______ (correct) the tests by Monday.
5. We ______ (not/see) that play until last night.
6. The package ______ (arrive) before the storm began.
7. The scientist ______ (discover) the formula years earlier.
8. By 2015, he ______ (forsake) his old habits.
9. They ______ (undertake) the project before funding ceased.
Sentences from 1 to 3 uses beginner level past perfect. Their answers are: 1. had finished | 2. had eaten | 3. had watched. Sentences 4 to 6 are intermediate level, their answers are: 4. had corrected | 5. hadn't seen | 6. had arrived. Sentence 7 to 9 are advanced level, their answers are: 7. had discovered | 8. had forsaken | 9. had undertaken. Check how much you guessed right on each level and you will have a clue on how much you know and which is your current knowledge level on past perfect. Of course this is a very simple test and it is very high biased. You should take a longer test, using a wide range of past perfect verbs to have a more accurate score.
Improvement strategies include reading novels or news articles to identify past perfect usage, writing essays contrasting past events (e.g., "Before X happened, Y had occurred"), and practicing with flashcards for irregular past participles. Role-playing past scenarios ("What had you done before the accident?") enhances conversational fluency. Grammar workbooks with sentence-rephrasing exercises, group discussions analyzing historical timelines, and self-created quizzes (e.g., "Convert these sentences to past perfect") reinforce understanding. Recording past experiences in journals using the tense ("I realized I had forgotten my keys") and seeking feedback from peers or teachers also solidify mastery.
You could learn them by listening to podcasts, watching videos on youtube or reading online news focused on the audience you are looking to be part of. Focusing situations and audience will shrink the amount of common used past perfect verbs you have to learn at the beginning of your learning journey. Don't be afraid on not kowing all of things you hear or read. Don't be afraid to ask or search online the meaning of new expressions. Ask natives: Clarify new words you hear in conversations. Stay curious: Note down unfamiliar words in a "expression diary." Finally, embrace mistakes: Misusing it can become a funny learning moment!"
Learninn is a great way to get in touch with English past perfect. Articles and videos hosted on our platform include most common past perfect, if not all existent ones. Every content consumed on our platform is recorded and used in the future for your learning.
Author
Martin Cross is an intermediate level tutor. He enjoys speaking English in a casual style.
The simple past tense is a verb form used to describe actions, events, or states that were completed in the past. It often includes time markers like yesterday, last week, or in 1990. For example: "She walked to the park yesterday," or "They ate dinner at 7 PM." In these sentences, walked and ate are simple past verbs, indicating actions that occurred and concluded before the present moment.
Read MoreThe past continuous tense is a verb form used to describe ongoing or interrupted actions that were happening at a specific time in the past. It is structured as was/were + the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb. For example: "She was reading a book when the phone rang," or "They were playing soccer all afternoon." In these sentences, was reading and were playing are past continuous verbs, emphasizing actions in progress during a past period.
Read More