past perfct tense
Level Six
Lesson 68
The past perfect tense is useful when talking or writing about two past situations. The verb that is in the past perfect tense indicates the first past action.
- Joe had considered many different options before he made his decision.
- Before Joe made his decision, he had considered many different options.
- I wish I had known about this situation earlier.
68a. past perfect tense 
had + past participle
The helping verb for the past perfect tense is always “had” and the main verb is in the form of a past participle. In the example below, they main verb is a regular verb: finish.
singular
I had finished
You had finished
He had finished
She had finished
It had finished
plural
We had finished
You had finished
They had finished
The past perfect tense indicates an action that happens before a second past action: They had finished all of their work before it was due.
68a. the past perfect tense
- She’d finished cleaning her house before her guests arrived. (She’d = She had)
- She wishes she had begun to clean her house earlier.
- The Twin Towers had been a dominant feature of the New York City skyline until they were knocked down.
68b. past perfect tense -- negative
had + not + past participle
When the past perfect tense is negative, it indicates that something did not happen in the past until it finally did. This is a good way of indicating that a person or a thing changed in the past.
singular
I had not been
You had not been
He had not been
She had not been
It had not been
plural
We had not been
You had not been
They had not been
Use “had” + “not” to form the contraction: hadn’t
Sometimes the word “never” is used in place of “not.”
68b. past perfect tense -- negative
had + not + past participle
- Before Barack Obama was elected President of the United States, there had not been a President with African ancestry.
- She had never felt so miserable in her entire life before she came down with COVID.
68c. past perfect tense -- questions
had + subject + past participle
In some cases, it’s easier and more common to form a question in reference to two past actions by using the past tense instead of the past perfect tense. This is a matter of personal preference.
singular
Had I seen it?
Had you seen it?
Had he seen it?
Had she seen it?
Had it seen it?
plural
Had we seen it?
Had you seen it?
Had they seen it?
- past perfect tense: What had they done to prepare for the storm before it arrived?
- past tense: What did they do to prepare for the storm before it arrived?
- past perfect tense: Had you finished your assignment before it was due?
- past tense: Did you finish your assignment before it was due?
In either example above, using the simple past is sufficient, and it sounds a little better.
68c. past perfect tense -- questions
had + subject + past participle
- Had he ever seen these kinds of animals before he visited the zoo?
- Did he ever see these kinds of animals before he visited the zoo? (The past tense here works just as well as the past perfect tense.)
- Had they ever protested against the government before this rally took place?
- Up until that time, had they ever done something like that before?