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What Is the Past Perfect Tense? (with Examples)
Past Perfect Tense
The past perfect tense describes a completed activity in the past. It is used to emphasize that an action was completed before another action took place. For example:- John had baked a cake before you arrived.
- They had painted the fence before I had a chance to speak to them.
A Video Summary
Here is a short video summarizing the past perfect tense:Infographic for the Past Perfect Tense
Here is an infographic explaining the past perfect tense:
More Examples of the Past Perfect Tense
Here are some more examples of the past perfect tense (shaded):- Silverfinger had taken the pill before the team reached him. (First: He took the pill. Next: The team reached him.)
- I had called the police before I investigated the noise in the garden. (First: I called the police. Next: I investigated the noise.)
- The weather changed, but the team had planned its next move. (First: The team planned. Next: The weather changed.)
Forming the Past Perfect Tense
The past perfect tense is formed:"had"
+ [past participle]
- I had jumped
- I had met
Forming the Past Participle (Regular Verbs)
If it's a regular verb, the past participle is the same as the simple past tense. In other words, it is formed like this:Add "ed" to most verbs:
- jump > jumped
- paint > painted
If a verb of one syllable ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], double the final consonant and add "ed":
- chat > chatted
- stop > stopped
If the final consonant is "w," "x" or "y," don't double it:
- sew > sewed
- play > played
- fix > fixed
If last syllable of a longer verb is stressed and ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], double the last consonant and add "ed":
- incur > incurred
- prefer > preferred
If the first syllable of a longer verb is stressed and the verb ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], just add "ed":
- open > opened
- enter > entered
- swallow > swallowed
If the verb ends "e," just add "d":
- thrive > thrived
- guzzle > guzzled
If the verb ends [consonant + "y"], change the "y" to an "i" and add "ed":
- cry > cried
- fry > fried
Forming the Past Participle (Irregular Verbs)
If it's an irregular verb, the past participle is formed in all sorts of different ways. Here are some examples:- arise > arisen
- catch > caught
- choose > chosen
- know > known
You just have to learn them.
Read more about irregular verbs (includes a list of the most common irregular verbs).
The Negative Version
If you need the negative version, you can use the following construction:"had not"
+ [past participle]
- Silverfinger had not taken the pill before the team reached him.
- I had not called the police before I investigated the noise in the garden.
- The weather changed, and the team had not planned its next move.
The Question Version
If you need to ask a question, you can use the following word order for a yes/no question:"had"
+ [subject]
+ [past participle]
- Had Silverfinger taken the pill before the team reached him?
- Had the team planned its next move before the weather changed?
[question word]
+ "had"
+ [subject]
+ [past participle]
- Why had Silverfinger taken the pill before the team reached him?
- Where had the team planned its next move before the weather changed?
Using Contractions
Don't forget that in speech and writing (especially informal writing), you will encounter the following contractions:- I had > I'd
- You had > You'd
- He had > He'd
- She had > She'd
- It had > It'd
- We had > We'd
- They had > They'd
Read more about contractions.
Verb Tense Widget
Use this widget to learn about the different tenses. How do you use this widget? Well, if there's a button, a drop-down menu, or a
to base form
( verb)
Select the tenses.
Present Tenses 
Past Tenses 
Future Tenses 
The Other Past Tenses
The past perfect tense is one of four past tenses. This table shows all four of the past tenses:The 4 Past Tenses | Example |
---|---|
simple past tense | I went |
past progressive tense | I was going |
past perfect tense | I had gone |
past perfect progressive tense | I had been going |
Slider Showing All the Tenses
The following slider shows all 12 tenses. The past perfect tense is highlighted with a yellow background.Interactive Exercise
Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?