Impact-e English Training

The Past Perfect

Uses
Diagram
Overview

When do we need the Past Perfect?

This tense is used less than 5% of the time - so don't overuse it! When we do use it, it is:

for a past action which was over before another past action began
- When we talk about something that happened in the past we can use the Past Perfect to say that something had already happened before this time. e.g. "After I had lived in Germany for 5 1/2 years I moved to Seattle." First I lived in Germany for 5 1/2 years and then I moved to Seattle.
to show that one action happened earlier than others
- I finished the report last night because I had promised my boss I would.
as the past of the Present Perfect.
- Present Perfect: The report is overdue. I haven't worked on it in days.
- Past Perfect: The report was overdue. I hadn't worked on it in days.
for indirect speech
- For the Past Simple: "I worked on the report all night" = She said she had worked on the report all night
- For the Present Perfect: "I have worked on the report all week." = She said she had worked on the report all week.
in Conditionals
- e.g. If she had worked on the report all night it would be finished by now.

Diagram

Return to top of page

General Overview

When do I use this tense?	Used for: - actions that had been finished before other actions or definite times in the past. - expressing the Present Perfect in the past - indirect speech - Conditionals
How do I make the tense?	The Past Perfect is formed with the helping verb had and the third form of the verb.
Which helping verb do I use?	had
Here are examples of:
Statements:	After I had lived in Germany for 5 1/2 years I moved here. After you had lived in Germany did you move here directly? After he had lived in Germany for 5 1/2 years he moved here. After she had lived in Germany for 5 1/2 years she moved here. After it had stayed in Germany for 5 1/2 years I moved it here. After we had lived in Germany for 5 1/2 years we moved here. After they had lived in Germany for 5 1/2 years they moved here.
Questions:	Had I ever lived here before I moved to the area? Had you ever lived here before you moved to the area? Had she ever lived here before she moved to the area? Had he ever lived here before he moved to the area? Had that boat ever been here before it arrived yesterday? Had we ever lived here before we moved to the area?? Had they ever lived here before they moved to the area?
Negatives:	I had not (hadn’t) lived here before I moved to the area in 1997. You had not (hadn’t) lived here before you moved to the area in 1997. She had not (hadn’t) lived here before she moved to the area in 1997. He had not (hadn’t) lived here before he moved to the area in 1997. It had not (hadn’t) stayed here before it came in 1997. We had not (hadn’t) lived here before we moved to the area in 1997. They had not (hadn’t) lived here before they moved to the area in 1997.
Short answers	Yes, I had. Yes, she had. No, I had not. No, I hadn’t No, she had not. No, she hadn’t.