Past Perfect Tense

by Yogi P - October 1, 2023

Past Perfect Tense: A Simplified Guide for Students

You have learned about past tense and past continuous tense, which talk about actions that happened in the past. Now, let’s learn about another tense, the Past Perfect Tense. It helps us talk about actions that had already happened before another action in the past. This guide will help you understand the Past Perfect Tense in a simple way.

What Is the Past Perfect Tense?

Past Perfect Tense is used when one action happened before another action in the past. It’s a way to talk about something that had already finished before another thing happened.

Definition of the Past Perfect Tense: According to dictionaries:

Cambridge Dictionary says it’s used to show an action had already finished when another action happened.
Oxford Learner’s Dictionary says it expresses an action completed before a particular point in the past.

Structure and Formula of the Past Perfect Tense

Learning the structure is easy! Here’s the basic formula:

Subject + had + past participle + the rest of the sentence

Structure of the Past Perfect Tense in Different Sentences:

Positive	Negative	Interrogative	Negative Interrogative
Subject + had + past participle + the rest of the sentence	Subject + had + not + past participle + the rest of the sentence	Had + subject + past participle + the rest of the sentence	Had + subject + not + past participle + the rest of the sentence (or) Hadn’t + subject + past participle + the rest of the sentence
I had completed my assignment before everyone else even started.	I had not completed my assignment.	Had I completed my assignment before everyone else even started?	Hadn’t I completed my assignment before everyone else even started?

Examples:

Positive: I had completed my assignment.
Negative: I had not completed my assignment.
Question: Had I completed my assignment?
Negative Question: Hadn’t I completed my assignment?

Points to Remember When Using Past Perfect Tense

The Past Perfect Tense is pretty similar to the Present Perfect Tense. Both use a helping verb and the past participle of the main verb. But there’s one small difference: the Past Perfect Tense always uses the helping verb ‘had’ no matter what the subject is (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).

For many regular verbs, the past participle is the same as the past tense form. But be careful, a lot of irregular verbs have different spellings for the past tense and past participle forms. Knowing the correct past participles will make it much easier to use the Past Perfect Tense correctly when you’re writing and speaking.

Need a refresher on irregular verbs? Don’t forget to check out articles or guides on them to understand how they form their past and past participle forms.

When to Use the Past Perfect Tense

You can use the Past Perfect Tense to talk about different things:

Show the Sequence of Past Events: Use it to show which action happened first when talking about more than one past event.
Talk About Time Until a Certain Past Point: Use it to talk about something that was true or complete up until another point in the past.
Talk About an Incomplete Past Action: Use it to say an action didn’t finish before another action happened in the past.

Examples:

Order of Events: My friends had left when my mom arrived.
Time Until a Certain Point: Ann had completed all eight grades of western music by the time she was 15 years old.
Incomplete Action: The students had gone for their games period before the teacher could inform them about the assignment.

Now, you know about the Past Perfect Tense. It’s easy and helpful to talk about different actions in the past. Remember the structure and practice with more sentences. Good luck!

Frequently Asked Questions on Past Perfect Tense

Q1. What is the past perfect tense?

The past perfect tense is a way to talk about something that happened before something else in the past. It’s like looking back at two past actions and showing which one happened first.

Q2. How do dictionaries define the past perfect tense?

Different dictionaries explain it in their own ways:

Cambridge Dictionary: It says that past perfect tense is used for an action that was finished before another action happened.
Oxford Learner’s Dictionary: It says this tense is for talking about an action completed before a specific time in the past.
Collins Dictionary: According to them, it’s used to talk about an action or state that was completed before a certain time in the past. They also call it ‘pluperfect.’

Q3. How do I make a sentence in the past perfect tense?

It’s easy! Just follow this formula:

Subject + had + past participle + the rest of the sentence

Q4. When should I use the past perfect tense?

Use the past perfect tense to talk about:

The order of two past events (which one happened first).
Time until a certain point in the past.
An action that was supposed to happen in the past but didn’t before another past event took place.

MCQs on Past Perfect Tense

Q1. What does the past perfect tense show?

a) Future actions
b) Present actions
c) An action that happened before another action in the past
d) Ongoing actions

Answer: c) An action that happened before another action in the past

Q2. What is the formula for the past perfect tense?

a) Subject + has + past participle
b) Subject + have + past participle
c) Subject + had + past participle
d) Subject + having + past participle

Answer: c) Subject + had + past participle

Q3. Choose the correct past perfect tense sentence:

a) She has completed her homework before dinner.
b) He had completed his project.
c) They has gone to the market.
d) We have watched the movie.

Answer: b) He had completed his project.

Q4. Which sentence is in the past perfect tense?

a) They had left before she arrived.
b) They leaves before she arrives.
c) They leave before she arrive.
d) They will leave before she will arrive.

Answer: a) They had left before she arrived.

Q5. What is another term for the past perfect tense according to Collins Dictionary?

a) Preperfect
b) Plusperfect
c) Pluperfect
d) Postperfect

Answer: c) Pluperfect

Q6. Which word is always used with the past perfect tense?

a) Has
b) Have
c) Had
d) Having

Answer: c) Had

Q7. In which sentence is the past perfect tense used correctly?

a) She had went to the store before it rained.
b) He had wrote a letter to his friend.
c) They hadn’t know the truth.
d) I had finished my meal before they arrived.

Answer: d) I had finished my meal before they arrived.

Q8. Choose the correct negative past perfect tense sentence:

a) He had not goes to the school.
b) She had not read the book.
c) They had not watching the show.
d) We had not eating the food.

Answer: b) She had not read the book.

Q9. Which question is in the past perfect tense?

a) Had you visited the museum before today?
b) Have you visited the museum?
c) Do you visited the museum?
d) Will you had visited the museum?

Answer: a) Had you visited the museum before today?

Q10. Which sentence is in past perfect tense?

a) She had read the entire book before the exam.
b) He reads the newspaper daily.
c) They will travel to Paris next month.
d) We are eating lunch now.

Answer: a) She had read the entire book before the exam.

Fill in the Blanks on Past Perfect Tense

1. He _______ (to finish) his homework before he went out to play basketball.

2. Before the guests arrived, she _______ (to bake) the cake and _______ (to prepare) the coffee.

3. They _______ (not to see) the movie yet, so they were excited to watch it last night.

4. I was relieved that I _______ (to complete) the project before the deadline.

5. The birds _______ (to fly) south before winter arrived.

6. After she _______ (to eat) dinner, she _______ (to wash) the dishes.

7. She was happy she _______ (to take) the earlier train since the later one was delayed.

8. the time the teacher arrived, the students _______ (to finish) the quiz.

9. They were sad that they _______ (not to visit) the Eiffel Tower when they were in Paris.

10. If he _______ (to study), he would have passed the exam.

Answers: 1. had finished, 2. had baked, had prepared, 3. had not seen, 4. had completed, 5. had flown, 6. had eaten, had washed, 7. had taken, 8. had finished, 9. had not visited, 10. had studied