Past perfect time. Difficult use cases for Past Perfect

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Past perfect tense sometimes it is called the pre-past, refers to those English times that do not have exact analogs in Russian. To better understand the meaning Past perfect you can draw a parallel with Present Perfect.

Past perfect is an analogue of Present Perfect, only for the past. If in the Present Perfect the action has taken place by the present moment, then in the Past Perfect - by some moment in the past. This moment in the past can be expressed by another past action, which can be mentioned in a subordinate clause, or indicated in a separate sentence, as well as by a time circumstance. It is often translated into Russian by a verb of the perfect form of the past tense. What did you do?

Education Past Perfect

The main meaning of Past Perfect

Very often, in sentences with a verb in Past Perfect, you can find characteristic adverbs and tense circumstances, namely:

Sample sentences

By the time they were rescued they had already spent three days without food and water. By the time they were rescued, they had already spent 3 days without food or water. I knew about the accident because I had watched the news the night before. I knew about the incident, because watched the news last night.

Sample sentences

I had learned to read before I went to school. I learned to read before I went to school. When we arrived at the cinema the film had already started. When we arrived at the cinema, the film had already begun.

Sample sentences The Vikings had sailеd to North America a thousand years ago. The Vikings sailed to North America thousands of years ago. The Chinese had built the Great Wall over two thousand years ago. The Chinese built the Great Wall of China about two thousand years ago. 2. Past perfect used in indirect speech Sample sentences Sally said that she had lost her keys. Sally said she lost her keys. Martin replied that he had tried to call Dave the day before. Martin replied that he had tried to call Dave the day before. 3. Past perfect also needs to be used in conditional clauses of the third type (unreal, implied condition related to the past). Sample sentences If I had heard the weather forecast I would have taken an umbrella. If I had heard the weather forecast, I would have taken an umbrella. If we had taken the map, we wouldn’t have got lost in the mountains. If we took the map, we would not get lost in the mountains. 4. Also Past perfect used in sentences with I wish, If only to express regret for something in the past. Sample sentences I wish I had sent her a birthday present. Wish I had sent her a birthday present. If only I hadn’t spent so much money! If I hadn't spent so much money! Now watch the video on Past Perfect:

As we know, the British love order in everything, and English- not an exception. In their opinion, each action should have its own order. In Russian, we use one tense to express all past actions. We list a few events, then go back to another event that happened before all the others. An Englishman will never tolerate such "chaos" in his speech. If he forgot about an important event that happened before everyone else, then he will report it in a specially designated time called Past Perfect. Today we will talk about him. C "mon!

What is Past Perfect

Past Perfect tense Is the past perfect tense. We usually use it to say about an action that ended before or before some point in the past.

For example: When he read the book, he went to bed.

What was the first action? First he read the book and then went to bed. That is, by the time he went to bed, he had already read the book. To show that the first action ended before the second happened, in the first part of the sentence, you need to use Past Perfect - “When he had read the book, he went to bed.” In other words, we use Past Perfect to show the order of actions, that is, that one action in the past happened before another.

How Past Perfect is formed (formulas + examples)

• Statement... The predicate in Past Perfect consists of two parts: the auxiliary verb “ had" and the third form of the main verb(To regular verb add the ending "- ed», And we take the form of the irregular from the third column of the table of irregular verbs).

• Negation... V negative sentence between the auxiliary verb " had"And the main verb appears the particle" not».

As with many other tenses, Past Perfect has abbreviated forms that are used in colloquial speech. V affirmative the proposal " had» unites with pronoun, v negative- with the particle " not". For example:

I'd come.
You’d finished.
I hadn’t come.
You hadn’t finished.

• Question... An interrogative sentence begins with the auxiliary verb “ had"Followed by subject and main verb.

Past Perfect Marker Words

If the sentence contains the following words, then it refers to Past Perfect Tense:

by- To;
hardly… when / no sooner… than- as soon as, almost, I did not have time;
after- after;
earlier- earlier, before - before;
first- first;
when- when;
just- just now;
already- already;
yet- already, not yet.

Past Perfect Marker Chart

Marker	Example	Translation
by	Unfortunately, most of the audience hadn’t stayed by the end of the play.	Unfortunately, by the end of the show, most of the audience had left.
hardly… when	Hardly had they crossed the road when the accident happened.	As soon as they crossed the road, the accident happened.
no sooner… than	No sooner he had came in than he heard congratulations and his friends gathered around him.a	As soon as he entered, he heard congratulations and friends gathered around him.
after	After boy had done his hometask he went out to play football with his friends.	After the boy did his homework, he went for a walk.
earlier	She knew how to cook a cake because she had made it earlier.	She knew how to bake a cake because she had made it earlier.
before	James easily won this game because he had played it many times before.	James played the game easily, having played it many times before.
first	First we had taken all our bags, then understood that we forgot our tickets on the table.	First we took our things, and then we realized that we had forgotten the tickets on the table.
when	John had sat to work when his boss called for him.	John sat down at his desk to work when his boss called him.
just	I just had sat to have lunch when my friend called me.	I had just sat down to dine when my friend called me.
already	We had already bought a cake when Jill called us and told that she bought a cake too.	We already bought the cake when Jill called us and said she bought the cake too.
yet	I hadn’t served the table yet when the guests came.	I hadn't set the table yet when the guests arrived.

Usage Cases of Past Perfect:

• Past Perfect shows an action that happened before another action or a certain moment in the past. Another action in the past is most often indicated by Past simple, while special words can be used: “ by"(To some time / moment)," after" (after), " before"(Before, before)," when" (when), " earlier" (earlier), " first"(First, first).

Before Anna called her husband she had finished all the work. - Before Anna called her husband, she finished all the work.

Nota bene: if the actions are delivered in chronological okay, then you need to use Past Simple:

Anna finished all work and called her husband. - Anna finished all the work and (then) called her husband (chronological order).

• Past Perfect explains the reason: we want to show that the action expressed by Past Perfect has become cause that another action took place.

He was hungry... He hadn’t eaten for eight hours... - He was hungry. He hasn't eaten in eight hours.

She couldn’t buy a new pair of shoes as she had lost her credit card... - She couldn't buy new pair shoes because I lost my credit card.

• Past Perfect is used after “ if"In conditional sentences of the third type ( third conditional). This type of conditional shows regret about the past... We could have done something in the past if we had fulfilled the condition, but in the present we can no longer change the situation.

If I had known about your problem, I would have helped you. - If I knew about your problem, I would help you.
If you had read the morning newspaper, you would have agreed with me. - If you read the morning paper, you would agree with me.

• Past Perfect is used in constructions " hardly … when" and " no sooner … than". These constructs show that one action happened immediately after another. The peculiarity is that they use back order words as in the question. Such sentences are translated into Russian using the words "as soon as ...", "I did not have time ...", "as soon as I ...".

Hardly had the plane landed at the Miami airport, when it started to rain. - As soon as the plane landed at the Miami airport, it began to rain.
No sooner had I chewed my sandwich than somebody knocked at the door. “Before I could chew my sandwich, someone knocked on the door.

• Listing actions in the past happened before narration time generally:

I finally caught Lucky and looked around. The nasty dog had scratched the furniture, had torn the wallpapers and had eaten my lunch on the table. - I finally caught Lucky and looked around. The nasty dog ​​scratched the furniture, tore up the wallpaper and ate my lunch on the table.

Education Past Perfect Passive

Like most times, Past Perfect has passive construction .

• Statement: subject + had been + verb 3 shape + [by an object].

The test had been finished by the end of the day.- The test was completed by the end of the day.
The picture had been painted by the Monday... - The picture was drawn by Monday.

Negation: subject + had + not + been + verb 3 shape + [by an object].

The test had not been finished by the end of the day... - The test was not completed by the end of the day.
The bicycle had not been repaired by 2 o'clock... - The bike was not repaired by two o'clock.

Question: had + subject + been + verb 3 shapes + [by object]?

Had the questions been discussed before the exam?- Were the questions discussed before the exam?
Had the picture been painted by the Monday?- Was the picture painted by Monday?

Present Perfect vs Past Perfect

Very often, when translating from Russian into English, you can get confused in choosing the right time, because they both have similar features. Let's look at the table to get rid of doubts about the differences between Present Perfect and Past Perfect.

Difference between Present Perfect and Past Perfect

Indicates that the action expressed by the Present Perfect has completed by the present moment or in the present time period: The shopping center has just opened. - The mall has just opened.	Indicates that the action expressed by the Past Perfect time occurred before another action or a certain moment in the past: We came to the office, but the administrator had already gone away. - We came to the office, and the administrator has already left.
Shows that the action took place in the past, it is not known and it does not matter exactly when, but its result is visible in the present: He knows her name. They have already met. - He knows her name. They have already met.	Indicates that the action happened in the past and became the cause, led to the fact that another action happened in the past: My brother felt hungry. He had not eaten since yesterday. - My brother was hungry. He hasn't eaten since yesterday.

Nota bene: We recommend that you read the little theory again and complete the task in our online simulator, so that you never have doubts about using Past Perfect again.

Conclusion

So, today we examined the forms of formation of affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences in Past Perfect, both in active and in passive voice... We remembered which markers you should pay attention to, and figured out how not to confuse Present Perfect and Past Perfect. But the most important thing to remember is that next to Past Perfect there must be another action in the past.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with other tenses of the English language

Learn English easy and get skillful!

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Quite often times in English become for many people.But in fact, everything is quite simple: you just need to sit, understand the rules and read more texts.

Past Perfect: what is this time

This is the so-called pre-past time, when all the action takes place in the past, but ends before a certain moment or the beginning of another action (or event) also in the past. In other words, this is all that has already happened, before something else happened (which also managed to end). Everything refers to a specific time or moment, already lived and past. Usually in Past Perfect, the rules provide for the use of several adverbs that indicate an earlier event: never, ever, yet, already. Example: By the time Julia arrived at the building, Mary had already left. - By the moment Juliya got to the building, Mary had already left.

Past Perfect: educational rules

Everything is very simple here. To use the given time, you just need to take the second have (already familiar had) and the third form of the verb necessary for the meaning (that is, the past participle). For regular verbs, it is formed by simply adding an ending -ed, for the wrong ones it is taken in the dictionary and memorized.

1. Affirmative form: I / You / She / They / He had read it.
2. Negative form: I / She / He / You / They had not (hadn’t) read it.
3. Interrogative form: Had I / You / She / He / They read it?

Past Perfect: rules and examples of use

There are two options here that you should always consider and not forget about

1. If the described action took place before any particular point in the past. Example: By 2000, she had become an internationally renowned singer. - By 2000 she had become a world-famous singer... Thus, a starting point is immediately set and it is indicated that she achieved success precisely by 2000 and not earlier (that is, specific event or time in the past).
2. If an event or action happened before the start of another action is also in the past. Past perfect (the rules say this) is used precisely in order to describe the event that happened earlier. What happened later is described by Example: She didn't want to go to the movies with us yesterday because she had already watched The Lord of the Rings. - She didn’t want to go to the cinema with us yesterday, because she had already seen "The Lord of the Rings"... At the same time, the used adverb immediately demonstrates which of the described actions and events occurred earlier than the other.

Difference from other past tenses

Past Perfect (the rules for its formation are very simple and logical) differs from other tenses, such as Past Simple, (the rules for their formation are also quite easy: the first is formed by a simple change of the verb and means a simple action that took place in the past, without any pitfalls; the second shows that the event or action happened in the past, but ended exactly at the specified moment in the present or ends only now. have in the present tense and the semantic verb necessary for the sentence), and it is quite easy to catch this difference. To do this, one should not only learn the form of education, but also ponder the meaning of the sentence as a whole, in order to capture its logic and meaning, and not translate word by word. In the latter case, the words will simply mix up, and there will be no understanding of the text. However, with a thoughtful approach to English grammar, the difficulties with understanding both the written text and oral speech will not arise.

Past perfect- the past perfect tense. Its peculiarity is that it is not used in speech on its own and is necessarily tied to another action. Why would the British need this? The reason lies in their love for order and organization. In Russian, we use one tense to express all past actions. We list a few events, then go back to another event that happened before all the others. An Englishman will never allow such "chaos" in his speech. If he forgot about an important event that happened before everyone else, he will report it in a specially designated time - Past perfect.

How Past Perfect is formed

Statement

Predictable in Past perfect consists of two parts: an auxiliary verb had and the third form of the main verb (we add the ending to the regular verb - ed, and the shape of the irregular one is taken from the third column).

Negation

In a negative sentence between an auxiliary verb had and a particle appears in the main verb not.

As in many other times, in Past perfect there are abbreviated forms that are used in colloquial speech. In an affirmative sentence had is combined with a pronoun, in negative - with a particle not... For example:

• I'd done.
• You’d decided.
• I hadn’t done.
• You hadn’t decided.

Question

An interrogative sentence begins with an auxiliary verb had followed by the subject and main verb.

In order to consistently study Past perfect, we have divided all of its functions into three levels. In the green block you will find what you need to know at the beginner level, in the yellow - at the medium level, in the red - at the high level.

Drinking Past Perfect

First level

Past perfect always goes hand in hand with another action in the past. Past perfect shows an action that happened before another action or a certain moment in the past. Another action in the past is most often indicated by Past simple, while special words can be used: by... (to some time / moment), after(after), before(before, before), when(when), earlier(earlier), first(first, first).

We arrived at the station at 7.30, but the train had left... - We arrived at the station at 7:30, but the train was already gone. (first the train left, then we arrived at the station)

He had been a usual clerk before he became a successful businessman. - He was an ordinary clerk before that, how became a successful businessman.

Often Past perfect explains the reason: we want to show that the action expressed Past perfect, caused another action to take place.

He was hungry. He hadn’t eaten for eight hours. - He was hungry. He did not eat eight hours.

She couldn’t buy a new pair of shoes as she had lost her credit card. - She couldn't buy a new pair of shoes because lost credit card.

Time Past perfect similar in meaning to Present perfect with the difference that the time of action takes place not in the present (now), but in the past (then).

They are not at home. They have gone shopping. → They were not at home. They had gone shopping.
Their No at home. They gone go shopping. → Their did not have at home. They gone go shopping.

Another common feature Present perfect and Past perfect- adverbs just(just now), already(already), yet(already, yet).

They were moving to another country, but they hadn’t told their parents yet... - They moved to another country, but haven't told yet about this to their parents.

The most common mistake made with Past perfect- use this time where it is not needed, most often instead of Past simple... For example, when we talk about a simple action that happened a long time ago. remember, that Past perfect only works when there are two actions.

I learned English at school. - I AM learned English at school.
I had learned English before I entered the university. - I AM learned English before that, how entered the University.

Where else is Past Perfect found

Average level

1. Past perfect shows that the action began in the past and continued until a certain point in the past. Prepositions already familiar to us are often used here. for(during) and since(since).
   

   He didn’t want to drive that car anymore. He had driven it for 30 years. “He didn't want to drive that car anymore. He drove her 30 years old.

   Her speech was impressive. She had worked on it since Monday. - Her speech was impressive. She worked over her since Monday.

   This feature is not fully applicable to Past perfect, she rightfully belongs Past Perfect Continuous. Past perfect in this sense is used with state verbs (), that is, verbs that cannot "last".

   Before we talked, Mary had been upset for three days. She had been crying all this time. - Before we spoke, Mary was upset for three days. She cried all this time.

2. V Past perfect, As in Present perfect, there is a function with which we tell about personal experiences. The difference is that Past perfect we use when it comes to our experiences in the past.
   

   The last week of my holidays was the worst week I had ever had... - The last week of my vacation was the worst week I have ever had was.

   By the time I moved to Dublin I had written seven books and I was working hard on the eighth. - By the time I moved to Dublin, I wrote seven books and actively worked on the eighth.

Difficult use cases for Past Perfect

High level

1. Past perfect used after if in conditional sentences of the third type (). This type of conditional shows regret for the past. We could have done something in the past if we had fulfilled the condition, but in the present we can no longer change the situation.
   

   If I had known about your problem, I would have helped you. - If I am knew about your problem, I would help you.

   If you had read the morning newspaper, you would have agreed with me. - If you was reading the morning paper, you would agree with me.

2. Past perfect used in constructions hardly ... when and no sooner ... than... These constructs show that one action happened immediately after another. The peculiarity is that they use the reverse word order, as in the question. Such sentences are translated into Russian using the words "as soon as", "I did not have time", "barely I".
   

   Hardly had the plane landed at the Miami airport, when it started to rain. - Barely airplane landed at Miami airport, how it started to rain.

   No sooner had I chewed my sandwich than somebody knocked at the door. - Did not have time I am chew your sandwich, how someone knocked the door.

3. In modern English Past perfect are increasingly being replaced by Past simple especially in American English. We can use Past simple instead of Past perfect if the sequence of events is clear from the context. Such sentences contain the words after(after), before(front), earlier(earlier), first(first, first), etc.
   

   After he had finished repairing his car, he took a shower. = After he finished repairing his car, he took a shower. - After he finished fixing the car, he took a shower.

   I agreed to meet her though I was angry with her as we had quarreled earlier... = I agreed to meet her though I was angry with her as we quarreled earlier... - I agreed to meet with her, although I was angry with her, because we had a fight.

   This rule does not work with the union when(when): changing the time may change the meaning of the entire sentence.

   When we came home, she had cooked already prepared dinner. (Past Perfect means dinner was made before we got home)

   When we came home, she cooked dinner. - When we got home, she prepared dinner. (Past Simple shows that we came home first, and then she cooked dinner)

The more complex time seems, the less values ​​it has. This rule also applies to Past perfect... The main thing to remember is next to Past perfect there must be one more action in the past. To better remember this time, take the test and download the table, in which you can always spy on and refresh your knowledge.

(* .pdf, 183 Kb)

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Test

Past Perfect - past perfect tense in English

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Learning English grammar is impossible without Past Perfect time. It is only at first glance that this time seems extremely difficult and incomprehensible - it is not in the Russian / Ukrainian languages. If you calmly understand these tables and learn how to analyze time intervals, you will never get confused. Past Perfect is inextricably linked with time and, since it is used to indicate an action that has occurred before some other action in the past.

For example:
“I didn’t go to the cinema because I had already seen the film” - “I didn’t go to the cinema because I had already seen the film”. Note that both actions are in the past tense, but the one that happened earlier (first) - "already seen" is used in Past Perfect - "had already seen", and the one that later (second) - "did not go" - in Past Simple - "didn't go".

The Past Perfect is used:

1. for an action completed at a certain point in the past:
   1. The children cleaned the room by 7 pm.
      Children had cleaned the room by 7 p.m.
   2. My sister left before I called her.
      My sister had gone away by the time I called her.
2. for an event (events) that happened in the past earlier than another:
   1. I couldn't find the magazine he lent me.
      I couldn’t find the magazine that he had lent me.
   2. After my son told me his story, he felt better.
      After my son had told me his story, he felt better.
   3. Before I returned, my husband had already prepared dinner.
      Before I came back, my husband had already made dinner.
   4. Her boyfriend left the audience before she sang the song.
      When she sang a song her boyfriend had left the hall.
      (sequence: 1. Her boyfriend left the hall, 2. She sang a song)

      When the sequence of events is obvious, Past Simple can also be used:
      When she sang a song her boyfriend left the hall.
      (sequence: 1. She sang a song, 2. Her boyfriend left the hall)
      After she sang the song, her boyfriend left the audience. When we finished / had finished the meal, she offered some coffee. After we had eaten, she offered us coffee.

3. in indirect (indirect) speech:
   1. Maria said she bought apples yesterday.
      Mary said she had bought the apples the day before yesterday.
   2. Alice asked if I had been to London.
      Alice asked if I had ever been to London.

Markers for the past perfect tense

The markers for The Past Perfect Tense are:

1.adverbs and expressions denoting certain periods of time: just, already, yet, for, since, ever, never, it was the first / second time, it was the most ... For example: “We met again. We hadn’t seen each other for several months. "

2.dependent clauses with: when, before, after, until, as soon as, by that time, by the winter, by 5 p.m. For example: "Most of the engineers had arrived by 10 a.m."

To consolidate knowledge about Past Perfect, watch this video carefully:

THE PAST PERFECT TENSE

Past perfect tense

Affirmative form
+

Interrogative form
?

Wh-?
Special Issues

(start with special words)

negative form
—

Interrogative negative form
(Speaking)
?-

Exercise.
Translate the sentences in Past Perfect into English:

1. The girl was happy because she talked to her mother.
2. I suddenly remembered that I hadn't eaten anything since morning.
3. Most of the children arrived before 9 am.
4. She told me that her friend invited her to a movie.
5. Unfortunately, we didn't read the novel until that time.

1. The girl was happy because she had talked to her mum.
2. I suddenly remembered that I had eaten nothing (hadn’t eaten anything) since morning.
3. Most of the children had arrived by 9 a.m.
4. She told me that her friend had invited her to the cinema.
5. Unfortunately, we hadn’t read the novel by that time.

Tenses in English.