Lesson

Past perfect - I had done

Past before past

≈ 15 min 8 block(s)

Text

What is the Past Perfect (I had done)?

The past perfect (had + past participle) is used to talk about an action that happened before another action in the past. It clarifies the sequence of past events and shows which event was earlier.

  • Form: subject + had + past participle (e.g. I had finished).
  • Use to show one past event happened before another past event.
  • Common with time expressions: by the time, before, after, already, just, never.

Think: Past perfect = the 'past of the past' — it places one action earlier than another past action.

Table

Structure and Uses of Past Perfect

Form When to use Example
Affirmative: subject + had + past participle To show an action that happened earlier than another past action By the time the meeting started, she had already finished the report.
Negative: subject + had not (hadn't) + past participle To say an earlier action did NOT happen They hadn't received the invoice when they approved the payment.
Question: Had + subject + past participle? To ask about an earlier action before a past reference point Had you submitted the proposal before the deadline?
Use with time expressions With 'by the time', 'before', 'after', 'already', 'just', 'never' to clarify order We had already sent the files before the client requested them.
Third conditional To form unreal past conditions (if + past perfect → would have + past participle) If I had known, I would have warned the team earlier.

Tip

Key rule: Order of past events

Use the past perfect for the earlier action and the simple past for the later action.

  • Earlier action: had + past participle → I had completed the draft.
  • Later action: simple past → The client approved it.
  • Combine with 'by the time' to make the order explicit: By the time X happened, Y had happened.

Focus on which event happened first when choosing past perfect.

Example

Examples in context

By the time the meeting started, she had already finished the report.

I had sent the proposal before the client called.

They realized they had missed the deadline after the audit.

We had never worked with that supplier before 2019.

Tip

Common mistakes to avoid

Learners often make predictable errors with the past perfect. Watch out for these:

  • Confusing past simple and past perfect — use past perfect only for the earlier past event.
  • Using past perfect when the sequence is already clear — past simple may be enough.
  • Wrong past participle form (e.g. 'had began' instead of 'had begun').
  • Incorrect word order in questions (forgetting to put 'Had' at the start).
  • Using two past perfect verbs in the same sentence unnecessarily.

Check event order and verb forms before finalizing your sentence.

Quiz

Choose the correct sentence that uses the past perfect to show an earlier action:

Hint: Identify which action happened first, then use had + past participle for that action.

Quiz

Complete: By the time the client called, we _____ the contract.

Hint: Think about which action happened earlier and use had + past participle.

Quiz

Which sentence expresses an unreal past (regret) using the past perfect?

Hint: Look for a conditional structure expressing what would have happened differently.

Key Points

GrammarPoint

past perfect

grammar_point CEFR B1 //pæst ˈpɜːrfɪkt//

A verb tense using had + past participle to show an action that occurred before another past action.

She had left before the meeting started.

GrammarPoint

past participle

grammar_point CEFR A2 //pæst ˈpɑːrtɪsɪpl//

The verb form used with had to make the past perfect (e.g. 'finished', 'sent', 'known').

They had written the summary before the meeting.

Vocabulary

sequence of events

noun CEFR B1 //ˈsiːkwəns əv ɪˈvɛnts//

The order in which things happen; important when choosing past tenses.

Make the sequence of events clear in your report.

Expression

by the time

preposition CEFR B1 //baɪ ðə taɪm//

A time expression often used to contrast two past events (the later event + the earlier had happened).

By the time she arrived, the team had left.

Vocabulary

already

adverb CEFR A2 //ɔːlˈrɛdi//

Used with past perfect to show that something happened earlier than expected.

She had already left when I called.

GrammarPoint

third conditional

grammar_point CEFR B2 //θɜːrd kənˈdɪʃənəl//

A conditional structure: if + past perfect → would have + past participle; used to talk about unreal past situations and regrets.

If we had reviewed the data, we would have noticed the error.