A top English guide to the past perfect tense with examples

Today, let’s go back to the future. Well, actually, just to the past — not just any old past, but the past perfect tense!

This super useful tense helps you talk about actions that are even further in the past than other past actions. Hmmm, too much past for you?

Don’t worry, we have you covered with this article! And we’ll make it as fun as time travel (minus the Delorean).

Spoiler alert: The past and past perfect in English is relatively easy compared to other languages, especially the ones with difficult conjugations. Romance languages, anyone?

Table of contents

• What is the past perfect tense?
• How to form the past perfect tense in English: Examples
• Forms of the past perfect tense
• When to use the past perfect tense
• Common expressions
• Difference between past simple and past perfect
• Common mistakes to avoid
• 3 Tips for mastering the past perfect tense
• Fun uses of the past perfect tense
• Conclusion

What is the past perfect tense?

So, what exactly is this past perfect tense? Well, it’s used when you’re talking about something that happened before another action in the past.

You didn’t quite get that? Imagine a sequence of events in a movie. For example, “By the time Back to The Future II” — my favorite! — started, I had already finished my popcorn.” The movie starting is in the past, but finishing the popcorn happened before. Seriously, you couldn’t wait?

How to form the past perfect tense in English: Examples

Ready for the formula? It’s pretty simple, and don’t worry, you won’t need a flux capacitor!

There you go:

Subject + had + past participle

(Yep, that's all there is to it.)

You take the subject (that’s the "who" in your sentence), throw in a "had," and then the past participle of the verb you want to use. Et voilà !

But enough theory. Keep reading to discover the different forms of the tense with examples.

Forms of the past perfect tense

Affirmative form of the past perfect

This is your go-to when you want to state something clearly in the past perfect.

Structure: Subject + had + past participle

Past perfect examples in its affirmative form

• I had called her before the party started.
• They had already left when I arrived.
• We had eaten by the time the guests showed up.
• She had studied French before moving to Paris.
• By the time I got home, my family had gone to bed.
• The train had already left when I reached the station.
• He had forgotten about the meeting until I reminded him.
• We had planned everything before the trip.
• They had packed all their bags before the taxi arrived.
• She had finished the book before I even started.

Negative form of the past perfect

When something hadn't happened before another event, this is your form!

Structure: Subject + had not (hadn’t) + past participle

Past perfect examples in its negative form

• I hadn’t called her before the party started.
• They hadn’t left when I arrived.
• We hadn’t eaten by the time the guests showed up.
• She hadn’t studied French before moving to Paris.
• By the time I got home, my family hadn’t gone to bed.
• The train hadn’t left when I reached the station.
• He hadn’t forgotten about the meeting until I reminded him.
• We hadn’t planned everything before the trip.
• They hadn’t packed all their bags before the taxi arrived.
• She hadn’t finished the book before I even started.

Interrogative form of the past perfect

Do you want to ask a question in the past perfect? Piece of cake!

Structure: Had + subject + past participle?

Past perfect examples in its interrogative form

• Had you called her before the party started?
• Had they left when you arrived?
• Had we eaten by the time the guests showed up?
• Had she studied French before moving to Paris?
• Had they gone to bed when you got home?
• Had the train left when you reached the station?
• Had he forgotten about the meeting until you reminded him?
• Had we planned everything before the trip?
• Had they packed all their bags before the taxi arrived?
• Had she finished the book before you started?

Negative interrogative form of the past perfect

Ok, you might not need this one on a daily basis, but it can certainly make you sound fancy and intriguing! Here’s how to ask a negative question in the past perfect tense.

Structure:

Had + subject + not + past participle? OR

Hadn’t + subject + past participle?

Past perfect examples in its negative interrogative form

• Hadn’t you called her before the party started?
• Had they not left when you arrived?
• Hadn’t we eaten by the time the guests showed up?
• Had she not studied French before moving to Paris?
• Hadn’t they gone to bed when you got home?
• Had the train not left when you reached the station?
• Hadn’t he forgotten about the meeting until you reminded him?
• Had we not planned everything before the trip?
• Hadn’t they packed all their bags before the taxi arrived?
• Had she not finished the book before you started?

When to use the past perfect tense

Alright, you've got the structure down? That’s awesome, but when should you use this convenient tense ?

Describing an action completed before another past action.

The past perfect is… perfect when you want to say one thing happened before another past event.

Examples:

• By the time we arrived, the movie had started.
• She had cooked dinner before we got home.
• I had already sent the email before the meeting began.
• They had finished the project before the deadline.
• We had cleaned the house before our parents arrived.
• He had left for work before I woke up.
• The flight had taken off before they reached the airport.
• She had completed her homework before the party.
• By the time I called, they had already eaten.
• They had finished their exams before the summer holiday began.

Highlighting the order of past events.

Perfect — ok, I'll stop — for when you need to show what happened first!

Examples:

• I had eaten dinner before I watched TV.
• She had finished the report before the meeting.
• He had locked the door before leaving.
• By the time we got there, they had already started.
• They had prepared the room before the guests arrived.
• I had packed my bags before leaving for the airport.
• She had read the book before the discussion.
• He had repaired the car before the road trip.
• We had finished the project before the presentation.
• They had left the house before the rain started.

Expressing conditions in hypothetical situations.

This tense will come in handy for “what if” scenarios — just avoid overusing it to lecture people; it’s annoying. You know: “You would’ve passed your English test if you had read the Berlitz English blog.”

Examples:

• If I had known, I would’ve called earlier.
• She would have succeeded if she had studied more.
• If we had left earlier, we wouldn’t have missed the bus.
• They would’ve finished the project if they had more time.
• If he had told me, I wouldn’t have been late.
• We would’ve gone if the weather had been better.
• If you had asked, I would’ve helped.
• They would’ve arrived sooner if they had taken a taxi.
• If she had seen him, she would’ve waved.
• If I had known, I would’ve come to the party.

Common expressions with the past perfect tense

The expressions below help connect two past actions and clarify the order of events.

Difference between past simple and past perfect

With so many options to talk about the past, you might be a bit confused about when to use the past simple and when to use the past perfect?

Well, in short, the past simple is all about what happened. The past perfect is about what had already happened before something else did.

Think of it this way:

• Past simple: "I watched TV."
• Past perfect: "I had already finished my homework before I watched TV."

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistakes are part of learning, and I don’t know anyone who learned a language — or anything else, for that matter — without errors. Practice makes perfect, so here are few common mistakes to avoid when learning the past perfect in English:

Forgetting “had”

Drop the "had" in the past perfect, and you’re left with a good old past simple sentence. Example: "I finished my work." Sure, it’s fine. But throw in that “had”: "I had finished my work before the phone rang." Now, we know exactly what happened first.

Overcomplicating it

You don’t need to use the past perfect for every past action. If it’s just one event in the past, the past simple is enough. But when you’re dealing with two past events, and one happened before the other, that’s when the past perfect steps in. So, just use it when it makes sense!

Mixing it up with past simple

Again, if your action happened before another past event, then it’s time for past perfect. If not, past simple is the way to go. If you have any doubts, just ask yourself, “Is this the event that happened first?” If yes, you know which tense to use!

3 tips for mastery

Finally, here are a few tips to help you master the tense like a pro.

1. Practice with timelines

Timelines are awesome for getting the hang of past perfect. Write down a list of events — real or fictional — in the order they happened, then practice describing which one came first. The more you do this, the more natural it’ll feel. Why don’t you spice things up by trying to explain the Back to the Future timeline? Now that’s what I call a grammar challenge!

2. Unleash your secret inner storyteller

Past perfect is a great tense for storytelling. Use when you need to show what happened first. Not only will your stories make more sense, but they’ll also sound smoother. You know, they’ll just flow…

3. Look for it everywhere

Once you start paying attention, you’ll hear past perfect in conversations, movies, TV shows and podcasts. You’ll also spot it if you read books in English. The more you hear and read it in action, the easier it will be to use. So, keep your ears, and eyes wide open, and get obsessed with the past perfect tense!

Fun uses of the past perfect tense

Who said grammar is boring? Here are a few fun uses you can make out of the past perfect in English!

Showing off

The past perfect is the tense for people who love to brag. “I had already finished the project before anyone even asked.” Look at you, all ahead of the game. Use it when you want to sound like the most productive person in the room (even if you weren’t).

Apologizing

You can also use it to say “Oops, my bad”! Need to apologize or explain why something didn’t go as planned? The past perfect is here to help. “If I had known the meeting was at 9 a.m., I would’ve been on time.” How convenient is that? Very! But next time, try to be on time.

Going dramatic

Storytellers love the past perfect because it’s so dramatic! “She had met him before, but she never expected to see him again.” Add some suspenseful music — in your head — and your everyday stories will sound way more exciting than they probably are!

Sounding organized

The past perfect is perfect for pretending like you've got your life together. “I had already planned the whole party before you even asked.” No one needs to know you actually threw it together last-minute and are still looking for balloons!

Sounding smart

Use the past perfect tense in a sentence, and suddenly, you’re the intellectual in the room. “Oh, I had already seen that play in France before it even made it to Broadway.” Frasier style.

I hope you now master this oh-so perfect tense! — not sorry for the pun.

You’re now officially a grammar time traveler, basically Marty McFly, but with verbs. Whether you're telling awesome stories, explaining what happened before something else, or just showing off your new skills, you're ready for new grammar adventures!

And if you’re up to other linguistic challenges, keep the fun going with our English blog.