teachbut.gif (2985 bytes) Past Perfect

I had gone. I hadn't We had gone. We hadn't
He had gone. He hadn't You had gone. You hadn't
She had gone. She hadn't They had gone. They hadn't
It had gone. It hadn't gone.

Expressing an Event Before a Past Point in Time

The Past Perfect is used to express an event which had
occurred before a past point in time.

When we got to the party the guests had left.

When I got to work the boss had finished.

Expressing an Event Which Hadn't Happened
in Some Time

The Past Perfect is used to express an event which hadn't
happened in some time.

I hadn't seen her for ten years.

We hadn't eaten out since January.

Expressing an Event Which Had Never
Happened Before

The Past Perfect is used to express an event which had never happened before.

I had never flown in a helicopter before.

She had never eaten Korean food before.

Short Answers

Had I eaten? Yes, I had. No, I hadn't.
Had he eaten? Yes, he had. No, he hadn't.
Had she eaten? Yes, she had. No, she hadn't.
Had it eaten? Yes, it had. No, it hadn't.
Had we eaten? Yes, we had. No, we hadn't.
Had you eaten? Yes, you had. No, you hadn't.
Had they eaten? Yes, they had. No, they hadn't.

Practice Dialogs  raudio.gif (1185 bytes)

Practice the dialogs with a friend. Try to use the
different expressions.

  1. (quiche / shrimp / lobster)

A:    Have you ever eaten quiche?
B:    Yes, I have. In fact, I ate some the other day and I had
never eaten any before.

  2. (girlfriend / friend / English teacher)

A:    Did you call your old girlfriend yesterday?
B:    Yes, I did. It was interesting because I hadn't spoken
to her in ten years.

[The Present Simple - The Present Continuous - The Present Perfect]
[Future - The Past Simple - The Past Continuous - The Past Perfect]