Past Perfect Tense
Use the past perfect for an action that happened before another action in the past — the "earlier past". Form it with had + past participle.
The rule
had + past participle
Right and wrong
I had finished dinner before he arrived.
I have finished dinner before he arrived.
Use "had", not "have", for an action completed before another past action.
She had already left when I called.
She had already leave when I called.
Use the past participle (left) after "had", not the plain verb.
They had never seen snow before that trip.
They never had seen snow before that trip.
"Had" comes before "never" in this pattern.
By the time I arrived, the movie had already started.
By the time I arrived, the movie already started.
Use the past perfect to show one past action happened before another.
Practice
1. I ___ (eat) breakfast before I left for work.
2. She ___ (finish) her homework before dinner.
3. By the time we reached the station, the train ___ (leave).
4. They ___ (never/visit) Delhi before that trip.
5. He was tired because he ___ (work) all day.
Practise in the app
Day to Day English lets you practise grammar inside real situations, with audio and a story to follow.