Past Perfect

Past Perfect

The past perfect shows a time earlier than before past. This tense describes that something happened before another action in the past.

In simple words past of the past is called past perfect.

We cannot normally use past perfect alone.

FORMULA / STRUCTURE

Subject + had + Verb [third form]

Third form of verb is called Past Participle form.

Singular subject = had

Plural subject = had

I = had

BASIC LEVEL

EXAMPLES

[‘d = had]

→ I’d played cricket before 2002. (I’d = I had)

→ We had played before 2002.

→ You had watched TV before the news.

→ You’d watched TV before the news. [You’d = You had]

→ Yaqoob had read the book before 2002.

→ Yaqoob’d read the book before 2002.

→ Yaqoob and Aslam had read the book before 2002.

→ He had worked once before.

→ He’d worked before he moved.

→ She had worked before she moved.

→ It had rained before once.

→ They had played before 2002.

→ They’d played before 2004.

How to pronounce 'ed' at the end of a verb. Click here.

Second and third form of READ is “READ” but it is pronounced as “red”.

First form	Second form	Third form	Fourth form
Read	Read	Read	Reading

V2 & V3 = Read (pronounce as red)

I had = I’d	We had = We’d	You had = You’d
He had = He’d	She had = She’d	It had = It’d
They had = They’d

NEGATIVE EXAMPLES

For negative we use [had not = hadn’t]

→ I had not played cricket before I moved.

OR I hadn’t played cricket before I moved.

→ Yaqoob had not read the book before once.

OR Yaqoob hadn’t read a book before once.

→ You had not watched TV before once.

OR You hadn’t watched TV before once.

INTERROGATIVE / QUESTION

For interrogative we use [had]

→ Had Yaqoob read a book before once?

→ Had Yaqoob not read a book before once?

OR Hadn’t Yaqboob read a book before once?

→ Had you watched TV before once?

→ Had you not watched TV before once?

OR Hadn’t you watched TV before once?

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

(i) Read carefully

We cannot normally use past perfect alone.

past of the past = past perfect.

Past of the past (Past perfect)	Past (Past indefinite)	Present
My friend had studied Mathematics (= work before past)	before he moved to Islamabad.	My friend is in Islamabad now.
My father had met uncle John	before I introduced him at the ceremony.	My father and uncle John know each.
She had started her school	before 2002.	She is owner of the school.
I had completed my graduation degree	before my job	I am on job now.
I had completed my MS degree	before last year.	I am on job now.

NOTE: if we want to use past perfect alone we use it as past indefinite (simple past) because past perfect means past of the past. Look at these examples.

Review about Past Indefinite (Simple Past)

↷ My friend studied Mathematics.

NOT My friend had studied Mathematics.

↷ My father met uncle John.

NOT My father had met uncle John.

Past Perfect:

[Past Perfect before Past Indefinite]

[Past Indefinite after Past Perfect]

More examples:

↷ My friend had studied Mathematics before he moved to Islamabad.

↷ He was not able to stay at the hotel since he had not reserved a room.

↷ When they completed MBA degree, they had been in Karachi for six years.

(= they arrived in Karachi six years before graduation and lived there until they graduated.)

↷ I had seen this film once before.

↷ He'd published her first poem by the time he was in class three.

↷ I had been to Islamabad once before.

↷ It was ten pm. Most of the shops had just closed.
↷ I went to the box office at lunch-time, but they had already sold all the tickets.

Confusion! gone to or been to click here

Present	Past (Past indefinite)	Past of the past (Past perfect)
He has lost the keys.	He lost all the keys	because he had not kept safely. (= work before past)
My friend knows about Islamabad.	My friend knew Islamabad so well	because he had lived there for ten years. (= work before past)
He is felling not well	He fell very tried	because he had not slept well. (= work before past)
The thief is free now	When the police arrive,	the thief had escaped. (= work before past)

ADVANCE LEVEL

(ii) To talk about unreal or imaginary things (third conditional) and reported speech

↷ If I had known your illness, I would have visited you.

↷ The boss asked if we had purchased our tickets.