Past perfect 📕

We use the past perfect to talk about something that happened before another event in the past.

Form: had + past participle

Same form for all persons: I had, she had, they had. Short form: I'd, she'd.

Examples

When I arrived at the station, the train had already left.

First the train left. Then I arrived.

She was nervous because she had never flown before.

I didn't watch the film because I had seen it before.

Past simple or past perfect?

When I arrived, the film started.

I arrived first. Then the film started.

When I arrived, the film had started.

The film started first. Then I arrived.

Typical words

already, before, after, when, by the time, never ... before

💡 If the order is clear, for example with before or after, many people use the past simple: I ate after I came home.