Past Perfect

Past Perfect

What is it?

• Is a verb tense used to talk about actions that were completed before some point in the past.

• You had studied Italian before you moved to Rome.

• You can also use the Past Perfect to show that an action happened before a specific time in the past.

• She had established her company before 2008.

• The order of events does not matter since the tense makes it clear which event happened first.

The Past Perfect Formula

• The formula for the past perfect tense is had + past participle.

• It doesn’t matter if the subject is singular or plural, the formula doesn’t change.

• She stayed up all night because she had received bad news.

Got it? Let's test!

You're going to write down your rotine (it can be either your real rotine or a made up one).

Sitting in pairs, you'll tell your partner what you wrote it down. After that, they'll try to recite it to you, but backwards!

Don't forget to use the past perfect!

Fill in the Blank

Complete the sentence with the correct form of the Past Perfect:

My aunt flew to Paris last year. She __________ (never / go) on a plane before that.

Fill in the Blank

Complete the sentence with the correct form of the Past Perfect:

We didn’t need to queue because my wife __________ (already / buy) the tickets.

Fill in the Blank

Complete the sentence with the correct form of the Past Perfect:

By the time I met John, he ___________ (leave) college.

Fill in the Blank

Complete the sentence with the correct form of the Past Perfect:

Helen ________ (split up) with John before she met Paul.