The past perfect tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb had followed by the past participle of the main verb (leave => had left).
- I had left
- You had left
- He had left
- She had left
- It had left
- We had left
- You had left
- They had left
2. Use of the past perfect
Sequencing past actions
The past perfect can be used to describe a completed (or uncompleted) action up to (or before) a specific point in the past.
- I had finished my homework before I watched TV.
- By the time I arrived at the party, everyone had already left.
- The kids had already gone to bed by the time their grandparents arrived.
- Many people had already left the party by the time she sang.
- They cleaned the house after they had finished the party.
- He was fired after the committee had issued their report.
Talking about how many times something happened before a specific point in the past.
- We had warned him twice before we decided to fire him.
- How many times had you tried to convince her before you finally gave up?
- We had visited the house three times before we bought it.
- I had read the book three times before. (The second action does not have to be indicated)
- We had met several times before, but I had never had the courage to tell her how much I loved her.
- We decided to start a non-profit organisation after we had visited Africa several times.
Unfulfilled hope (or wish) in the past
- I wish I had met him before he passed away.
- If only she had loved me!
- She had hoped to see you at the party, but you didn't show up.
- They had hoped to go on vacation this year, but they couldn't afford it.
- I had hoped to get a promotion at work, but my boss had other plans.
- If only the police had arrived on time!
3. Past perfect or past simple?
We use the structure past simple + past perfect to emphasise the sequence of events. This structure is often accompanied by time expressions such as after, when, until, before, by the time, or as soon as. I had finished my homework when the power went out. The action of finishing homework was completed before the action of losing electrical power.
We use the past perfect (not the past simple) when we say it was the first / second / third etc time that because the structure indicates a connection between two particular points in the past. It was the first time that I had seen such a terrible accident.
The past simple + past simple structure is used to indicate that two actions occurred simultaneously in the past. He collapsed when he collided with another player. Here, the action of collapsing occurred at the same time as the action of colliding with another player.
If the sequence of events is clear from the context or the use of a time expression, we can use either the past simple or the past perfect tense. After the police had left (or left), they started the party again. If there is only a single event, we often use the past simple tense. He stole a car.
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