The Past Perfect Tense

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Past Perfect

For the past perfect, use had + the past participle

Examples: had talked, had gone, had seen, had watched, had worked

When to Use the Past Perfect

Use this tense while talking about the past. It is usually used as an introductory or final phrase. It emphasizes the fact that a past event happened before another past event.

Introductory Phrase Examples

My friend and I had talked for hours before my mother called. I told my friend that I had to go, and then I chatted with my mother.

I had tried a lot of headache medicines before I went to the doctor. I tried to cure it on my own first.

He had already bought the engagement ring when he found out that his girlfriend was cheating on him.

Final Phrase Examples

I was so shocked because I had never seen a dead body.

That day, they decided to cancel the project because we had not achieved the necessary results.

He was not able to get his money back because he had forgotten to ask for the receipt.

Study the Examples Without the Past Perfect

What if we use the simple past in the above sentences? What happens?

Example	Time	Difference in Meaning
My friend and I talked for hours before my mother called.	This states a past event.	had talked emphasizes time
I tried a lot of headache medicines before I went to the doctor.	This states a past event.	had tried emphasizes time
He already bought the engagement ring when he found out that his girlfriend was cheating on him.	grammatically incorrect	This sentence has two specific events in time (it is not general like the preceding examples), so it needs the past perfect.
I was so shocked because I never saw a dead body.	grammatically incorrect	With "never" we usually need a perfect tense because this word emphasizes time.
They decided to cancel the project because we did not achieve the results	This states a past event.	had not achieved emphasizes time
He was not able to get his money back because he forgot to ask for the receipt.	This states a past event.	had forgotten emphasizes the moment when he forgot

As you can see, there are many times when you can choose between the past and the past perfect. The past perfect will help you to sound more fluent if you can master it.

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