Past Perfect

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vmbo k, g, t, mavo
• Leerjaar 3,4

Past Perfect

'The past of the past'

Past perfect

You use the past perfect when you are talking about two things that happened in the past. One event happened before the other event. 

'the past of the past'. 

Example: He had worked that night before he crashed his car. 

 

Past perfect

You use the past perfect when you are talking about two things that happened in the past. One event happened before the other event. 

'the past of the past'. 

Example: He had worked that night before he crashed his car. 

 

Similar to the Plusquamperfectum in Latin!

Past perfect

You use the past perfect when you are talking about two things that happened in the past. One event happened before the other event. 

'the past of the past'. 

Example: He had worked that night before he crashed his car. 

 

Similar to the Plusquamperfectum in Latin!

The Past Perfect is also called: Pluperfect

(you guys now know why! ;)

Past perfect

verb form:

had + past participle

past participle = verb + ed or third form of the irregular form

negation: 

hadn't + past participle 

Question: 

Had ... + past participle

Past Perfect

• When you want to say that something in the past happened before something else happened. 

E.g.: I had never flown in an airplane, before I went to London.

(fly)

(go)

Past Perfect

• When you want to say that something in the past happened before something else happened. 

E.g.: I had never flown in an airplane, before I went to London.

Past Perfect

• When you want to say that something in the past happened before something else happened. 

E.g.: I had never flown in an airplane, before I went to London.

Past Perfect

Past Simple

Past Perfect

• When you want to say that something in the past happened before something else happened. 

E.g.: I had never flown in an airplane, before I went to London.

Past Perfect

Past Simple

🇬🇧 Past Simple 

🇳🇱 Verleden Tijd

ww+ed

(irr. verb = 2e vorm)

I 

I saw him yesterday.

🇬🇧 Past Perfect

🇳🇱 Voltooid Verleden Tijd

Past Simple 

verb +ed

(irr. verb = 2nd form)

He arrived to the train station.

I decided to walk home.

Past Perfect 

had + verb +ed

(irr. verb = had + third form)

When he arrived to the train station the train had left.

I had lost my bike key so I decided to walk home.

🇬🇧 Past Simple 

🇳🇱 Verleden Tijd

ww+ed

(irr. verb = 2e vorm)

I 

I saw him yesterday.

🇬🇧 Past Perfect

🇳🇱 Voltooid Verleden Tijd

Past Simple 

verb +ed

(irr. verb = 2nd form)

He arrived to the train station.

I decided to walk home.

Past Perfect 

had + verb +ed

(irr. verb = had + third form)

When he arrived to the train station the train had left.

I had lost my bike key so I decided to walk home.

🇬🇧 Past Simple 

🇳🇱 Verleden Tijd

ww+ed

(irr. verb = 2e vorm)

I 

I saw him yesterday.

🇬🇧 Past Perfect

🇳🇱 Voltooid Verleden Tijd

Past Simple 

verb +ed

(irr. verb = 2nd form)

He arrived to the train station.

I decided to walk home.

Past Perfect 

had + verb +ed

(irr. verb = had + third form)

When he arrived to the train station the train had left.

I had lost my bike key so I decided to walk home.

The Past Perfect shows what happened first in the past.

I had always walked home until I bought my first car.

What is happening in this sentence?

When he arrived to the train station, the train had already left.

What happened

first?

Check the following 

slide

- Ben bought flowers for Jen.

- Ben arrived at Jen's house.

What happened first?

Making a sentece with the Past Perfect and Past Simple.

- Ben bought flowers for Jen.

- Ben arrived at Jen's house.

What happened first?

Making a sentece with the Past Perfect and Past Simple.

- Ben bought flowers for Jen. (1)

- Ben arrived at Jen's house. (2)

                                        What happened first? --> Past Perfect

      

•  Ben had bought flowers before he arrived at Jen's house.
  
•                                                  or
  
•  Before he arrived at Jen's house, Ben had bought flowers. 

Fill in the Past Perfect:
When I walked in, the meeting ___already___ (start).

Fill in the Past Perfect:
After he ______ (pass) his exam, he threw a party.

Fill in the Past Perfect:
He was shocked because he ____ never ____ (see) anything like this.

After they _______ (finish) school, they _______ (go) to the mall.

1. had finished - went
2. finished - had gone

They ________ (show) me the pictures they ________ (take) during their holiday.

1. had shown - took
2. showed - had taken

The boy _______ (be) sorry for what he ______ (do).

1. had been - did
2. was - had done

What is the tense in this sentence?
I grew up in the Netherlands.

1. Present Simple
2. Past Simple
3. Present Perfect
4. Past Perfect

Which two tenses are used below?
"They had travelled all over the world, before they settled in New York."

1. Present Simple
2. Past Simple
3. Present Perfect
4. Past Perfect

They … (close) the bar after the last guest … (depart).

1. closed, departed
2. closed, had departed
3. had closed, departed
4. had closed, had departed

After the meeting … (finish), they … (go) out for a drink.

1. finished, went
2. finished, had gone
3. had finished, went
4. had finished, had gone

After they ... (eat) the shellfish, they ... (begin) to feel sick.

She .... (live) in China before she ... (go) to Thailand.

When I ... (arrive) at the cinema, the film .... (start).

After we ... (finish) dinner, we ... (go) out.

The referee ... (to pull) a red card, because the player ... (to make) a foul.

Great! Now let's practise a bit with the Present Perfect and the Past Simple.

In every question, look carefully what happened first (past perfect) and what happened next (past simple).

Now, write one sentence describing what happened using the Past Perfect and Past Simple:

Now, write one sentence describing what happened using the Past Perfect and Past Simple:

Extra practice

On the next few slides, you'll find a few websites on which you can practice the past perfect vs. the past simple. 

https:

https:

agendaweb.org

End of class