Past Perfect (vs. Past Simple)

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 3

Goal:

At the end of this class, 

you know how to talk about 

an event that happened before another event in the past

Past Perfect

She had met him before the party.

The plane had left by the time I got to the airport.

They lost many of the games because they had not practiced enough.

What do you know already?

Past Perfect

What is happening in this sentence?

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

What happened

first?

🇬🇧 Past Simple 

🇳🇱 Verleden Tijd

ww+ed

(irr. verb = 2e vorm)

I 

I saw him yesterday.

🇬🇧 Past Perfect

🇳🇱 Voltooid Verleden Tijd

🇬🇧 Past Simple 

🇳🇱 Verleden Tijd

ww+ed

(irr. verb = 2e vorm)

He arrived to the train station.

I decided to walk home.

🇬🇧 Past Perfect 

🇳🇱 Voltooid Verleden Tijd

had + ww+ed

(irr. verb = had + 3e vorm)

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.

Do you know the irregular verbs???

Click here for the list!!

What is the past participle of 'to know'?

Irregular verbs
do - did - ............

Irregular verbs: to eat - ? - eaten - eten

Irregular verbs:
wear - ....... - .......

Irregular verbs
become - .......... - ............

Irregular Verbs:
wedden = .... - .... - ....

Irregular verbs
steal - ......... - .........

Irregular verbs:
forget - ...... - ........

Irregular verbs
write - wrote - ............

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.

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

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

When 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

She ______
(to watch) a video after the children
______(to go) to bed.

When she _____ (to arrive) the match
____ already _____ (to start).

After Eric _____ (to make) breakfast he
______ (to phone) his friend.

Goal achieved?

Goal:

At the end of this class, 

you know how to use the 

Past Perfect (together with 

the Past Simple).

I can now use the Past Perfect (together with the Past Simple).

1. Yes
2. No
3. Not sure yet..