Course on the Past Perfect Simple - TOEIC® Preparation

The past perfect simple is a tense in English used to talk about something that happened before another event in the past.

For example: When I arrived at the station, the train had already left.

This tense is very useful for telling stories or explaining things in the correct order.

How to form the past perfect simple?

The past perfect simple is formed with the auxiliary "had" (which remains unchanged for all persons) followed by the past participle of the verb:

• The past perfect simple is "the past of the present perfect". You can find the course on the present perfect here.
• For regular verbs, the past participle is formed by adding -ed to the base verb (e.g., worked).
• For irregular verbs, you need to learn the past participle form by heart. You can find the list of irregular verbs here.

When to use the past perfect simple?

The past perfect simple is used to describe an action or a state prior to another moment in the past. It is also used to express unfulfilled wishes or expectations in the past. In fact, it's the present perfect, but in the past.

The past perfect simple to talk about a completed action before another action in the past

The past perfect simple indicates that an action was completed before a reference point also located in the past.

• When I reached the station, the train had already left.
  When I arrived at the station, the train had already left before my arrival.
• When she woke up, the storm had passed.
  When she woke up, the storm had already passed.

In the past perfect simple, you will often find time expressions like when, as soon as, after, by the time, before…

• She had finished the book before I could ask her about it.
• By the time we got home, the guests had already left.

The past perfect simple to express a wish, regret, reproach, or an unfulfilled intention in the past

The past perfect simple can be used to talk about something that was wished or planned, but did not happen.

• We had planned to visit the new exhibition, but it closed earlier than expected.
• She had hoped to meet the CEO during the conference, but he canceled his appearance.
• If only I had remembered to bring my passport!
• She blamed him because he hadn't called earlier.

The past perfect simple is often used with verbs expressing intention like hope, want, mean, plan, expect, intend, wish…

The past perfect simple to talk about a past hypothesis

The past perfect simple can be used to imagine events that could have happened differently.

• I wish I had taken that opportunity.
• He acted as if he had known about it all along.

The past perfect simple in reported speech

When reporting what someone said (or thought) in the past, the past perfect is used to talk about things that happened before that moment.

• Direct speech: I had already eaten before you called.
  Reported speech: She said that she had already eaten before I called.
• Direct speech: They finished the project before the deadline.
  Reported speech: He said they had finished the project before the deadline.

For more information, you can read the course we wrote on the subject:

• 🔗 Course on reported speech for the TOEIC®.

The past perfect simple in third conditional sentences

Third conditional sentences are used to talk about hypothetical situations in the past, often to express regrets or imagined alternatives.

The past perfect appears in the conditional clause (if-clause) to describe a condition that was not met.

• If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam.

• If they had left earlier, they would have caught the train.

• If she had told me the truth, I would have helped her.

For more information, you can read the course we wrote on the subject:

• 🔗 Course on conditional sentences for the TOEIC®.

The past perfect simple with common time markers

As with the present perfect simple, certain adverbs or time markers are often associated with the past perfect simple:

• already
  • They had already locked the doors when we arrived.
• yet
  • She hadn't replied to my message yet when I called her.
• by the time
  • By the time we reached the venue, the performance had already started.
• just
  • I had just finished the report when the manager asked for it.
• never
  • He felt unprepared because he had never faced such a difficult situation before.
• once, as soon as, after, before, when…
  • He looked nervous. He had never given a speech before.

For more information, you can read the course we wrote on the present perfect simple:

• 🔗 Course on the present perfect simple for the TOEIC®.

Conclusion

In summary, the past perfect simple is formed with had + past participle and is mainly used to indicate that an event is prior to another moment in the past.

It is also used to express expectations or wishes that were not fulfilled. In the TOEIC®, it is often used in questions in the Reading section. Therefore, it is important to master it well to succeed in your TOEIC®.

We have written other courses on the perfect, you can find them here:

• 🔗 Course on the present perfect simple for the TOEIC®
• 🔗 Course on the present perfect continuous for the TOEIC®
• 🔗 Course on the difference between the present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous for the TOEIC®
• 🔗 Course on the past perfect simple for the TOEIC®
• 🔗 Course on the past perfect continuous for the TOEIC®
• 🔗 Course on the difference between the past perfect and the past simple for the TOEIC®
• 🔗 Course on the difference between the past perfect simple and the past perfect continuous for the TOEIC®