Showing which of two past events happened first. · about 12 minutes
Step 1 of 5
What is it? The past perfect is formed with had + past participle (had finished, had eaten). It shows an action that was completed before another action in the past: When I arrived, the film had started.
Why does it matter? It lets you tell events in the right order when a story jumps back in time.
Where do we use it? "She had already left when I called." "I had never seen snow before." "After he had finished, he went out."
In this lesson you will: