Past Perfect

PAST PERFECT

Hello learner ! In this post I am going to explain how to use 'Past Perfect Simple and Continuous', and I will also show you when they are used, how the verb 'TO BE' is formed in the participle and the 'TO HAVE' is formed in the past, and some tips to identify when the 'Past Perfect Simple' and the 'Past Perfect Continuous' are used when they appear in the same sentence.

At the end of the post I leave you a sheet to practice what you have seen. If you like it and it is useful to you, subscribe so you don't miss any more content and share it with whoever you think might find it useful. 

WHEN DO YOU USE THEM?

Past grammatical forms are used to talk about events that occurred in the past, however, when do we use 'Past Perfect Simple' or 'Past Perfect Continuous'? 

The 'Past Perfect Simple' is used for actions prior to the past, which may be imaginary (in which the third conditional is usually used), and to talk about an action that occurred in the past up to a certain point. moment. On the other hand we have the 'Past Perfect Continuous', which is used for actions from the past that are in progress until another action from the past begins or occurs, and actions from the past that have an impact on the present.

In the following image, you will be able to see when the 'Past Perfect Simple' and the 'Continuous' are used, in addition to being able to see an example of each situation, and see the difference between one and the other in a simpler way. 

Past Perfect

TO HAVE = TENER

'TO HAVE ' is the auxiliary verb used to form the 'Past Perfect Simple' and the 'Past Perfect Continuous'. This is always placed after the subject, except in interrogative sentences, where the order is exchanged.

THE VERB 'TO HAVE' IN THE PAST IS CONJUGATED AS 'HAD' WITH ALL SUBJECTS.

 

TO BE = SER/ESTAR

The verb 'TO BE' is used in the 'Past Perfect Continuous' in its 'Past Participle' form and behind the verb 'TO HAVE'. The order will only change in interrogative sentences, where the verb 'TO BE' will go after the Subject. If adverbs of frequency are added, they will be written between the verb 'TO HAVE' and 'TO BE'.

THE 'PAST PARTICIPLE' OF THE VERB 'TO BE' IS 'BEEN'

PAST PERFECT
SIMPLE

The 'Past Perfect Simple' is formed using the auxiliary verb 'TO HAVE' in the past tense after the subject, plus the corresponding verb in 'Past Participle'. 

When making negative and interrogative sentences, we will continue using the auxiliary verb 'TO HAVE' in the past tense.

AFFIRMATIVE:

Subject + Auxiliary Verb ‘TO HAVE’ in past + Verb in ‘Past Participle’ +…

Ex: I had studied English.

NEGATIVE:

Subject + Auxiliary Verb 'TO HAVE' in past + NOT + Verb in 'Past Participle' +…

Ex: I hadn’t studied English.

INTERROGATIVE: 

Auxiliary Verb 'TO HAVE' in Past + Subject + Verb in 'Past Participle' +…?

Ex: Had you studied English?

PAST PERFECT
CONTINUOUS

We also have the 'Past Perfect Continuous', which is formed using the verb 'TO HAVE' in the past tense, as an auxiliary verb, plus the verb 'TO BE' in 'Past Participle', plus the corresponding verb adding '-ing' to it. in the end.

To form negative and interrogative sentences, the auxiliary verb 'TO HAVE' will also be used in the past tense.

AFFIRMATIVE:

Subject + Auxiliary Verb 'TO HAVE' in Past + Verb 'TO BE' in 'Past Participle' + Verb -ing +

Ex: I had been studying English.

NEGATIVE:

Subject + Auxiliary Verb 'TO HAVE' in Past + NOT + Verb 'TO BE' in 'Past Participle' + Verb -ing' +

Ex: I had not been studying English.

INTERROGATIVE: 

Auxiliary Verb 'TO HAVE' in past + Subject + Verb 'TO BE' in 'Past Participle' + Verb -ing' +

Ex: Had you been studying English?

By clicking on the same title, you will find a file created by me to work on what was seen above. This link redirects you to Liveworksheet where you can do the sheet online or download it in pdf.

If you want to find more information to learn English quickly, easily and for free, I recommend you follow this link where you will find all the posts related to learning English that I have uploaded so far.

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