She had finished her homework before dinner.
- Language
- English
- Level
- B2
- Unit
- Verb Tenses and Aspects
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
The past perfect simple is a tense in English used to talk about an action that happened before another action in the past.
When to use it
Use the past perfect simple to show that one action happened before another action in the past. It helps make the order of events clear.
Key forms
- had + past participle (e.g., had eaten, had gone, had seen)
Examples
They had left when I arrived.
I had never seen that movie before.
By the time we got to the station, the train had departed.
Tips
- Always use 'had' for all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).
- The past perfect is often used with words like 'before', 'after', or 'by the time'.
- Do not use 'had' with the simple past in the same verb phrase.