The "had done" form (or past perfect) is one of the least used tenses in English. We only really use it in the following situations.
* When it's important to say which event happened first in the past
* In reported speech
* To show regret about the past
* In conditional (if) sentences
Normally, when we say what happened in the past in English, we use the simple past or past continuous form.
For example, "He got up early to go to the beach. He spent all day there and went home as it was getting dark."
We know which order things happened in, so we don't need the past perfect tense.
Sometimes, we need to explain which events happened before other ones (especially if we "jump" around in our story). When we need to show that one thing happened before another, we can use the past perfect form.
For example, "I was hungry, as I hadn't eaten all day." (Being hungry happened after not eating all day.)
Compare these two sentences:
"When he got to the airport, the plane took off." (The plane took off after he arrived at the airport.)
"When he got to the airport, the plane had taken off." (The plane took off before he arrived at the airport.)
Reported speech in English
"I didn't see her," he said.
Because his words are in the past, when we report them we need to go one tense back and use the past perfect.
"He told me he hadn't seen her."
This is also the case if the words are in the present perfect.
"I have never been to Scotland."
She said that she had never been to Scotland.
To show regret
I wish I hadn't gone to the party. (But I went.)
If only she hadn't bought that car. (But she did.)
Conditional sentences (when we speculate about past events)
If I had worked harder, I would have passed the exam. (But I didn't work harder, so I failed.)
If you had told me, I could have helped. (But you didn't tell me, so I couldn't help.)
If they had left earlier, they might have caught the plane. (But they didn't leave earlier, so they didn't get the plane.)
44 comments on “Using "had done" in English”
Very well explained.
Thank you! Excellent.
this is the first time i got this.
It is excelent explanation about past perfect tense. It helped me to get it clearly. thank you so very much.
BRAVO!!!
Thanks very much for nice explanation.
IIs it possible to say " I have never been in Scotland"
Beatrice
Yes!
When do we use past perfect?
Let see the rule of one of the combination tenses.
Past Perfect and Past Simple
Function:To show first and second actions.
I did my homework (first action).
I slept(second action).
After i had done my homework,i slept.
Hi, thank you for the explanation.
Only a question. When we make conditional sentences, could I use "would have" instead of "had"? for example:
"If I would have worked harder. I would have passed the exam."
No. After "if" you need the tense, such as the past perfect:
If I had worked harder, I would have passed…
In my workbook I have the theory, which says: after WISH comes past simple tense, when we want to express that we really want the situation or position to be different. Does it connect with another tenses, like past perfect?
Yes, we can use wish with the past perfect to talk about our regrets at something that happened / didn't happen in the past:
I wish I had studied harder at school. (I didn't study hard at school and now I regret that.)
I wish you hadn't spent all that momey. (You spent a lot of money and now I regret that you did that.)
MABEL » We use "had done" to show that something happened before another time in the past. If you say "the rate had increased" then it increased before another time.
"The rate of smoking had increased up to 1990, then it dropped."
if only you had given us as a call before 12pm we can do something about it (is it correct?)
purple » No. "If only you had given us a call before 12 we could have done something about it" is correct. See also the page on conditionals in the grammar section for more advice on 3rd conditions.
If an action happaned in the past, can I say " I had done my homwork on 7th of October 2001."
or there is another way to say that.
You don't need to use the past perfect "had done" if you are talking about one past event. When we talk about events in the past, we generally use the simple past "I did my homework on October 7".
Use the past perfect to make clear which one of two events happened first in the past, or to give a flashback to a story which is set in the past.
I came across a sentence that reads " I turned off the stove when I went out. Shouldn't it be "I had turned off the stove when I went out." since turning off the stove happens before going out.
tnx.
Which is correct and why?
1. Kate prepared the speech on the plane and delivered it at the conference.
2. Kate had prepared the speech on the plane and delivered it at the conference.
No, because it is already clear which event happened first. You only need the past perfect to make the sequence of events clear.
The first is correct. Generally, when we tell a story, we narrate the events in chronological order. Because the order is clear, you don't need the past perfect to show which event happened first. (See my other reply to your previous question.)
This site is Excellent.
when do you use have and when do you use had in a sentence?
which is right?
i'm sorry i have disappointed you or
i'm sorry i had disappointed you
Your first sentence is correct. We only use the past perfect when we refer to an event before another event in the past.
is this sentence correct:(my teacher said NO but i do not know why!)I had been putting my sunglasses on until the guests left.(….and could you just tell me are appearance,appear and apparent from the same root, although they differ in their meanings? )
thanks a million!
another question there is no"must have" to refer to the past,right?
Putting on sunglasses is quite a quick activity, so you wouldn't use it in the continuous form. What about "I put on my sunglasses before the guests left"?
We can use "must have + past participle" to refer to the past:
He must have missed the train (= that is why he is late now). Have a look at the page on modals for more information on this.
thanks, i got you.but i want to say i had the sunglasses on my eyes soon after i took them as a gift untill the time the guests left. "had been wearing" might be correct…or again no?
Yes – "I had been wearing my sunglasses until the guests left" or "I wore my sunglasses until the guests left" as you are talking about two consecutive actions.
really nice thank u very much
Finally, I understood the concept of "past perfect" tense!
Thank you.
Hi Clare,
I really love to visit your website and learn more about English. I just eager to learn from your site..
Is the sentence below correct.? Thanks
We would expect the quotation by this week if you had done the pricing earlier.
We would have expected….. if you had done the pricing earlier.
hi, i have a litlle problem with a preposition before. which sentence is correct?
i grew up before i could realise it.
or
i had grown up before i could realise it.
Both sentences would be fine, though in the second one you're emphasising that one action happened before another. I think the first sentence sounds more natural.
hi,
when we use a sentences like "May i know if you have placed teh order earlier" or "May i know if the driver has installed" will these sentences be followed by question mark. can you please give me an example where a sentence starts with "may i know" and does not end with the question mark if there is any. And please explain why?
Thank you.
I'd use a question mark, but I wouldn't ask "May I know". Instead, I'd ask: "Can you tell me if / when…?"
really very well explained….. i got to noe various things…..
hi clare,
if i had known earlier about this site.i would have spoken english very well…
is this correct sentences??
Yes!
Can we use "because" as a signal word in using past perfect?
Yes.
"He left early because he had promised to get home before 7pm."
hi clare..
if i had known earlier,that you were in hospital,i would have seen you.
is this correct?
Yes.
hi clare,
its just superb,could u plz explain the difference between has done and had done ….am confused with that..plz..
Have a look at the page on using the present perfect tense in the grammar section of the site.
