Categories: GrammarTenses

Past Perfect Tense in English

Past Perfect Tense indicates a past action which is completed before another past action.

POSITIVE FORM (+) :

Subject + HAD + V3 ( third form of main verb – past participle )

NEGATIVE FORM (-) :

Subject + HAD + NOT + V3 ( third form of main verb – past participle )

QUESTION FORM (?) :

HAD + Subject + V3 ( third form of main verb – past participle )

NEGATIVE QUESTION FORM (?) :

HAD + NOT + Subject + V3 ( third form of main verb – past participle )

SHORT ANSWER FORMS ( + / – ) :

YES / NO + Subject + had / had not (hadn’t)

POSITIVE(+)	NEGATIVE(-)	POSITIVE QUESTION (?)	NEGATIVE QUESTION (?)
He had been	He had not (hadn’t) been	Had he been	Hadn’t he been
She had been	She had not (hadn’t) been	Had she been	Hadn’t she been
It had been	It had not (hadn’t) been	Had it been	Hadn’t it been
I had been	I had not (hadn’t) been	Had I been	Hadn’t I been
You had been	You had not (hadn’t) been	Had you been	Hadn’t you been
We had been	We had not (hadn’t) been	Had we been	Hadn’t we been
They had been	They had not (hadn’t) been	Had they been	Hadn’t they been