PAST PERFECT TENSE

1) Together with the Simple Past
When two past actions are combined - the first action, which was completed before the second one began, is put into Past Perfect.

Mary had read the book before she watched a film.
After Amy had gone home it started to rain.


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2) the past equivalent of the Present Perfect
He had played hockey.

Present Perfect Past Perfect
The bike is new. I've bought it. The bike was new. I had bought it.

Past Perfect - Simple Past Simple Past - Simple Past
The match had started before he arrived. The match started when he arrived.


Form of the Past Perfect
We form the Past Perfect with had and the past participle (regular verbs: infinitive + -ed; irregular verbs: 3rd column of the table of the irregular verbs)

had + past participle

We use the same form of the auxiliary had every time regardless the subject.

past participle:
- regular verbs: infinitive + -ed
- irregular verbs: 3rd column of the table of the irregular verbs


Affirmative sentences
regular verbs irregular verbs
I/you/he/she/it/we/they had played hockey. I/you/he/she/it/we/they had gone home.

Negative sentences
regular verbs irregular verbs I/you/he/she/it/we/they had not played hockey. I/you/he/she/it/we/they had not gone home

Questions
regular verbs irregular verbs
Had I/you/he/she/it/we/they played hockey? Had I/you/he/she/it/we/they gone home?