had already left

Upgrade 2 - Unit 5

Grammar Reference Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

Honey, did you pay the bills I asked you to?

Unfortunately not! When I arrived at the bank, it had already closed!

We use the Past Perfect to talk about an action in the past before another action in the past. It is frequently used to report what someone else said or thought. For example: When I arrived at the station the bus had already left. João told me that he had traveled with his wife.

When I arrived at the station, the bus had already left.

PAST

1:

The bus left.

2:

I arrived at the station.

PRESENT

FUTURE

AFFIRMATIVE FORM

I You had He We

She You

It They

traveled.

NEGATIVE FORM

I You had

He We

She You

not

It They had not

hadn’t

traveled.

INTERROGATIVE FORM

I you Had

traveled? he we

she you

it they

It is similar to the Past Perfect Simple. However, the continuous form expresses longer actions before another action in the past. It is also similar to the Present Perfect Continuous. Nevertheless, instead of the time being NOW, the time is the PAST.

For example: • I had been waiting in the line for hours until I could finally pay my bills. • I had been waiting for hours, when my wife arrived.

I had been waiting for hours when my wife arrived.

PAST

1:

waiting

2:

the wife arrived

PRESENT

FUTURE

AFFIRMATIVE FORM

I You had He We

She You

It They

been

waiting.

NEGATIVE FORM

I You had He We

She You

not

been

It They had not

hadn’t

waiting.

INTERROGATIVE FORM

I you Had

been he

we

she you

it they

waiting?

And you? Had you studied English before you started studying in your current school?

How long had you been waiting before this class started?