In English 125, you learned how to use the past perfect to show that something happened before another past event.

  • We sold the condo we had owned for five years.
  • When I woke up, I saw that it had rained.

This lesson will look at the use of the past perfect in more detail.

Time Expressions

Time Clauses with Before and After

As shown in English 125, if you use time clauses with the conjunctions before or after, it is not necessary to use the past perfect because these conjunctions already clearly show the sequence of events. Instead, the past simple can be used in both clauses with the same meaning.

  • After Janie had been fired, Steven realized that he wanted to change his lifestyle. = After Janie was fired, Steven realized that he wanted to change his lifestyle.
  • The game had started before they arrived at the stadium. = The game started before they arrived at the stadium.

Generally speaking, English speakers use the past simple with before and after in everyday, informal situations while they use the past perfect in more formal situations and academic writing. English speakers might also choose to use the past perfect in informal situations where they want to emphasize the sequence or the fact that the two actions are separate and not dependent on each other.

As soon as

Another conjunction that can be used in the same way is as soon as, which means “immediately after”.

  • As soon as I had finished eating, the waiter started to clear the table. = As soon as I finished eating, the waiter started to clear the table.
  • We moved into our new apartment as soon as we had painted it. = We moved into our new apartment as soon as we painted it.

Note that the use of the past perfect is more common with as soon as than it is with before or after.

Beforehand and Afterwards

Beforehand and afterwards can be used as alternatives to before and after as adverbs showing the sequence of past actions or events.

Beforehand shows that an action or event happened before another action or event. Often, we use the past perfect with beforehand to emphasize the order of events. Note the end-position placement, which is typical of beforehand.

  • I arrived at the hotel late but, luckily, had booked a room beforehand.  
  • Because she had started cooking dinner beforehand, everything was ready when her friends arrived.
  • He passed his exam easily because he had studied hard beforehand.

In contrast, afterwards shows that an action or event happened after another action or event. Generally speaking, when we use afterwards, the order of events is already completely clear, and therefore it is unusual to use the past perfect. Instead, the past simple is usually used for both verbs. Notice how afterwards can be placed in the front or end position.

  • They went to the car-free festival and then had dinner afterwards.
  • She dropped off some clothes at the thrift store, and afterwards, she met up with some of her friends at the beach.
  • I got a massage yesterday, and my back felt so much better afterwards.

Be careful! Unlike before and after, which can function as adverbs, conjunctions, or prepositions, beforehand and afterwards can only function as adverbs. Therefore, they cannot be used to connect two clauses nor can they be used to show relationship to a noun.

        • Incorrect

          Afterwards we finished our drinks, we went home.

        • Incorrect

          I moved to the city beforehand you.

By...

By... is another common time expression that is used with the past perfect. Note that by... can be used by itself as a preposition or as part of a longer phrase like by the time.

  • By 7pm, everyone had left the office. (by + time)
  • She had finished her internship by February. (by + month)
  • The movie was so boring that by the end of it, everybody in the theatre had fallen asleep. (by + noun phrase)
  • By the time I finished cooking, all the guests had arrived. (by the time + dependent clause)

Adverbs of Time and Frequency

Adverbs such as never, ever, just, always, and already can also be used with the past perfect to emphasize the recency, completion, or frequency of an action. Notice the mid-position placement which is typical for these adverbs.

  • John had never taken such difficult exams before he started university.
  • My mom’s cooking was the best food I had ever eaten until I went to that restaurant. Sorry, Mom!
  • I had just finished cooking when my guests arrived. 
  • Malik had always been an amazing writer, so it was no surprise that he decided to write for a living.
  • We were lucky that we had already cleaned up the mess before our parents came home.

Conjunctions Showing Other Relationships

As well as time, conjunctions that focus on relationships such as cause and effect, contrast, or results can be used with the past perfect.

  • Even though I was on vacation, my boss had emailed me several times.
  • John had told Mika about the change in the schedule, so she didn’t arrive late. 
  • Although Mikael had studied really hard for the test, he still failed. 
  • Suddenly, I realized that I wasn’t feeling well because I hadn’t eaten breakfast.

Past Perfect Continuous

The past perfect continuous is used to focus on the continuity and duration of an action or situation that started before a specific point in the past and continued until that point. Generally, we think of these actions or situations as temporary.

  • In 2019, I had been working for a law firm in Toronto for six years.
  • They had been waiting for the bus for 20 minutes when it arrived.
  • How long had she been singing on YouTube before she became famous?

Note that it is common to specify the time period, as in the examples above, but sometimes this is implied or already understood by the person we are talking to.

Remember that verbs with stative meanings (e.g. be, love, know) aren’t used in any continuous form in English. In the past perfect, the simple form is always used for these verbs even when we want to focus on duration.

  • Incorrect

    They had been knowing each other for five years before they got married.

  • Correct

    They had known each other for five years before they got married.

As with the past perfect simple, you can use the past perfect continuous with conjunctions that express relationships besides time. The use of the continuous still focuses on or emphasizes the continuity or duration of the action.

  • Satoshi was tired because he had been jogging.
  • Even though he had been working all day, Alfonso didn’t feel at all tired.
  • It had been raining all night, so the ground was wet when I woke up.

Exercise

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