PAST PERFECT VS PAST SIMPLE

1. Use the simple past to talk about things that happened and were completed in the past.

 I lived in Perth for three years. (I don’t live in Perth now.)

 Use the simple past with ago to show when something started.

 I moved there five years ago.

2. Use the past perfect to show that something happened before a specific time in the past.

 By 1994, Ang Lee had become successful.

 It was 1994. He had already made several films.

 The train had left by the time we arrived at the station.

PAST FUTURE
Train left We arrived at PRESENT
the station

 She had finished studying by 9 o’clock.

PAST FUTURE
Finished 9 o’clock PRESENT
studying

3. Use the past perfect to show a relationship with a past time or another past event.

 Use the past perfect for the earlier event. Use the simple past for the later time or event.

In sentences with when, notice the difference in meaning between the simple past and the past
perfect simple:

- When the movie ended, she left. (First the movie ended. Then she left.)
- When the movie ended, she had left. (First she left. Then the movie ended.)
 4. Use already, ever, by, before, after, when, by the time, yet, never, and just with the past
perfect to emphasize the event which occurred first.

SIMPLE PAST
Affirmative Statements
She finished her homework.

Negative Statements
She didn't finish her homework

Yes/No Questions Short Answers

Did she finish her homework? Yes, she did.
  No, she didn't.

Wh- Questions
When did she finish homework?

PAST PERFECT
Statements
Subject Had (not) Past Participle  

I had (not) finished the homework

You      
He      
She      
It      
We      
You      
They      

Yes/ No Questions
Had Subject Past Participle  

Had I finished the homework?

  you    
  he    
  she    
  it    
  we    
  you    
  they    
 Short answers
Affirmative Negative

Yes, I had. No, I hadn't.

  you     you  
  he     he  
  she     she  
  it     it  
  we     we  
  you     you  
  they     they  

Wh- Questions
Wh- Word Had Subject Past Participle  
the
When had she finished homework?

Exercise 1. Complete the sentences with the past perfect simple of the verbs in parentheses.
Underline with red the event that happened first in each sentence.

1. When I arrived at the cinema, the film ____had started_____ (start).

2. She ____lived______ (live) in China before she went to Thailand.
3. After they ___ate_______ (eat) the fish, they began to feel sick.
4. If you _ had listed_________ (listen) to me, you would have gotten the job.
5. Julie didn’t arrive until I ____left______ (leave).
6. When did we did finished_____ (finish) dinner, we went out.
7. The garden was dead because it ___had been_______ (be) dry all summer
8. He ___had meet_______ (meet) her somewhere before.
9. We were late for the plane because we ____had forgetten______ (forget) our passports.
10. She told me she ___studyed_______ (study) a lot before the exam.
11. The grass was yellow because it _____hadnt rained_____ (not rain) all summer.
12. They ___didnt ate_______ (not eat), so they went to a restaurant.
13. We couldn’t go into the concert because we __didnt brought________ (not bring) our
tickets.
14. She said that she ____hadnt visited______ (not visit) the USA before.
15. He____didnt use______ (not use) e-mail before, so I showed him how to use it.
16. The storm destroyed the sandcastle that we __had build________ (build).
17. He hadn’t been__________ (not be) to Cape Town before 1997.
18. When she went out to play, she had already do__________ (already do) her homework.
19. My brother ate all of the cake that our mom ___had maked_______ (make).
20. The doctor took off the plaster that he ____had put on______(put on) six weeks before.
21. The children collected the chestnuts that _____did fell_____ (fall) from the tree.
 22. Did he called__________ (he call) Angie before he went to see her in London?
23. The waiter brought a drink that I___didnt ordered______ (not order).
24. I couldn’t remember the poem we _had learned_________ (learn) the week before.
25. She ___didnt drived_______ (not drive) a car before that day.

Exercise 2. Complete with the simple past or the past perfect simple of the verbs in parentheses.

1. I __was________ (be) tired yesterday because I ___hadnt sleeped_______ (not sleep) for
two nights.
2. Andy said that this was the most wonderful present he ____had evered received______
(ever / receive).
3. After Alice _did prepare_________ (prepare) herself a light dinner, she __did
watched________ (watch) a comedy on TV.
4. Just the other day we ___had seen_______ (see) Mark and his wife Bridget at the mall.
We __hadnt seen________ (not see) them for months.
5. Belinda ___did made_______ (make) dinner by the time her friends _did
arrived_________ (arrive).
6. Before Simon Green ____had die______ (die) at the age of 70, he __had made________
(make) sure that his wife and children would life comfortably.
 IRREGULAR VERBS

Infinitive Simple Past Past Participle Spanish

Arise arose arisen surgir
Be was / were been ser
Beat beat beaten golpear
Become became become convertirse
Begin began begun comenzar
Bet bet/betted bet/betted apostar
Bite bit bitten morder
Bleed bled bled sangrar
Blow blew blown soplar
Break broke broken romper
Bring brought brought traer
Build built built construir
Buy bought bought comprar
Catch caught caught atrapar
Choose chose chosen elegir
Come came come venir
Cost cost cost costar
Creep crept crept arrastrarse
Cut cut cut cortar
Deal dealt dealt dar, repartir
Do did done hacer
Draw drew drawn dibujar
Dream dreamt/dreamed dreamt/dreamed soñar
Drink drank drunk beber
Drive drove driven conducir
Eat ate eaten comer
Fall fell fallen caer
Feed fed fed alimentar
Feel felt felt sentir
Fight fought fought pelear
Find found found encontrar
Flee fled fled huir
Fly flew flown volar
Forget forgot forgotten olvidar
Forgive forgave forgiven perdonar
Forsake forsook forsaken abandonar
Freeze froze frozen congelar
Get got got tener, obtener
Give gave given dar
Go went gone ir
Grind ground ground moler
Grow grew grown crecer
hang hung hung colgar
have had had tener
hear heard heard oír
hide hid hidden esconderse
hit hit hit golpear
hold held held tener, mantener
hurt hurt hurt herir, doler
keep kept kept guardar
kneel knelt knelt arrodillarse
know knew known saber
lead led led encabezar
learn learnt/learned learnt/learned aprender
leave left left dejar
lend lent lent prestar
let let let dejar
lie lay lain yacer
lose lost lost perder
make made made hacer
mean meant meant significar
meet met met conocer, encontrar
pay paid paid pagar
put put put poner
quit quit/quitted quit/quitted abandonar
read read read leer
ride rode ridden montar, ir
ring rang rung llamar por teléfono
rise rose risen elevar
run ran run correr
say said said decir
see saw seen ver
sell sold sold vender
send sent sent enviar
set set set fijar
sew sewed sewn/sewed coser
shake shook shaken sacudir
shine shone shone brillar
shoot shot shot disparar
show showed shown/showed mostrar
shrink shrank/shrunk shrunk encoger
shut shut shut cerrar
sing sang sung cantar
sink sank sunk hundir
sit sat sat sentarse
sleep slept slept dormir
slide slid slid deslizar
sow sowed sown/sowed sembrar
speak spoke spoken hablar
spell spelt/spelled spelt/spelled deletrear
spend spent spent gastar
spill spilt/spilled spilt/spilled derramar
split split split partir
spoil spoilt/spoiled spoilt/spoiled estropear
spread spread spread extenderse
stand stood stood estar de pie
steal stole stolen robar
sting stung stung picar
stink stank/stunk stunk apestar
strike struck struck golpear
swear swore sworn jurar
sweep swept swept barrer
swim swam swum nadar
Take took taken tomar
Teach taught taught enseñar
Tear tore torn romper
Tell told told decir
Think thought thought pensar
throw threw thrown lanzar
tread trode trodden/trod pisar
understand understood understood entender
wake woke woken despertarse
wear wore worn llevar puesto
weave wove woven tejer
weep wept wept llorar
win won won ganar
wring wrung wrung retorcer
write wrote written escribir