PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

Team members: Mariana Martinez, Mario Yanes, Felix Salgado, Maria Andrea Espitia, Maria
Belen Martinez, Eva Hernandez, Sara Solano, Isabella Jimenez, Manuela Villadiego, Sebastian
Colon.

INTRODUCTION
Throughout this presentation, we will be introducing the past perfect tense, which branches
into two forms: past perfect simple and past perfect continuous. We will exclusively discuss its
simple form, covering its concept, structure, verbs, time expressions, examples of sentences
with and without "wh" questions, and tag questions, aiming to provide a relevant and
comprehensive understanding of this thematic development.

OBJECTIVE
Our main objective as a group is to efficiently introduce this grammatical tense (past perfect
simple) in order to enhance learning regarding its correct usage.

DEVELOPMENT
-CONCEPT
The past perfect is used to denote an action that occurred before another action in the past. It
is easily identified when phrases like "before" or "when" are used. The past perfect always
employs "had" followed by the past participle of the verb, which may be regular or irregular.
While regular verbs add "d" or "ed" to the infinitive form, irregular verbs do not follow a
specific rule and can completely change form for the past perfect. In forming an affirmative
sentence using this tense, the first action is conjugated in the past perfect, while the second is
in the past simple.

-STRUCTURE
The past perfect simple is constructed with the auxiliary verb "to have." In this case, the past
form "had" is used, followed by the past participle of the corresponding verb. The structure for
affirmative sentences is:

Subject + had + past participle of the main verb + rest of the sentence (past simple)
Example: We had eaten all the cookies when she called.

When the sentence is left at the first action, i.e., those referring to actions of personal
experience, this structure is used:
Subject + had + past participle of the verb + corresponding complement
Example: He had finished his homework yet.

To form the negative in past perfect simple, the particle "not" is inserted between "had" and
the main verb in past participle, resulting in:
Subject + had + not + past participle of the main verb + rest of the sentence (past simple)
Example: We had not/hadn’t eaten all the cookies when she called.

Remember that "had not" can be contracted to "hadn’t."

When the sentence is left at the first action, i.e., those referring to actions of personal
experience and we want to negate, this structure is used:
Subject + had + not + past participle of the verb + corresponding complement
Example: He had not finished his homework yet.
To construct the interrogation in past perfect simple, "had" precedes the sentence, placing it
before the subject.
Had + subject + past participle of the main verb + rest of the sentence + ?
Example: Had we eaten all the cookies when she called?

-VERBS
When forming an affirmative or negative sentence using this grammatical tense, the first action
is conjugated in the past perfect, while the second is in the past simple, or vice versa. In the
first action, the verb is placed in its past participle form, and in the second action, it is in its
past form. Both the first and second verbs can be regular or irregular.

Regular verbs simply add "d," "ed," or "ied" in the case of the past simple. In the case of the
past perfect, some regular verbs have "n" or "en" added to the last letters of the infinitive verb,
while irregular verbs do not follow any rule. To know which verbs are irregular or regular and in
what tense and action they are used, we will provide a list of irregular verbs for past participle
and past simple.

-FREQUENCY ADVERBS
We often use the adverbs "already," "just," "still," and "yet" in the present perfect but also in
the past perfect. These adverbs are used in reference to time, and their position within the
sentence depends on which one we are using.
Already
"Already" refers to something that has happened before or sooner than expected and is
translated as "ya" in Spanish. "Already" generally goes between the auxiliary verb and the main
verb.
Just
"Just" is used for actions that have occurred recently and is translated as "acabar de" or
"justo." Like "already," "just" goes before the verb or between the auxiliary and the verb in the
sentence.
Yet
"Yet" is used for something we expected to happen but has not happened yet. We tend to use
it in negative and interrogative sentences. In negative sentences, it can be translated as "aún"
or "todavía," and in questions as "ya." In contrast to the other adverbs in this lesson, "yet" goes
at the end of the sentence.
Still
We use "still" for actions or events that have not yet occurred, especially when we expect them
to have already occurred. It is translated as "aún" or "todavía." It is often used with other verb
tenses, but "still" always goes before the verb, regardless of the verb tense we use.

-PAST PERFECT SIMPLE WITH WH QUESTIONS

Wh-questions are used to obtain information about a place, a person's name, a time or day,
and even the reason for something.
Respective "wh":
What, Who, When, Where, Which, Why, Whose, and How
The structure of wh-questions in the past perfect simple is:
Wh + had + subject + verb in past participle form
Examples of wh-questions in past perfect simple:
1. What had you done to solve the problem before help arrived?
2. When had you finished studying for the math exam?
3. Why had you decided to change careers before graduating?
4. How had you planned your trip before the flights were canceled?
5. Where had you been before moving to this city?

-TAG QUESTIONS
Tag questions are grammatical elements that are placed at the end of a sentence in the form of
a short question and whose structure opposes the previous sentence. That is, if a sentence is
affirmative, the tag question accompanying it will be negative, and vice versa.
For example, in: Had she played before her parent came to her house? Hadn't she?

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this grammatical tense is used to express actions that occurred before another
action in the past. It is formed with the verb "had" followed by the past participle of the main
verb. Verbs can be regular or irregular. Additionally, adverbs such as "already," "just," "still,"
and "yet" are employed to indicate different temporal aspects. Wh-questions and tag questions
are also important tools for understanding and forming sentences in the past perfect simple.
This study aims to enhance comprehension and correct usage of this verbal tense.