Conjugation & verb forms of the past perfect simple
(Formation of the past perfect simple tense in English)
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Formation of the past perfect simple
The past perfect simple (also called pluperfect) is formed by combining the past form of ‘to have’ (that is ‘had’) with the past participle of the respective verb. Compare the following examples and the table below with all possible forms:
- Example sentences showing the formation of the past perfect simple:
- “Before we went on holiday, we had applied for a visa.”
- “They had built their house a long time before their son was born.”
Verb forms of the past perfect simple
Example verb: ‘to give’
Positive/affirmative sentences
| Person/pronoun | Positive | Short form | Interrogative form | Short form of question |
| I | We had given. | We’d given. | Had we given? | – |
| you (singular) | ||||
| he/she/it | ||||
| we/you/they |
Negative sentences
| Person/pronoun | Negative | Short form | Interrogative form | Short form of question |
| I | You had not given. | You hadn’t given. or You’d not given. |
Had you not given? | Hadn’t you given? |
| you (singular) | ||||
| he/she/it | ||||
| we/you/they |
Explanations relating to the ‘Formation of the past perfect simple’
The following explanations relate to the topic ‘Conjugation and verb forms of the past perfect simple (pluperfect)’ and could also be interesting: