Two things happened in the past, and one of them came first. English marks that with the Past Perfect: We had already left when the rain started. The pattern is simple, but it is easy to skip.
The phrase: We had already left when the rain started
The sentence has two past actions. The earlier one, we had already left, uses the Past Perfect (had + past participle). The later one, the rain started, uses the Past Simple. The word when links them, and the Past Perfect tells the listener which action happened first.
- We had already left when the rain started.The leaving came first; the rain came after.
- She had already eaten when I arrived.Her meal was finished before I got there.
- By the time we got there, the film had already started.The film began before we reached the cinema.
Already goes between had and the past participle: had already left, had already eaten. This is the standard, most natural word order.
How to form the Past Perfect
The form is always had + V3 for every subject: I had, she had, they had. For regular verbs, V3 matches the Past Simple form (started). For irregular verbs, you need to learn it separately: leave – left – left, go – went – gone. Our irregular verbs table can help you check them.
- We hadn’t left yet when the rain started.Negative: the first action had not happened yet.
- Had you left when the rain started?Question: did the first action finish before the second?
Past Perfect or Past Simple?
Past Simple is enough when one action follows another: We left, and then it started to rain. The Past Perfect stresses that the first action was already finished by the time of the second. Compare:
- We left when the rain started. — the leaving and the rain happened at about the same time.
- We had left when the rain started. — we were already gone before the rain began.
With before and after, the Past Simple is often enough: After we left, it started to rain. For a broader overview, see our posts on past tenses and Past Continuous with when.
Common mistakes
- Present Perfect instead of Past Perfect: “We have already left when the rain started” doesn’t work in a past-time story. A finished earlier action with when needs had.
- Wrong past participle: “We had leave” instead of “We had left”; “I had went” instead of “I had gone”.
- Past Simple for both actions: “We left when the rain started” is correct, but it doesn’t show which action came first.
A few more useful phrases
- The bus had already gone when we reached the stop.We missed it: the bus left before we arrived.
- I had just finished when you called.“just” here means a moment before the second action.
- They had already eaten by the time we came.“by the time” means “at the moment when”.
Check yourself
Say it in English, then reveal the answer:
1.Say that she had finished her homework before I called.
Answer
She had already finished her homework when I called.
2.Say that they hadn’t started yet when we arrived.
Answer
They hadn’t started yet when we arrived.
3.Ask whether he had left when the rain started.
Answer
Had he left when the rain started?
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