Past perfect

The point

Had plus the past participle is the earlier of two past times. She had left before I arrived. Do not use it for one finished time with no earlier moment.

Form and use

The past perfect is had plus a past participle. Use it for the earlier of two past times. Both times are finished, but one happened before the other. She had left before I arrived. Left is earlier. Arrived is later. If there is only one past time, the past simple is enough.

Read the full set. I had left. You had left. He had left. She had left. We had left. They had left. I had seen it. You had gone. He had written it. She had done it. We had been there. I had not left. You had not seen it. He had not gone. Had I left? Had you seen it? Had she written it? Yes, I had. No, she had not. Yes, they had.

The participle is the same one you use after have. Go becomes gone, see becomes seen, write becomes written, do becomes done, and be becomes been. Had does not change for he or she. Do not write she had lefted, and do not put the past form after had when a participle exists: had saw is wrong, had seen is right.

When the order is already clear from before or after, English still prefers had on the earlier verb. I arrived after she had left. A question puts had before the subject. The negative is had not, or hadn't, plus the participle. One lonely time word, such as yesterday alone, does not justify had. She worked yesterday is the past simple.

Don't translate it like this

Had plus the participle left.

Short examples