The past perfect tense is usually used
with two past actions. The verb in the past perfect shows
the first past action.
I had seen that
movie before but I forgot what happened
in it.
First verb: see; Second verb: forget
The word order can be changed but it doesn't change the meaning:
I forgot that I had
seen that movie.
NOTE: Many Americans don't use this tense
properly.
see / saw / seen
forget / forgot / forgotten
Singular
Plural
I had seen
We had seen
You had seen
You had seen
He had seen
She had seen
They had seen
It had seen
examples
He had already started to make breakfast before
his wife woke up.
(already is frequently used with perfect
tenses. It usually appears between the auxiliary verb and
the main verb: had already started)
This house had been
painted yellow before they changed it
to pink.
Notice that the past perfect tense here is
in the passive voice. The passive past tense is formed like this: The
house was painted yellow before they changed it to pink. Often using
the past tense instead of the past perfect tense is acceptable.
Past perfect passive:
had + been + (past participle)
They had worked and saved a lot of money before they retired last year.
They'd had no idea how much they'd enjoy their retirement.
NOTE: When the verb "have" is in the past perfect it looks
like had had which is a little confusing)(they'd = they would)
If you need more help understanding the past perfect tense,
