INTRODUCTION
The past perfect tense is a verb tense used to describe an action that was completed before another past action or time in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “had” followed by the past participle of the main verb.
For example, “I had studied for three hours before I took the exam” indicates that the action of studying was completed before the action of taking the exam. Here, “had studied” is the past perfect tense.
The past perfect tense is often used to show the sequence of events in the past or to indicate that one action was completed before another. It can also be used to express regrets or wishes about something that happened in the past, such as “If only I had known earlier, I would have taken a different route.”
It’s important to note that the past perfect tense is often used in combination with the simple past tense to show the order of events in the past. For example, “I had finished my work before my boss arrived” uses both the past perfect and simple past tense to indicate that the action of finishing work was completed before the action of the boss arriving.
The Past Perfect tense is quite an easy tense to understand and to use. This tense talks about the “past in the past”
How do we use past perfect tense?
The Past Perfect tense expresses action in the past before another action in the past. This is the past in the past. For example:
- The train left at 9am. We arrived at 9:15am. When we arrived, the train had left.
Example:
POSITIVE FORM
I had bought a box of Pizza before you told me what you want for dinner last night.
(Saya sudah membeli sekotak Pizza sebelum kamu memberitahu saya apa yang kamu inginkan untuk makan malam semalam.)
Jensen had gone to the market when his parents woke up this morning.
(Jensen sudah pergi ke pasar ketika kedua orang tuanya bangun tidur pagi ini.)
Fira and Ardita had returned to their office by the time Cassandra finished her report.
(Fira dan Ardita telah kembali ke kantor mereka pada saat Cassandra menyelesaikan laporannya.)
Lissa had practiced her speech before the ceremony last night.
(Lissa telah melatih pidato nya sebelum upacara itu semalam.)
Wayan didn’t get a chance to meet his idol because his idol had flown back to Europe.
(Wayan tidak mendapat kesempatan untuk bertemu idolanya karena idolanya telah terbang kembali ke Eropa.)
Wayan and Komang had watched half of the movie when Sinta came last night.
(Wayan dan Komang sudah menonton setengah dari film itu ketika Sinta datang tadi malam.)
The train had departed by the time my mother arrived at the station.
(Kereta itu sudah berangkat pada saat ibu saya tiba di stasiun.)
Sonia had been in Bali for two years by the time she completed her research.
(Sonia telah berada di Bali selama dua tahun pada saat dia menyelesaikan penelitiannya.)
Jerome had taken IELTS test before they applied for a scholarship to Hungary.
(Jerome telah mengikuti tes IELTS sebelum mereka melamar beasiswa ke Hongaria.)
Marcella had cleaned her room before her cousin came to her house.
(Marcella telah membersihkan kamarnya sebelum sepupu nya datang ke rumahnya.)
NEGATIVE FORM
Julio had not read the manual when he operated the toys.
(Julio belum membaca buku panduan ketika dia mengoperasikan permainan itu.)
They had not eaten anything for days when we found them in the village.
(Mereka belum makan apapun selama berhari-hari ketika kami menemukannya di desa.)
Anita had not done her homework when she fell asleep last night.
(Anita belum menyelesaikan PR nya ketika dia tertidur semalam.)
Shakila had not finished her science project when I called her.
(Shakila belum menyelesaikan proyek sains miliknya ketika aku menelponnya.)
The office chief got upset because the management had not submitted their annual report.
(Kepala kantor menjadi kecewa karena manajemen belum menyerahkan laporan tahunan mereka.)
My teacher had not explained the material by the time I arrived at the classroom.
(Guru saya belum menjelaskan materi pada saat saya tiba di kelas.)
My friend and his wife had not seen the books before their son told them.
(Teman saya dan istrinya belum menemui beberapa buku sebelum anak laki-laki mereka memberitahu mereka.)
His father had not already sold the house when he received the loan from the bank.
(Ayahnya belum terlanjur menjual rumahnya ketika dia menerima pinjaman dari bank.)
My aunt had not washed her hands when I asked her to hold her baby.
(Bibi saya belum mencuci tangannya ketika I memintanya untuk memegang bayinya.)
INTERROGATIVE FORM
Had Toni perfected his design before he sold it to the market?
(Apakah Toni sudah menyempurnakan desainnya sebelum dia menjual desain itu ke pasaran?)
Had Mr Rajin learned how to cook before he worked at the five-star hotel?
(Apakah Bapak Rajin sudah belajar memasak sebelum dia bekerja di hotel bintang lima itu?)
Had Cindy seen such a beautiful creature before she saw a Peacock at my house?
(Apakah Cindy sudah pernah melihat makhluk yang begitu cantik hingga dia melihat seekor burung merak di rumahku?)
Had John ever tried Balinese traditional food before he met us?
(Apakah John sudah pernah mencoba makanan traditional Bali sebelum dia bertemu dengan kita?)
Had you visited East Java before I met you?
(Apakah kamu sudah mengunjungi Jawa Timur sebelum aku bertemu denganmu?)
Had Lidya published fifteen books when she was 15 years old?
(Apakah Lidya sudah menerbitkan lima belas buku ketika dia berusia lima belas tahun?)
Had you taken a bath when I picked you up yesterday?
(Apakah kamu sudah mandi ketika aku menjemputmu kemarin?)
Had Wayan had breakfast by the time the school bus arrived at his house?
(Apakah Wayan sudah sarapan pada saat bis sekolah tiba di rumahnya?)
Had your little sister had dinner before the electricity went off yesterday?
(Apakah adik perempuanmu sudah makan malam sebelum listrik padam kemarin?)
Had you fed the dog before you went out of town?
(Apakah kamu sudah memberi makan anjing itu sebelum kamu pergi ke luar kota?)
