Prep/Ilaf Past Simple vs Perfect Wed May 22
Verb Tense Review: The Past Simple
We use the past simple verb tense to talk about events that
happened at a speci c time in the past. Usually, in these
sentences, there is a word like 'yesterday' or 'last year' which
shows the action that happened at a time in the past that is
nished.
Past Simple Keywords: yesterday, last week, last month, last
year, in 1994
• I washed my clothes yesterday.
• I met her in 2008.
These actions happened in the past, they are nished.
Now, let's look at some examples of two actions in the past.
• I went to the store (Action 1). Then, I bought oranges (Action
2).
Page 1
fi
fi
fi
Prep/Ilaf Past Simple vs Perfect Wed May 22
• I woke up (Action 1) and brushed my teeth (Action 2).
This is usually how we speak and tell stories: we start with the
earliest action (waking up) and then describe what happened
next (brushing your teeth). This is speaking chronologically,
which means describing the earliest event and then what
happened after it.
Verb Tense Review: The Past Perfect
To use the past perfect, we need to have two actions in the past.
But, when we talk about the actions, we do not speak
chronologically. Instead, we speak about a recent action, and then
what happened earlier.
Subject + [ Auxiliary verb 'had' ] + [ Verb in Past Participle ]
Past Perfect Keywords: by, by the time, until, before
Page 2
Prep/Ilaf Past Simple vs Perfect Wed May 22
• She couldn't drive (Action 2) because she had lost her keys
(Action 1).
• When we arrived (Action 2) at the theatre, the movie had
already started (Action 1).
• By the time I moved into my own apartment (Action 2), I had
nished high school (Action 1).
In each sentence, there are two actions., and one action
happened before the other action. Let's compare the same ideas
using both tenses.
• Past Simple: On Monday, she lost her keys. On Tuesday,
she couldn't drive. (= This is a chronological story, with time
moving forward.)
• Past Perfect: On Tuesday, she couldn't drive because she
had lost her keys on Monday. (= not chronological -- moving
backward in time, not forward.)
• Past Simple: The movie started. Then we arrived. (=
chronological)
• Past Perfect: We arrived but the movie had already started.
(= not chronological)
• Past Simple: I nished high school. Then I moved into my
own apartment. (= chronological)
• Past Perfect: When I moved into my own apartment, I had
already nished high school. (= not chronological)
Can you see the difference?
To summarize, when we talk about an action that happened
before another past action, we use the past perfect (had +
past participle) to describe the earliest action.
Page 3
fi
fi
fi
