How to Know the Difference Between Simple Past and Past Perfect

If you are just learning to speak English or if you are studying for a grammar test, you may be confused about the difference between simple past tense and past perfect. Both indicate that an action has already been completed, but the tenses differ in structure and meaning. Simple past tense is also known as preterite tense and indicates an action that happened at a specific point in time. Past perfect tense includes the past tense of the verb "to have."

Instructions

1. Look for the word "had" in the sentence. If "had" is followed by another verb, the sentence is in past perfect tense. An example is, "By the time I got there, he had left the house."

2. Read the sentence and ascertain whether it refers to a single action that began and ended in the past. An example is, "I went to the store yesterday." This is simple past tense.

3. Look for the word "before" or "after" in the sentence. Sentences that include these words are often past perfect tense sentences. An example is, "Before I got there, they had started eating."

4. Read the sentence and ask yourself if it is describing one thing that happened before another thing at some point in the past. These are past perfect sentences. An example is, "We had been stranded for two days before he arrived."

References

• English Page: Simple Past
• ESL Gold: Past Perfect Tense
• English Page: Past Perfect

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• English Grammar Online 4U: Simple Past - Past Perfect Simple