❓The past simple and past perfect tenses - English Learners' Questions

Hi guys! Dan here for BBC Learning English with this week's Learner Question. Find out

what it is after this.

OK! This week's learner question comes from Niki from Hungary, who writes: The following

sentence has been giving me a headache for weeks now. Could you please give me the correct

answer and justify it? When was the last time you had eaten / ate in this restaurant? Two

weeks ago. Ok, Niki, are you ready? Here we go.

So, in your example it has to be the past simple. When was the last time you ate in

this restaurant? Two weeks ago. Now the past simple refers to finished periods of time

or moments of time. It refers to a definite past. So, it’s often used with time adverbials

such as: last night, some time ago, in 1985, earlier today, at six o clock this morning,

the last time, the first time, etc etc etc. And don’t forget that the auxiliary verb is did. For

example: The first time I ever rode a horse was on my 7th birthday. And the last time

was 6 months ago.

The past simple can also be used to refer to repeated past events and past habits and

past states. For example: When I was small, we lived in a cottage by the sea and I played

every day on the beach.

Now, the past perfect is formed using had + a past participle verb. And, we use it when

we are already discussing the past and wish to refer back to an event that happened before

this point. For example: When I got to the cinema, the film had already started.

Now, the past perfect can also be used with words like after, as soon as, when and once,

but usually only to emphasise that one action is quite separate and independent and has

finished before another one. Remember, everything’s in the past. So, compare these sentences:

When I got out of the car, I bought a parking ticket. These two are connected. One follows

the other. However, when I had got out of the car, a dog ran over to me. These two events

are unconnected and separate.

I hope that answers your question Niki. Thank you very much for writing to us. If anybody

else out there has a question for Learners’ Questions, you can email us on: [email protected].

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That’s it for this week’s Learners’ Questions. I’ll see you next time.