The one that happened first (had done) (A2 Grammar)
To point to a past action that happened before another past action, use had + the past participle. It is had for everyone (I, you, he, she, we, they), never has or have here.
had + the past participle
He had finished his homework before dinner.
They had never seen snow before that trip.
We had eaten already, so we weren't hungry.
Not "She has finished before I called." — say "She had finished before I called.". For an earlier past action, use had, not has.
Try it: By the time we arrived, they ___ already eaten. (had / have / was) Answer: had — For an earlier past action, use had + the past participle: had eaten. "Have" is for now (present), and "was" does not go with eaten like this.
The same past participle, now after had
You already build the past participle for have / has sentences: most verbs just add -ed (work → worked, finish → finished, play → played), and some common verbs are irregular, so you learn each one. It is exactly the same form here. What is new is the word in front of it: had instead of have or has.
Irregular: eat → eaten, see → seen, go → gone, write → written
More irregular: make → made, take → taken, do → done, have → had
Not "She had eated lunch." — say "She had eaten lunch.". Eat is irregular, so its past participle is eaten, not "eated".
Try it: By lunchtime, he had ___ three emails. (written / wrote / writed) Answer: written — "Write" is irregular, so its past participle is written (had written). "Wrote" is the plain past, and "writed" is not a real word.
Saying no and asking (hadn't / Had…?)
To make it negative, put not after had: had not → short form hadn't, then the past participle. To ask, start with Had + the person + past participle? Short answers: Yes, … had. / No, … hadn't. Notice you never use did here — had does the work.
Negative: We hadn't eaten, so we were still hungry.
Question: Had you finished before the bell rang?
Short answer: Yes, I had. / No, I hadn't.
Not "Did you had finished before the bell?" — say "Had you finished before the bell?". For a question, move had to the front and keep the past participle finished — don't add "did".
Try it: The bus left before we got to the stop, so we ___ caught it. (hadn't / didn't / haven't) Answer: hadn't — For an earlier past action in the negative, use hadn't + past participle: hadn't caught it. "Didn't" is plain past, and "haven't" is for now (present).
Try it: ___ the film already started when you sat down? (Had / Did / Have) Answer: Had — To ask about an earlier past action, start with Had + past participle: Had the film started? "Did" does not go with "started" here, and "Have" is for now (present).
The earlier one gets had
When two things happened in the past, the earlier one takes had + past participle. The later one stays in the plain past.
When I arrived, the film had started. (it started first)
She realized she had made a mistake. (the mistake came first)
After Ethan had finished, he took a break.
Try it: Mei got to the cinema at 8:15. The film began at 8:00, so it was already playing when she walked in. Which fits the action that happened first (the film beginning)? (The film had started. / The film started.) Answer: The film had started. — The film began before she arrived, so the earlier action takes had: The film had started. "The film started" would sound like it began just as she walked in, but it began earlier.
Just one past action? Keep it plain
If you talk about only one past action, you do not need had. Use the plain past, like normal.
I saw him yesterday. (not "I had seen him yesterday")
She called me last night.
We visited Senfarren in May.
Not "I had seen him yesterday. (nothing earlier to compare it to)" — say "I saw him yesterday.". Only one past action, so use the plain past saw, not had seen.
Try it: Lars is telling you one simple thing: he met Camila at the market yesterday. There is no earlier past action to connect it to. Which fits a single past action? (He met Camila at the market. / He had met Camila at the market.) Answer: He met Camila at the market. — There is just one past action, with nothing earlier to point back to, so use the plain past: He met Camila. "Had met" only makes sense when there is a later past action too.
Putting it together: which verb gets had?
When a sentence has two past actions, decide the order: the earlier action takes had + past participle, and the later action stays in the plain past. Words like by the time, when, before, and after often signal the order.
By the time the show ended (later), everyone had left (earlier).
When we got home (later), the rain had stopped (earlier).
She posted the letter (later) after she had written it (earlier).
Not "By the time we had arrived, the shop closed." — say "By the time we arrived, the shop had closed.". The arriving is the later action → plain past; the closing came first → had closed.
Try it: By the time Diego ___ at the party, most guests ___ already left. (arrived … had / had arrived … had / arrived … have) Answer: arrived … had — After "By the time", the arriving is the later action → plain past arrived. The guests leaving came first → had (had left). So only the earlier action takes had; the later one stays plain.