Spotting the Earlier Past: had + done (A2 Grammar)
Your first meeting with had + past participle — the form for the action that happened FIRST when you talk about two past moments. At A2 the goal is to recognise it and fix the common slip (using has or the plain past instead of had). You'll use it to tell full stories later at B1.
Quick tip: Two past actions: which happened FIRST? First = HAD + past participle. Second = Past Simple. Fix has/plain-past → had.
Spot the form: HAD + past participle
One helper for everyone: had + the past participle. Watch for has/have slipping in — the earlier past action always takes had.
He had finished his homework. (not: has finished)
She had already left when I called.
They had never seen snow before.
We had eaten dinner already.
Which came first? That one gets had
When two things happened in the past, the earlier one takes had + done; the later one stays in the past simple.
When I arrived, the movie had started. (it started first)
By the time we got there, they had eaten.
She realised she had made a mistake.
Before Lani moved here, she had never seen snow.
Trigger words: because / before / after / by the time
These words often point to an earlier past action — the had part. They're your signal to fix a plain past back to had + done.
Diego was excited because he had never visited before.
After Ethan had finished, he took a break.
We couldn't enter because we had lost the key.
By the time she arrived, they had already started.
Common mistakes
Not "When I arrived, the movie started already" — say "When I arrived, the movie had started". Earlier action needs Past Perfect.
Not "I had seen him yesterday" — say "I saw him yesterday". Single past action = Past Simple.
Practise it
Spot the earlier past action and check its verb: it should be had + done. Fix any has/have or plain past back to had.