[had + past participle]

USE 1 – Completed Action Before Something in the Past

Examples:

• She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska.
• I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
• I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
• Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
• Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?
• She only understood the movie because she had read the book.
• Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.
• We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.
• A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?
• B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.

USE 2 – Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs)

• By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.
• They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty years.

MPORTANT Specific Times with the Past Perfect

example: She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.