90-MINUTE CLASS · A2+ → B1
What had
What had
happened
before?
Put two past events in order, explain what happened first, and tell the story clearly.
Your goal“The plane had left before Sofia arrived.”
PART 1 · 8 MINUTES
What happened first?
Look at the two times. Say the answers aloud before you check.
Sofia arrived.
Did both actions happen in the past?
Which action happened first?
Was Sofia early or late?
Did she see the plane leave?
Check your answers
Yes, both happened in the past. The plane left first. Sofia arrived later, so she was late and missed the plane.
Join the events: The plane had left before Sofia arrived.
PART 2 · 12 MINUTES
The past before the past
When we look back from a past moment, the earlier action is “the past before the past.”
The plane had left.
Sofia arrived.
Keep the focus on the order. Past Perfect helps show that one action was already complete before another past moment. With words like before and after, Past Simple can also show the order; today, use Past Perfect to spotlight the earlier event.
When I arrived, the movie had started.
What started first? Show the answer
The movie started first. I arrived second. “Had started” is Past Perfect.
PART 3 · 12 MINUTES
Build the sentence
Had stays the same with every subject. The verb after it is the past participle.
She had finished the report.
She hadn’t saved the file.
Had they eaten?
Yes, they had. / No, they hadn’t.
Past Simple reminder
Positive: subject + past form — The meeting started.
Negative: subject + didn’t + base verb — She didn’t arrive early.
Question: Did + subject + base verb? — Did he save the file?
Quick check: choose the correct form
Had she finished? Yes, she had. · Did she finish? Yes, she did. After did/didn’t, use the base verb.
PART 4 · 8 MINUTES
Past participle practice
Past Perfect always needs the verb’s third form.
Say the third form
go – went – … · see – saw – … · eat – ate – … · write – wrote – …
forget – forgot – … · break – broke – … · take – took – … · leave – left – …
Check the eight answers
gone · seen · eaten · written · forgotten · broken · taken · left
Keep these three forms togethergo — went — goneeat — ate — eatenwrite — wrote — writtenleave — left — left
PART 5 · 15 MINUTES
Put events in order
Complete each set. Try first, then open the answer key.
A · Which happened first?
- Maria prepared dinner. / The guests arrived.
- Daniel forgot to save the file. / The computer crashed.
- The movie started. / The couple entered the theater.
- The thief escaped. / The police arrived.
- A storm knocked a branch onto the car. / The family went outside.
- I sent the report. / My manager asked for it.
Show the order
1 Maria prepared dinner → guests arrived. 2 Daniel forgot to save → computer crashed. 3 Movie started → couple entered. 4 Thief escaped → police arrived. 5 Storm knocked the branch down → family went outside. 6 I sent the report → manager asked for it.
B · Complete with Past Perfect or Past Simple
- When we __________, the movie __________. (arrive / start)
- After Maria __________ dinner, the guests __________. (prepare / arrive)
- Daniel __________ the document when his computer __________. (not save / crash)
- By the time the police __________, the thief __________. (arrive / escape)
- I __________ breakfast before I __________ home. (eat / leave)
- When my manager __________ for the report, I __________ it. (ask / already send)
- Laura __________ never __________ before she __________ to New York. (fly / travel)
- After we __________ the project, we __________ home. (finish / go)
- I __________ Ana because she __________ her hair. (not recognize / cut)
- The store __________ when we __________ there. (close / get)
Show the answers
- arrived / had started
- had prepared / arrived
- hadn’t saved / crashed
- arrived / had escaped
- had eaten / left
- asked / had already sent
- had / flown / traveled
- had finished / went
- didn’t recognize / had cut
- had closed / got
C · Choose the best option
- When I arrived, my friends left / had left.
- After she had finished work, she went home / had gone home.
- The computer crashed because he hadn’t saved / didn’t saved the file.
- By the time we reached the airport, the plane had taken off / took off.
- They had eaten dinner before they watched / had watched the movie.
- I was nervous because I had never given / never gave a presentation before.
Show the answers
had left · went home · hadn’t saved · had taken off · watched · had never given
PART 6 · 8 MINUTES
Connect the events
These words help your listener follow the order and timing.
The plane had left before Sofia arrived.
After Maria had prepared dinner, the guests arrived.
When I arrived, the movie had started.
By the time the police arrived, the thief had escaped.
The meeting had already started.
She had just finished when the phone rang.
Fill each gap with a connector
before · after · when · by the time · already · just
- __________ we arrived, the restaurant had closed.
- __________ she had finished the report, she sent it.
- The thief had escaped __________ the police arrived.
- The computer had __________ crashed when the technician came.
- __________ I opened the door, I saw someone had entered.
- They had __________ started eating when their friends arrived.
Check the answers
By the time · After · before · already · When · just
PART 7 · 15 MINUTES
Tell the story in order
Choose a sequence. Describe what you see, say which event happened first, then join both events in one sentence.
plane leave · traveler arrive · miss flight · empty gate
The plane had taken off before the traveler arrived at the gate.Why did he miss his flight? How did he feel?cook dinner · guests arrive · set table · doorbell ring
She had prepared dinner before the guests arrived.Had she finished cooking? What happened next?work on report · not save · computer crash · lose work
The computer crashed because he hadn’t saved his work.What had he been working on? How did he react?movie start · couple enter · arrive late · miss beginning
The movie had already started when the couple entered.Why were they late? What did they do next?thief escape · police arrive · shop · run away
The thief had escaped before the police arrived.Did the police catch the thief? What did staff say?storm begin · branch fall · damage car · family go outside
The storm had knocked a branch onto the car before the family went outside.When did they discover the damage? Who did they call?For each picture, answer: What can you see? What happened first? What happened second? Why was someone surprised or worried? Use one Past Perfect sentence and one Past Simple sentence.
PART 8 · 8 MINUTES
What had happened?
Look at the result. Use the clues to work out the earlier event.
1 · The burned cake
Clues: bake a cake · leave it in the oven · forget the time · smell smoke
When she returned, the cake had burned because she had left it in the oven too long.2 · The missed flight
Clues: wake up late · arrive at airport · gate close · plane leave
When he arrived at the gate, the plane had already left.3 · Water in the apartment
Clues: pipe break · water cover floor · woman arrive home · call plumber
The pipe had broken before the woman came into the kitchen.4 · The empty meeting room
Clues: prepare a presentation · leave laptop at home · coworkers arrive · check bag
He realized that he had left his laptop at home when his coworkers entered the room.5 · The empty plates
Clues: friends arrive late · others eat the food · restaurant · apologize
The others had already eaten when their friends arrived.6 · The hotel room
Clues: family leave hotel · someone enter · search suitcases · family return
Someone had entered the room before the family returned.Detective interview
Detective: What happened? What had happened before you arrived? Had anyone entered? What did you do next?
Witness: I returned to my hotel room at eight. I saw my clothes on the floor. Someone had entered and searched my suitcase. I had locked the door, so I called the hotel manager.
Take turns: one person asks questions; the other tells the story.
PART 9 · 4 MINUTES
Your story, your words
Choose one mystery picture. Tell a story of five sentences.
- Set the scene: Yesterday…
- Later action: When I arrived…
- Earlier action: …had already…
- Result: Because of that…
- Next action: Then…
Include all five
2 Past Perfect verbs3 Past Simple verbs1 irregular participle1 negative sentence2 connectors
Model: Yesterday, Sofia traveled to the airport. When she arrived at the gate, the plane had already left. She had forgotten to set her alarm, so she woke up late. Because of that, she missed her flight. Then she went to customer service.
Exit ticket
Past Perfect shows the action that happened first. Past Simple shows the action that happened later. Past Perfect = had + past participle.
Homework · What had happened?
Choose three mystery pictures. For each one, write what happened first, what happened next, and the result. Record a 90-second voice note about one story.
Include three Past Perfect sentences, four Past Simple sentences, two irregular verbs, one negative sentence, and before, after, when or by the time. Finish with “In the end…”