Past Perfect Simple & Continuous/ Past Simple

14 thoughts on “Past Perfect Simple & Continuous/ Past Simple”

1. 1. When I had been phoning him, he had already bougth the tickets for the show.
   2. By the time Maddie had noticed, her two little children had been painting the cat.
   3. She hardly had been closing her bag when her mobile phone rang again.
   4. No sooner the doctor had left than the old lady called him again.
   5. Her grandfather had been working in the army for forty years before he retired.
   6. When I had talked to him he was exhausted because he had been training for three hours.
   7. Before the teacher came in the pupils had copyed the homework from one another for half an hour.
   8. Hardly the manager had sat down when somebody knocked at the door.
   9. No sooner Jenny had been turning on the TV than the lights went off.
   10. When the man saw the fire in the forest he had called the firefighters.
   11. When the firefighters arrived, the people had been trying to put out the fire for a long time.
   12. She hardly had ordered the drink when the waiter brought it.
   13. She told me that her brother already had gone out.
   14. By the time Marianne had thought about his proposal he already marryed somebody else.
   15. No sooner she had opened her mouth than the dentist pulled out her tooth.
   16. Jennifer had been explaining for five minutes when she realized everybody had left.
   17. The manager told his staff that he had invited some specialists from abroad.
   18. By the time Jenny’s mother came back in the kitchen she had spreaded the entire bag of flour on the floor.
   19. They had been friends for five years before the got married.
   20. He stoped the car the moment he had heard that strange noise.

   Reply

   • 1. When I had phoned phoned him, he had already bought the tickets for the show.
     Obs.: “Cand l-am sunat” – e un moment fix, nu e o actiune in desfasurare.
     Past Perfect Continuous se foloseste pentru actiuni trecute care sunt in desfasurare pana la o alta actiune trecuta.

     2. By the time Maddie had noticed, noticed her two little children had been painting the cat.
     Obs : Mai intai au pictat pisica si abia apoi Maddie a observat.
     Past Perfect Simple este o actiune trecuta si incheiata inaintea altei actiuni trecute.

     3. She hardly had been closing had hardly closed her bag when her mobile phone rang again.
     Obs: “Abia si-a inchis poseta ca …”
     “hardly…when” se foloseste doar cu Past Perfect Simple;
     In plus, “hardly” se punea inaintea verbului.

     4. No sooner the doctor had left had the doctor left than the old lady called him again.
     Obs: cand incepem cu “no sooner” sau cu “hardly” intotdeauna inversam “had” cu Subiectul.

     5. Her grandfather had been working had worked in the army for forty years before he retired.
     Obs: perioada in care bunicul a lucrat s-a incheiat! Ca sa folosesti Past Perfect Continuous trebuie sa ai un “for” sau “since” care sa-ti arate ca actiunea a durat un anumit timp – prin asta se subliniaza si aspectul de durata pe care vrea vorbitorul sa-l dea.

     6. When I had talked talked to him he was exhausted because he had been training for three hours.
     Obs: aici ai folosit bine Past Perfect Continuous (vezi prezenta lui “for”), insa “had talked” al tau ar insemna ca mai intai am vorbit cu el si abia apoi a fost epuizat….lucru care nu are sens.

     7. Before the teacher came in the pupils had copyed had been copying the homework from one another for half an hour.
     Obs: avem un “for half an hour” acolo, ceea ce implica o durata => Past Perfect Continuous;
     In plus, la adaugarea terminatiei “-ed”, “-y” final care are consoana in fata se transforma in “-ie”.

     8. Hardly the manager had sat had the manager sat down when somebody knocked at the door.
     Obs: cand incepem cu “no sooner” sau cu “hardly” intotdeauna inversam “had” cu Subiectul.

     9. No sooner Jenny had been turning had Jenny turned on the TV than the lights went off.
     Obs: cand incepem cu “no sooner” sau cu “hardly” intotdeauna inversam “had” cu Subiectul.
     “no sooner…than” se foloseste doar cu Past Perfect Simple.

     10. When the man saw the fire in the forest he had called called the firefighters.
     Obs: “Cand omul a vazut focul in padure, a chemat pompierii.”
     “had called” al tau presupune ca mai intai a chemat pompierii si abia apoi a vazut focul.
     Cand actiunile se petrec simultam avem Past in toate propozitiile.

     11. When the firefighters arrived, the people had been trying to put out the fire for a long time.
     Corect!

     12. She hardly had ordered she had hardly ordered the drink when the waiter brought it.
     Obs: “hardly” se pune inaintea verbului principal!

     13. She told me that her brother already had gone out. had already gone out.
     Obs: “already” se pune inaintea verbului principal!

     14. By the time Marianne had thought thought about his proposal he already marryed he had already married somebody else.
     Obs: actiunile sunt exact invers => “pana cand Marianne s-a gandit la cererea lui in casatorie, el s-a casatorit cu altcineva.” => deci prima actiune care se desfasoara in timp este “marry somebody else”.
     Past Perfect Simple este prima actiune care se desfasoara in timp.

     15. No sooner she had opened had she opened her mouth than the dentist pulled out her tooth.
     Obs: cand incepem cu “no sooner” sau cu “hardly” intotdeauna inversam “had” cu Subiectul.

     16. Jennifer had been explaining for five minutes when she realized everybody had left.
     Corect!

     17. The manager told his staff that he had invited some specialists from abroad.
     Corect!

     18. By the time Jenny’s mother came back in the kitchen she had spreaded spread the entire bag of flour on the floor.
     Obs: spread – spread – spread (verb neregulat)

     19. They had been friends for five years before the got married.
     Corect!

     20. He stoped the car the moment he had heard heard that strange noise.
     Obs: actiunile sunt simultane si se pun amandoua cu Past Simple. “had heard” ar presupune ca mai intai a auzit zgomotul ciudat, a mai mers si abia apoi a oprit. Exista acel “the moment”= “in momentul in care” ce iti arata ca actiunile sunt simultane, nu se intampla mai intai una si abia apoi cealalta.

     Iti sugerez sa revezi prezentarile de la Past Perfect care sunt puse deja pe site si sa urmaresti in continuare site-ul pentru ca va fi incarcata si explicatia audio pentru Past Perfect Simple, respectiv Continuous.

     Reply

     • “Her grandfather (work) in the army for 40 years before he (retire)”

       e un “for” acolo … a lucrat in armata timp de 40 de ani … nu trebuia totusi PPC ? had been working FOR 40 years before retired

       Reply

       • Merg ambele variante, depinde ce vrea vorbitorul sa transmita. Cu PPS se subliniaza actiunea in sine, cu PPC se subliniaza durata actiunii.

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     • By the time Maddie noticed, her two little children had painted the cat.

       nu avem nici un FOR aici pt a folosi PPC aici, nu ?

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       • Intr-adevar. Iar accentul se pune pe finalitatea actiunii si nu pe continuitate.

         Reply

2. Buna seara,

   La propozitia 20 He stoped….NU TREBUIA sa se dubleze P conform primei reguli de la Past Simple:
   ” Verbele monosilabice terminate in consoana-vocala-consoana dubleaza ultima litera”?!?

   Multumesc

   Reply

   • Buna Olimpia,
     Ba da, normal ca trebuia sa se dubleze… iar pe langa ce greseli au fost, asta era cea mai mica.

     Reply

   • Buna.Dar la 2 de ce s-a pus Past Perfect Continous? .
     By the time Maddie had noticed, noticed her two little children had been painting the cat.
     Obs : Mai intai au pictat pisica si abia apoi Maddie a observat.
     Past Perfect Simple este o actiune trecuta si incheiata inaintea altei actiuni trecute.
     In rest, recunosc cu mandrie ca n-am gresit decat locul adv. si cateva forme ale vb. neregulate
     Este un site extraordinar si un ajutor enorm.

     Reply

     • Depinde ce vrei sa spui. Nu am corectat, pentru ca nu este chiar o greseala.
       Deci ai 2 variante:
       1. Pana cand a observat Maddie / pana sa observe Maddie, cei doi copilasi ai ei vopsisera pisica. => aici trebuie sa pui Past Perfect Simple pentru ca prima actiune desfasurata cronologic este incheiata (adica o terminasera de vopsit 🙂 )
       2. Pana cand a observat Maddie / pana sa observe Maddie, cei doi copilasi ai ei vopseau pisica. => aici trebuie sa pui Past Perfect Continuous pentru ca prima actiune desfasurata cronologic este aflata in desfasurare (erau cu pensula pe pisica 🙂 )

       Reply

3. Buna din nou ! In legatura cu pronumele -he/ she / it- , am inteles ca ” it” este pt lucruri, animale, obiecte….dar am intalnit folosindu-se ” he ” in loc de “it ” pt animale. Este corect si asa? Numai bine va doresc !

   Reply

   • Buna Emilia,

     Se foloseste “he/she” si pentru animale daca sunt animalele tale, au un nume, fac parte din familie cum s-ar spune 🙂 Daca sunt animale pur si simplu, la general, atunci “it”.

     Reply

4. 1. When I had been phoning him, he had already bougth the tickets for the show.
   De ce primul verb e la past perfect continous iar al 2-lea la past perfect simple …cum ramanie cu ordinea cronologica ?

   Reply

   • Corect este “when I phoned him…” Urmareste raspunsurile mele cu corectarile.

     Reply