Lesson 15
(B1/B2)
Past perfect simple e Past perfect continuous
Past perfect simple
Forma
affermativa
interrogativa
negativa
interrogativo-negativa
sogg. + had (’d) + participio passato
had + sogg. + participio passato … ?
sogg. + had not (hadn’t) + participio passato
hadn’t + sogg. + participio passato … ?
He had (’d) been there before.
Had he been there before?
He hadn’t been there before.
Hadn’t he been there before?
Lui era stato là in precedenza
Lui era stato là in precedenza?
Lui non era stato là in precedenza.
Lui non era stato là in precedenza?
L’ausiliare è sempre had anche quando in italiano è presente l’ausiliare essere.
Risposte brevi
Yes, sogg. + had.
No, sogg. + hadn’t.
Question tags (vero?/non è vero?)
He had been there before, hadn’t he?
He hadn’t been there before, had he?
Lesson 15
(B1/B2)
Past perfect simple e Past perfect continuous
Quando si usa
Il past perfect simple si usa:
• per parlare di un’azione avvenuta prima di un tempo passato o prima di un’altra azione avvenuta nel passato.
L’azione che è avvenuta dopo va espressa con il past simple.
When I got home Peter had already gone away.
(Peter era andato via - 1a azione; io arrivai a casa - 2a azione)
Quando arrivai a casa Peter era già andato via.
Everybody had left the office by the time I finished my work.
Tutti avevano lasciato l’ufficio per l’ora in cui io finii il mio lavoro.
(Tutti avevano lasciato l’ufficio - 1a azione; io finii il mio lavoro - 2a azione)
È spesso accompagnato da: ever, never, already, just, yet, not … yet, before, till then, by the time
I had never been there.
Non ero mai stato là.
He had just gone away.
Lui era appena andato via.
Everything had been fine till then.
Tutto era andato bene fino a quel momento.
Lesson 15
(B1/B2)
Past perfect simple e Past perfect continuous
Inoltre il past perfect simple si usa:
• nella forma di durata per dire da quanto tempo durava un’azione o situazione.
I had had that car for two years when I had that terrible accident.
Avevo quella macchina da due anni quando ebbi quel terribile incidente.
• dopo: It was the first/second time …
It was the first time I had played bridge.
Era la prima volta che giocavo a bridge.
• con superlativi relativi.
It was the best film I had ever seen.
Era il miglior film che avessi mai visto.
Il past perfect è spesso usato in testi narrativi e nel discorso indiretto introdotto da verbi al passato.
He said that he had never been to London before.
Lui disse che non era mai stato a Londra in precedenza.
Lesson 15
(B1/B2)
Past perfect simple e Past perfect continuous
Past perfect continuous
Forma
affermativa
interrogativa
negativa
sogg. + had (’d) + been + forma in -ing
had + sogg. + been + forma in -ing … ?
sogg. + had not (hadn’t) + been + forma in -ing
interrogativo-negativa
Risposte brevi
hadn’t + sogg. + been + forma in -ing … ?
Yes, sogg. + had.
No, sogg. + hadn’t.
Quando si usa
Il past perfect continuous SI USA
• quando si vuole enfatizzare la durata di un’azione, ma solo con i verbi di azione.
By the time we arrived he had been waiting for an hour.
Quando noi arrivammo lui aspettava da un’ora.
(Noi arrivammo ad una certa ora e lui era lì che stava aspettando da un’ora).
Il past perfect continuous NON SI USA
• con i verbi di stato come: be, have, own, belong, want, know, understand, like, …
• con i verbi che esprimono un’azione compiuta come: start, finish, stop, break, forget, remember, decide, die, …
• di norma in frasi negative
• con espressioni di quantità o un numero
• con How often, How much, How many, just, already, ever, never, yet, not … yet, twice, three times, it was the first time, …
EXERCISE 1
Completiamo le seguenti frasi con il past simple o il past perfect dei verbi tra parentesi e motiviamo la scelta.
1. We (not / see) ……………………… Kenneth at the party because when we (arrive) ……………………… he
(already / leave) …………………….…… .
2. When David (come) ……………………. out of the shop, his bike (disappear) ……………………… . It was obvious
that somebody (steal) …………………… it.
3. I was sure I (put) …………………….. my trainers in the car boot, but when I (look) ……………………………., they
(not / be) ……………………….. there.
EXERCISE 2
Past simple o past perfect simple?
Sottolineiamo in verde l’alternativa corretta e motiviamo la scelta.
1.
I got / had got angry with my neighbour because his dog had come / came into my garden five times that day.
2.
When I finished lunch, I watched / had watched TV for a while.
3.
They never lived / had never lived abroad when they first had moved / moved to France.
4.
I hadn’t been / wasn’t well for a few days, so I decided / had decided to see the doctor.
5.
5. We just arrived / had just arrived when it had started / started to rain.
EXERCISE 3
Past perfect simple o past perfect continuous?
Sottolineiamo in verde l’alternativa corretta o preferibile e motiviamo la scelta.
1.
When David’s parents arrived home, they asked him how long he had watched / had been watching TV.
2.
When I met Mark at Victoria station he was living in London. He told me that he had been living / had lived there
for three months.
3.
We had waited / had been waiting for half an hour but we hadn’t seen / hadn’t been seeing a single taxi.
4.
He had been knowing / had known her for years but he didn’t know that she was his brother’s ex-girlfriend.
5.
I knew that he had had / had been having that sports car for a long time.