The verb to arrive · Conjugation
Past Perfect of arrive
The answer: had arrived
B2
A past action that happened before another past action.
Quick answer
The Past Perfect of the verb to arrive is had arrived.
Example: She had already arrived at school when I arrived.
Full conjugation in the Past Perfect
| Pronoun | Form | Contraction |
|---|---|---|
| I | had arrived | I'd arrived |
| You | had arrived | You'd arrived |
| He / She / It | had arrived | He'd / She'd / It'd arrived |
| We | had arrived | We'd arrived |
| You (pl.) | had arrived | You'd arrived |
| They | had arrived | They'd arrived |
Common mistakes to avoid
1. After had, always the past participle
With arrive, the Past Simple and the past participle are the same (arrived), so I had arrived is easy. But many irregular verbs have two different forms: I had gone, not I had went; I had seen, not I had saw.
2. Yesterday I had gone to the cinema ❌
Use the Past Perfect only for the earlier of two past actions. For one past action, the Past Simple is enough: Yesterday I went to the cinema. With arrive: arrived for one action, had arrived for the action that came first.
3. 'd + past participle = had
'd can mean had or would. Look at the next word. 'd + past participle = had: I'd arrived = I had arrived. 'd + base form = would: I'd arrive = I would arrive.
Practice quiz
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Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate arrive in the Past Perfect?+
Use had + the past participle arrived. The form is the same for every person: I had arrived, she had arrived, they had arrived. The short form is 'd: I'd arrived.
When do you use the Past Perfect of arrive?+
Use it for an action that happened before another action in the past. It shows which action came first: When we arrived, the film had already started. The film started first, and then we arrived. Signal words: before, after, already, by the time.
What is the past participle of arrive?+
The past participle of arrive is arrived. You use it after have, has and had. The verb arrive is regular, so it is the same as the Past Simple: arrived.
What is the difference between had arrived and have arrived?+
Have arrived (Present Perfect) connects the past to now. Had arrived (Past Perfect) connects an earlier past to a later past. Compare: I have finished my homework (so I can play now) and I had finished my homework before dinner.
How do you make the negative and the question of arrive in the Past Perfect?+
Negative: I hadn't arrived (had not). Question: put had before the subject: Had you arrived…? The past participle does not change.
Related pages: arrive Past Perfect
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/arrive/past-perfect
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.
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More forms of the verb to arrive are coming soon.