The verb to do · Conjugation
Past Perfect of do
The answer: had done
B2
A past action that happened before another past action.
Quick answer
The Past Perfect of the verb to do is had done.
Example: She had already done the dishes when I arrived.
Full conjugation in the Past Perfect
| Pronoun | Form | Contraction |
|---|---|---|
| I | had done | I'd done |
| You | had done | You'd done |
| He / She / It | had done | He'd / She'd / It'd done |
| We | had done | We'd done |
| You (pl.) | had done | You'd done |
| They | had done | They'd done |
Common mistakes to avoid
1. I had did ❌
After had, use the past participle, not the Past Simple: I had done. The Past Simple of do is did, and the past participle is done.
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 do: did for one action, had done 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 done = I had done. 'd + base form = would: I'd do = I would do.
Practice quiz
Going further
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Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate do in the Past Perfect?+
Use had + the past participle done. The form is the same for every person: I had done, she had done, they had done. The short form is 'd: I'd done.
When do you use the Past Perfect of do?+
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 do?+
The past participle of do is done. You use it after have, has and had. It is different from the Past Simple. Learn the three forms together: do, did, done.
What is the difference between had done and have done?+
Have done (Present Perfect) connects the past to now. Had done (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 do in the Past Perfect?+
Negative: I hadn't done (had not). Question: put had before the subject: Had you done…? The past participle does not change.
Related pages: do 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/do/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 do are coming soon.