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