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