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