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