The verb to remember · Conjugation
Past Perfect of remember
The answer: had remembered
B2
A past action that happened before another past action.
Quick answer
The Past Perfect of the verb to remember is had remembered.
Example: I had never remembered the name before that day.
Full conjugation in the Past Perfect
| Pronoun | Form | Contraction |
|---|---|---|
| I | had remembered | I'd remembered |
| You | had remembered | You'd remembered |
| He / She / It | had remembered | He'd / She'd / It'd remembered |
| We | had remembered | We'd remembered |
| You (pl.) | had remembered | You'd remembered |
| They | had remembered | They'd remembered |
Common mistakes to avoid
1. After had, always the past participle
With remember, the Past Simple and the past participle are the same (remembered), so I had remembered 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 remember: remembered for one action, had remembered 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 remembered = I had remembered. 'd + base form = would: I'd remember = I would remember.
Practice quiz
Going further
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Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate remember in the Past Perfect?+
Use had + the past participle remembered. The form is the same for every person: I had remembered, she had remembered, they had remembered. The short form is 'd: I'd remembered.
When do you use the Past Perfect of remember?+
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 remember?+
The past participle of remember is remembered. You use it after have, has and had. The verb remember is regular, so it is the same as the Past Simple: remembered.
What is the difference between had remembered and have remembered?+
Have remembered (Present Perfect) connects the past to now. Had remembered (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 remember in the Past Perfect?+
Negative: I hadn't remembered (had not). Question: put had before the subject: Had you remembered…? The past participle does not change.
Related pages: remember 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/remember/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 remember are coming soon.