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