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