The verb to saw · Conjugation
Past Perfect of saw
The answer: had sawn
B2
A past action that happened before another past action.
Quick answer
The Past Perfect of the verb to saw is had sawn.
Example: She had already sawn the wood when I arrived.
Full conjugation in the Past Perfect
| Pronoun | Form | Contraction |
|---|---|---|
| I | had sawn | I'd sawn |
| You | had sawn | You'd sawn |
| He / She / It | had sawn | He'd / She'd / It'd sawn |
| We | had sawn | We'd sawn |
| You (pl.) | had sawn | You'd sawn |
| They | had sawn | They'd sawn |
Common mistakes to avoid
1. I had sawed ❌
After had, use the past participle, not the Past Simple: I had sawn. The Past Simple of saw is sawed, and the past participle is sawn.
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 saw: sawed for one action, had sawn 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 sawn = I had sawn. 'd + base form = would: I'd saw = I would saw.
Practice quiz
What's next?
Master the Past Perfect of saw when you speak, not just on paper
The conjugation is clear in your head. On PLAY, you practise it in a game, with instant feedback, until it comes out on its own.
Practise the Past Perfect of saw on PLAYFree · No sign-up · 3 minutes
For teachersYour whole class practises the Past Perfect of saw, and you follow each student
The Academy has self-marking activities on this form, with a dashboard for each student: you see at a glance who is falling behind.
Discover the Academy30-day free trial · No bank card needed
English contestThe English contest tests the Past Perfect of saw in real sentences
Instead of a single school exercise, your students meet this tense in context, in a contest that really motivates them.
Register my students5,000 students every year · Primary and secondary
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate saw in the Past Perfect?+
Use had + the past participle sawn. The form is the same for every person: I had sawn, she had sawn, they had sawn. The short form is 'd: I'd sawn.
When do you use the Past Perfect of saw?+
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 saw?+
The past participle of saw is sawn. You use it after have, has and had. It is different from the Past Simple. Learn the three forms together: saw, sawed, sawn.
What is the difference between had sawn and have sawn?+
Have sawn (Present Perfect) connects the past to now. Had sawn (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 saw in the Past Perfect?+
Negative: I hadn't sawn (had not). Question: put had before the subject: Had you sawn…? The past participle does not change.
Related pages: saw 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/saw/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.
Keep learning
More forms of the verb to saw are coming soon.