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