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