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