The verb to start · Conjugation
Past Perfect of start
The answer: had started
B2
A past action that happened before another past action.
Quick answer
The Past Perfect of the verb to start is had started.
Example: She had already started the game when I arrived.
Full conjugation in the Past Perfect
| Pronoun | Form | Contraction |
|---|---|---|
| I | had started | I'd started |
| You | had started | You'd started |
| He / She / It | had started | He'd / She'd / It'd started |
| We | had started | We'd started |
| You (pl.) | had started | You'd started |
| They | had started | They'd started |
Common mistakes to avoid
1. After had, always the past participle
With start, the Past Simple and the past participle are the same (started), so I had started is easy. But many irregular verbs have two different forms: I had gone, not I had went; I had seen, not I had saw.
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 start: started for one action, had started 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 started = I had started. 'd + base form = would: I'd start = I would start.
Practice quiz
Going further
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Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate start in the Past Perfect?+
Use had + the past participle started. The form is the same for every person: I had started, she had started, they had started. The short form is 'd: I'd started.
When do you use the Past Perfect of start?+
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 start?+
The past participle of start is started. You use it after have, has and had. The verb start is regular, so it is the same as the Past Simple: started.
What is the difference between had started and have started?+
Have started (Present Perfect) connects the past to now. Had started (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 start in the Past Perfect?+
Negative: I hadn't started (had not). Question: put had before the subject: Had you started…? The past participle does not change.
Related pages: start 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/start/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 start are coming soon.