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