Skip to main content

The verb to strike · Conjugation

Past Perfect of strike

The answer: had struck

B2

A past action that happened before another past action.

This page for:

Quick answer

The Past Perfect of the verb to strike is had struck.

Example: She had already struck the ball when I arrived.

Full conjugation in the Past Perfect

PronounFormContraction
Ihad struckI'd struck
Youhad struckYou'd struck
He / She / Ithad struckHe'd / She'd / It'd struck
Wehad struckWe'd struck
You (pl.)had struckYou'd struck
Theyhad struckThey'd struck

Common mistakes to avoid

1. After had, always the past participle

With strike, the Past Simple and the past participle are the same (struck), so I had struck 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 strike: struck for one action, had struck 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 struck = I had struck. 'd + base form = would: I'd strike = I would strike.

Practice quiz

Question 1 / 3The Big Challenge question bank

Choose the correct answer: What is the Past Perfect of strike with they?

What's next?

Master the Past Perfect of strike when you speak, not just on paper

The conjugation is clear in your head. On PLAY, you practise it in a game, with instant feedback, until it comes out on its own.

Practise the Past Perfect of strike on PLAY

Free · No sign-up · 3 minutes

For teachersYour whole class practises the Past Perfect of strike, and you follow each student

The Academy has self-marking activities on this form, with a dashboard for each student: you see at a glance who is falling behind.

Discover the Academy

30-day free trial · No bank card needed

English contestThe English contest tests the Past Perfect of strike in real sentences

Instead of a single school exercise, your students meet this tense in context, in a contest that really motivates them.

Register my students

5,000 students every year · Primary and secondary

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate strike in the Past Perfect?+

Use had + the past participle struck. The form is the same for every person: I had struck, she had struck, they had struck. The short form is 'd: I'd struck.

When do you use the Past Perfect of strike?+

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 strike?+

The past participle of strike is struck. You use it after have, has and had. It is the same as the Past Simple: struck.

What is the difference between had struck and have struck?+

Have struck (Present Perfect) connects the past to now. Had struck (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 strike in the Past Perfect?+

Negative: I hadn't struck (had not). Question: put had before the subject: Had you struck…? The past participle does not change.

Related pages: strike 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 →

Keep learning

More forms of the verb to strike are coming soon.