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