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