The verb to think · Conjugation
Past Perfect of think
The answer: had thought
B2
A past action that happened before another past action.
Quick answer
The Past Perfect of the verb to think is had thought.
Example: She had already thought about the holidays when I arrived.
Full conjugation in the Past Perfect
| Pronoun | Form | Contraction |
|---|---|---|
| I | had thought | I'd thought |
| You | had thought | You'd thought |
| He / She / It | had thought | He'd / She'd / It'd thought |
| We | had thought | We'd thought |
| You (pl.) | had thought | You'd thought |
| They | had thought | They'd thought |
Common mistakes to avoid
1. After had, always the past participle
With think, the Past Simple and the past participle are the same (thought), so I had thought 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 think: thought for one action, had thought 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 thought = I had thought. 'd + base form = would: I'd think = I would think.
Practice quiz
Going further
The English contest tests the Past Perfect of think 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 students5,000 students every year · Primary and secondary
Practise on PLAYMaster the Past Perfect of think 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 think on PLAYFree · No sign-up · 3 minutes
For teachersYour whole class practises the Past Perfect of think, 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 Academy30-day free trial · No bank card needed
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate think in the Past Perfect?+
Use had + the past participle thought. The form is the same for every person: I had thought, she had thought, they had thought. The short form is 'd: I'd thought.
When do you use the Past Perfect of think?+
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 think?+
The past participle of think is thought. You use it after have, has and had. It is the same as the Past Simple: thought.
What is the difference between had thought and have thought?+
Have thought (Present Perfect) connects the past to now. Had thought (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 think in the Past Perfect?+
Negative: I hadn't thought (had not). Question: put had before the subject: Had you thought…? The past participle does not change.
Related pages: think 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/think/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.
Keep learning
More forms of the verb to think are coming soon.