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