The pattern
For an action that was already over at some moment in the past, use the simple past of hebben or zijn plus a past participle (the "done" form of a verb, like gegeten, eaten).
- The helper is had (plural hadden) or was (plural waren): ik had gegeten, wij waren vertrokken.
- Verbs that take zijn in the perfect tense take was or waren here: ik ben gegaan becomes ik was gegaan. The rest take had or hadden (see choosing the helper verb).
- In a main clause, had or was comes second and the participle goes to the end: Ik had de soep al gegeten.
- In a subordinate clause (a side clause starting with a word like nadat or toen), both verbs go to the end, in either order: nadat ik had gegeten or nadat ik gegeten had.
Examples
| Toen ik op het station aankwam, was de trein al vertrokken. | When I arrived at the station, the train had already left. |
| Nadat Daan zijn fiets had gerepareerd, fietste hij naar zijn werk. | After Daan had repaired his bike, he cycled to work. |
| Priya had het formulier al ingevuld voordat ze naar de gemeente ging. | Priya had already filled in the form before she went to the town hall. |
| De huisarts vroeg of ik al eerder last van mijn rug had gehad. | The GP asked whether I had had back problems before. |
| Joris was nog nooit in Groningen geweest voordat hij daar ging studeren. | Joris had never been to Groningen before he went to study there. |
| Het had de hele nacht geregend, dus de fietspaden waren nat. | It had rained all night, so the cycle paths were wet. |
| Toen Mei binnenkwam, begon de film. | When Mei came in, the film started. |
| Toen Mei binnenkwam, was de film al begonnen. | When Mei came in, the film had already started. |
Why it works this way
Picture a story in the simple past: Ik kwam thuis, zette thee en ging zitten. Each verb moves the clock forward, and that simple past is the "now" of your story. The past perfect is a flashback to something that was already finished by then.
The last two examples show the difference. With begon, the film starts as Mei walks in. With was begonnen, it started before she arrived, and she has missed the opening. If you simply tell events in the order they happened, the simple past is enough. You only need had or was when you step back.
This also explains nadat (after). English happily says "after I ate, I left", because "after" already shows the order. Dutch nadat wants a finished action, so when the main clause is in the past, the nadat clause is usually in the past perfect: Nadat ik had gegeten, ging ik weg. More in the lesson on time words.
German speakers are in luck: "hatte gegessen" and "war gegangen" work the same way. English and Spanish use one helper for every verb, so the choice between had and was is where most slips happen.
The same form also appears in unreal sentences such as Als ik het had geweten (if I had known). That use has its own lesson.
Remember: the simple past tells the story, and had or was opens a flashback. If "already, by then" fits your meaning, you probably need them.
Watch out
NotToen we bij de halte kwamen, had de bus al vertrokken.
SayToen we bij de halte kwamen, was de bus al vertrokken.
vertrekken takes zijn, so it takes was here
NotNadat Fatima had betaald, ze pakte haar boodschappen in.
SayNadat Fatima had betaald, pakte ze haar boodschappen in.
after a subordinate clause, the verb comes straight after the comma
NotNadat ik had de afwas gedaan, ging ik zitten.
SayNadat ik de afwas had gedaan, ging ik zitten.
in a subordinate clause, had joins the participle at the end
NotMei had gekocht een cadeau voor Yara.
SayMei had een cadeau voor Yara gekocht.
the participle closes the main clause
Quick check
- Fill in had, hadden, was or waren: Toen Lotte eindelijk terugkwam met de taart, ... haar gasten al naar huis gegaan.
- Fill in had, hadden, was or waren: Nadat Bas alle e-mails ... beantwoord, ging hij naar huis.
- Fix the sentence by moving one word: Toen Carlos aankwam, het feest was al begonnen.
- Fix the sentence by changing one word: Emma had al naar bed gegaan toen haar telefoon ging.
Show the answers
- waren: gaan takes zijn, and haar gasten is plural.
- had: beantwoorden takes hebben, and Bas is one person.
- Toen Carlos aankwam, was het feest al begonnen. The verb comes straight after the toen clause.
- Emma was al naar bed gegaan toen haar telefoon ging. Gaan takes zijn, so had gegaan is wrong.
Use it today
Tell a colleague or neighbour about a time you were too late for something, using toen plus had or was. For example: Toen ik bij de bakker kwam, hadden ze de laatste croissant al verkocht.