Past Simple / Past Perfect Simple

El Past Perfect Simple se utiliza cuando hablamos de dos situaciones que ocurrieron en el pasado para referirnos a aquella sucedió en primer lugar:

• It had started raining before we left (=Primero empezó a llover y luego nos fuimos).

Cuando queremos justificar o razonar algo que ocurrió en el pasado escribimos el verbo principal en pasado simple y la oración subordinada con "because" en el Past Perfect Simple.

• They were angry because their team had lost the game.

Cuando dos acciones ocurren casi a la vez en el pasado y la primera desencadena la segunda utilizamos el pasado simple para ambas acciones. (acciones sucesivas en el pasado)

• When he gave me the ring, I was surprised.

Cuando el Past Perfect Simple y el Past Simple aparecen en la misma frase, utilizamos las siguientes expresiones de tiempo:

• Before: He had called the police before the thief broke in.

• After: They found the treasure after we had given them clues.

• As soon as: I called her as soon as we had heard the good news.

• By the time: The concert had started by the time we arrived.

• Until: She hadn't tried fish and chips until she went to England.

• When: I hadn't finished the book when you lost it.

• Already: I had already paid him a visit, but I went to his house again.

• Yet: I called him at 10pm and he hadn't arrived yet. ||  When you got in your car, had it started snowing yet?