40 questions to master the auxiliary verb had: affirmatives, negatives with hadn't, questions with Had, and short answers.
Set:
Exercise 1. Mixed: had / hadn't / Had I?
Choose the correct Past Perfect form. Each question mixes affirmative (had), negative (hadn't), and question (Had) forms. Read the context carefully to decide which form fits.
Set:
1
She ___ already left when I arrived.
2
He ___ spoken to her since their argument last week.
3
___ they finished the report before the deadline?
4
By the time we arrived, dinner ___ already started.
5
I ___ seen anything so beautiful before that moment.
6
___ she ever lived abroad before moving to Paris?
7
The match ___ already ended when we turned on the TV.
8
They ___ met before the conference, so it was awkward.
9
___ he left a message before he hung up?
10
We ___ been to Greece before, so everything was new.
+ Affirmative
Subjecthadpast participle.
She had already left when I arrived.
They had finished dinner by 8 pm.
I had never seen anything like it.
− Negative
Subjecthadn'tpast participle.
He hadn't eaten anything all day.
We hadn't met before the conference.
She hadn't realised what happened.
? Question
Hadsubjectpast participle?
Had she ever lived abroad?
Had they finished by noon?
Had you met him before?
had: same for ALL subjects
Subject
Affirmative
Negative
Question
I
I had gone
I hadn't gone
Had I gone?
you
you had gone
you hadn't gone
Had you gone?
he / she / it
she had gone
she hadn't gone
Had she gone?
we
we had gone
we hadn't gone
Had we gone?
they
they had gone
they hadn't gone
Had they gone?
★ Key rule:had is the same for ALL persons. I had, she had, they had. There is NO “has” or “have” in Past Perfect. She had finished ✅ She has finished ❌ (that's Present Perfect) | The word after ‘had’ must be the past participle.
Short answers
Question
Yes answer
No answer
Had you seen him?
Yes, I had.
No, I hadn't.
Had she finished?
Yes, she had.
No, she hadn't.
Had they arrived?
Yes, they had.
No, they hadn't.
Had it worked?
Yes, it had.
No, it hadn't.
Remember: In short answers, always repeat had or hadn't, never “did” or the main verb. “Had you met her?” → “Yes, I had.” ✅ “Yes, I did.” ❌