The past perfect tense

اس  tense  کو  timeline  پر یوں ظاہر کیا جا سکتا ہے:

اس میں —–> کو  past  میں  anterior time  ظاہر کرنے کے لیے استعمال کیا گیا ہے۔ اس طرح ہم کہہ سکتے ہیں کہ  past perfect tense  ماضی میں ماضی  (past-in-the-past)  کو ظاہر کرتا ہے۔

اس  tense  کے اردو  sentences  کے آخر میں اکثر مندرجہ ذیل الفاظ یا حروف ہوتے ہیں:

(i     چکا تھا، چکی تھی، چکے تھے، چکی تھیں۔

(ii    ا تھا، ی تھے، یے تھے۔

اس  tense کے  affirmative sentences  کی  structure  عموماً اس طرح ہوتی ہے:

Subject + had + past participle form of verb + object + (adverb).

She had dropped the packet.	وہ پیکٹ پہنچا چکی تھی۔
Snow had covered the valley.	برف نے وادی کو ڈھک دیا تھا۔
You had untied the dog.	تم کتا کھول چکے تھے۔/ تم کتا کھول چکی تھیں۔

اس  tense  میں اکثر دو کام اکٹھے بیان کیے جاتے ہیں۔ اس صورت میں جو کام پہلے مکمل ہو چکا ہو اسے  past perfect tense  میں ظاہر کریں اور جو کام بعد میں مکمل ہوا ہو اسے  simple past tense  میں ظاہر کریں، مثلاً

When the doctor reached, the patient had died. OR The patient had died when the doctor reached.	جب ڈاکٹر پہنچا تو مریض مر چکا تھا۔
He had left when I called him.	جب میں نے اسے کال کی تو وہ جا چکا تھا۔

negative sentences میں  had  کے بعد  not  لگاتے ہیں، مثلاً

Subject + had + not + past participle verb form + object (+ adverb).

The sun had not shone in the house for centuries.	گھر میں صدیوں سے سورج نہیں چمکا تھا۔
You had not returned home by 10 o’clock.	دس بجے تم گھر نہیں لوٹےتھے۔/ دس بجے تم گھر نہیں لوٹی تھیں۔

اس  tense  کے  interrogative sentences  کا آغاز  had  سے کرتے ہیں، مثلاً

Had + subject + past participle verb form + object (+adverb)?

Had you read Shakespeare when you were twenty?	کیا جب تم بیس سال کے تھے/ کی تھیں تو تم نے شیکسپیئر کو پڑھ لیاتھا؟
Had you not seen her for a week?	کیا تم نے ایک ہفتے سے اسے نہیں دیکھا تھا؟
Had the jeweler sold all the jewellery?	کیا سنار سارے زیورات بیچ چکا تھا؟

timeline پر اس  tense  کے بعض استعمالات کو یوں ظاہر کیا جا سکتا ہے:

ان استعمالات کی کچھ مثالیں مندرجہ ذیل ہیں:

State meaning

Habitual meaning

Event meaning

اس  tense  کے  wh-questions  کا آغاز  wh-words  سے کرتے ہیں۔ اس کے بعد عام  interrogative sentence  کی طرح اسے مکمل کرتے ہیں، مثلاً

Wh- word + had + subject + past participle verb form + object (+adverb)?

When had the train left?	ٹرین کب گزری تھی؟
Where had she dropped her bag?	اس نے اپنا بیگ کہاں گرایا تھا؟
What had you done by 10?	دس بجے تک تم کیا کر چکے تھے؟

اس  tense  میں مندرجہ ذیل  contractions  استعمال ہوتی ہیں:

Exercise

Change the following sentences to negative and interrogative sentences.

1. The prisoners had escaped from the jail.
2. They had never solved a sum.
3. You had untied the dogs.
4. The programmer had done his work by four o’clock.
5. I had phoned you that day.
6. I had seen the sea before.
7. Your wife had made tea.
8. I had finished washing the dishes when the lights went out.
9. Rizwan had come to this country in 2007.
10. She had given several speeches.

Answers to the Exercise

1. The prisoners had not escaped from the jail.
   Had the prisoners escaped from the jail?
2. They had not ever solved a sum.
   Had they never solved a sum?
3. You had not untied the dogs.
   Had you untied the dogs?
4. The programmer had not done his work by four o’clock.
   Had the programmer done his work by four o’clock?
5. I had not phoned you that day.
   Had I phoned you that day?
6. I had not seen the sea before.
   Had I seen the sea before?
7. Your wife had not made tea.
   Had your wife made tea?
8. I had not finished washing the dishes when the lights went out.
   Had I finished washing the dishes when the lights went out?
9. Rizwan had not come to this country in 2007.
   Had Rizwan come to this country in 2007?
10. She had not given several speeches.
    Had she given several speeches?