Past Simple vs Past Perfect Exercises
Past Simple vs Past Perfect
We use past simple for a finished action in the past.
Example: I arrived at the station.
[Ich kam am Bahnhof an.]
We use past perfect for an action that happened before another past action.
Example: The train had left before I arrived.
[Der Zug war abgefahren, bevor ich ankam.]
For German speakers:
Past Perfect = Plusquamperfekt → shows the earlier action
Past Simple = Präteritum/Perfekt → shows the later action
Simple timeline:
Past Perfect ─────────► Past Simple
Signal words:
before – after – when – by the time – already
These help you decide which action happened first.
[Diese helfen dir zu erkennen, welche Handlung zuerst passiert ist.]
1. When I arrived, the film ______.
had started
a) started
b) had started
[Als ich ankam, hatte der Film schon begonnen.]
2. After she ______ dinner, she went out.
had finished
a) had finished
b) finished
[Nachdem sie gegessen hatte, ging sie aus.]
3. He ______ the door and left the house.
closed
a) had closed
b) closed
[Er schloss die Tür und verließ das Haus.]
4. They ______ the work before the boss arrived.
had completed
a) had completed
b) completed
[Sie hatten die Arbeit erledigt, bevor der Chef ankam.]
5. We ______ him yesterday at the meeting.
met
a) met
b) had met
[Wir trafen ihn gestern beim Meeting.]
6. By the time the train arrived, we ______ for 20 minutes.
had waited
a) waited
b) had waited
[Als der Zug ankam, hatten wir schon 20 Minuten gewartet.]
7. She was happy because she ______ the exam.
had passed
a) had passed
b) passed
[Sie war glücklich, weil sie die Prüfung bestanden hatte.]
8. I ______ my keys and couldn’t open the door.
lost
a) had lost
b) lost
[Ich verlor meine Schlüssel und konnte die Tür nicht öffnen.]
9. After they ______ the problem, they called the manager.
had discussed
a) had discussed
b) discussed
[Nachdem sie das Problem besprochen hatten, riefen sie den Manager an.]
10. He ______ home late last night.
came
a) came
b) had come
[Er kam gestern Abend spät nach Hause.]
11. When we got to the airport, the plane ______.
had already left
a) left
b) had already left
[Als wir am Flughafen ankamen, war das Flugzeug schon abgeflogen.]
12. She ______ the email and replied immediately.
read
a) read
b) had read
[Sie las die E-Mail und antwortete sofort.]
13. By the time I called him, he ______ already.
had left
a) had left
b) left
[Als ich ihn anrief, war er schon gegangen.]
14. We ______ dinner at 8 p.m. yesterday.
had
a) had
b) had had
[Wir hatten gestern um 20 Uhr Abendessen.]
15. After she ______ the book, she returned it.
had finished
a) finished
b) had finished
[Nachdem sie das Buch gelesen hatte, gab sie es zurück.]
16. They ______ football last weekend.
played
a) played
b) had played
[Sie spielten letztes Wochenende Fußball.]
17. By the time we arrived, they ______ everything.
had prepared
a) prepared
b) had prepared
[Als wir ankamen, hatten sie schon alles vorbereitet.]
18. He ______ the report and sent it.
finished
a) finished
b) had finished
[Er beendete den Bericht und schickte ihn ab.]
19. When I woke up, I realised I ______ my phone at work.
had left
a) had left
b) left
[Als ich aufwachte, bemerkte ich, dass ich mein Handy bei der Arbeit gelassen hatte.]
20. She ______ me last night.
called
a) had called
b) called
[Sie rief mich gestern Abend an.]
21. After we ______ the tickets, we went inside.
had bought
a) had bought
b) bought
[Nachdem wir die Tickets gekauft hatten, gingen wir hinein.]
22. They ______ the problem quickly.
solved
a) solved
b) had solved
[Sie lösten das Problem schnell.]
23. By the time the meeting started, we ______ all the documents.
had prepared
a) prepared
b) had prepared
[Als das Meeting begann, hatten wir alle Dokumente vorbereitet.]
24. He ______ to Berlin in 2022.
moved
a) moved
b) had moved
[Er zog 2022 nach Berlin.]
25. When she arrived, we ______ dinner already.
had finished
a) had finished
b) finished
[Als sie ankam, hatten wir schon gegessen.]