Practice
Had had in English: understand the past perfect
Sign in to saveThe sentence By Friday, I had had enough meetings for one week can look strange at first. The first had builds the past perfect; the second had is the main verb meaning experienced or attended.
Recognise the two jobs of had in had had and use the past perfect to show that one past situation came before another.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
We had had dinner before the film /wiː həd hæd ˈdɪn.ə bɪˈfɔː ðə fɪlm/
The short answer
In had had, the first had is the auxiliary that makes the past perfect. The second had is the past participle of have. Use the pattern when a possession, experience, meal, or event happened before another past time or event.
Before the concert started, we had had dinner nearby.
Why it works: The dinner happened earlier than the concert, so had had marks an earlier past event.
5 more examples
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By the time the guests arrived, Mira had had a quick shower.
Mira's shower finished before the guests arrived.
Not this:Mira
hada quick shower after the guests left. What changes: The simple past describes one completed event without comparing it to an earlier past point. -
He was tired because he had had very little sleep.
The lack of sleep happened before the later past state of being tired.
Not this:He
hadvery little sleep during the flight. What changes: This tells a past fact but does not set it before another past event. -
They had had the same flat for ten years before they moved.
Their possession of the flat began and continued before the move.
Not this:They
hadthe same flat when I visited them. What changes: The simple past gives information about that visit, with no earlier past boundary. -
After I had had a chance to read the report, I called the team.
Reading the report happened first; the call happened later.
Not this:I
hada chance to read the report this morning. What changes: This is a single past opportunity, not a sequence of past events. -
We had had enough of the noise before midnight.
Enough of the noise had already been experienced by that past deadline.
Not this:We
hadenough of the noise after midnight. What changes: The wording is possible in context, but it does not itself show one past event before another.
Read the full guide
Find two points in the past. Then decide which one came first. If the earlier situation uses have, write had plus had. The second had is not a mistake or an extra tense; it is simply the past participle of the main verb.
Separate the two jobs of had
In the past perfect, had is an auxiliary verb. It comes before a past participle. Have has the past participle had, so the two words can appear together without repeating the same meaning.
I had had coffee before the meeting.
The first had creates the past perfect. The second had means drank or consumed in this context.
In She had had lunch, which had is the main verb?
The second had is the main verb's past participle. The first had is the auxiliary.
Show an earlier past event
Use the past perfect to look back from one past time to an earlier one. A later past event often appears in the simple past. The order, rather than the distance in time, is the key idea.
The train had left before we reached the platform.
Had left marks the departure as earlier than reaching the platform.
Which event happened first: the train leaving or our reaching the platform?
The train left first. The past perfect had left shows that earlier event.
Use have meanings in the past perfect
Have can describe possession, an experience, a meal, an appointment, or an opportunity. When one of these came before another past point, its past-perfect form is had had.
By noon, the doctor had had three appointments.
The appointments happened before the past deadline of noon.
She had had a bicycle before she learned to drive.
Owning the bicycle came before learning to drive.
Complete the pattern: Before the interview, I ___ ___ some useful advice.
Had had. The advice was received before the interview.
Choose past perfect or simple past
Do not add had had merely because a sentence is about the past. Use it when the sentence needs a clear earlier relationship. A simple past had is enough for a single finished fact.
We had breakfast at eight.
This gives one past fact, so simple past had is natural.
We had had breakfast before the taxi arrived.
Breakfast happened first, so past perfect had had makes the sequence clear.
Which sentence needs had had: We ___ breakfast at eight, or We ___ breakfast before the taxi arrived?
The second sentence needs had had because it compares breakfast with the later arrival of the taxi.
Make negatives and questions
Add not after the auxiliary for a negative: had not had. In a question, move the auxiliary to the beginning: Had you had? Contractions are common in informal speech and writing.
I had not had time to reply before the deadline.
Not follows the first had, the auxiliary, and the second had remains the participle.
Had they had any previous training before the course?
The first had moves before they to form a past-perfect question.
Turn She had had enough rest into a question.
Had she had enough rest? Move the auxiliary had before the subject.
Read the sentence for time clues
Words such as before, after, by the time, already, and when often point to a sequence. They do not force the past perfect in every sentence, but they help you test whether an earlier action is important.
By the time the shop opened, we had had a long wait outside.
The waiting came before the later opening time.
What phrase signals the later past point in By the time the shop opened, we had had a long wait outside?
By the time the shop opened signals the later point. The long wait happened earlier.
Before you go
Remember this
Read the first had as the past-perfect auxiliary and the second had as the participle of have. Use had had when an earlier possession or experience matters before a later past event. Use a simple past had for one past fact when that earlier relationship is not needed.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Had had in English: understand the past perfect"
Is had had correct English?
Yes. The first had is the auxiliary verb for the past perfect, and the second had is the past participle of have. Use had had when an earlier possession or experience matters before another past point.
By the time the guests arrived, Mira had had a quick shower.
What does had had mean in a sentence?
Its exact meaning comes from have. It can mean had eaten, had experienced, had possessed, or had received. In We had had dinner before the film, it means dinner happened before the film.
Mira had a quick shower after the guests left.
When should I use had had instead of had?
Use had had when you need to show that an event using have came before another past event or time. Use simple past had for one past fact when the earlier sequence is not important.
He was tired because he had had very little sleep.
How do I make a negative sentence with had had?
Put not after the first had: I had not had enough time. In ordinary speech or informal writing, you can contract had not to hadn't: I hadn't had enough time.
He had very little sleep during the flight.
How do I ask a question with had had?
Put the first had before the subject: Had you had any training before the course? The first had is the auxiliary, and the second had is the past participle of have.
They had had the same flat for ten years before they moved.