1. Past Perfect FORM [had + past participle] Examples:
You had studied English before you moved to New York.
Had you studied English before you moved to New York?
You had not studied English before you moved to New York.

2. Completed Action Before Something in the Past
The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.

3. Examples:
I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?
She only understood the movie because she had read the book.
Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.
We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.
A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006? B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.

4. Complete these exercises in your notebook:

5. I can't believe I (get) ___________ that apartment
I can't believe I (get) ___________ that apartment. I (submit) _____________ my application last week, but I didn't think I had a chance of actually getting it. When I (show) ___________ up to take a look around, there were at least twenty other people who (arrive) _________ before me. Most of them (fill, already) out their applications and were already leaving. The landlord said I could still apply, so I did. I (try) ____________ to fill out the form, but I couldn't answer half of the questions. They (want) ________ me to include references, but I didn't want to list my previous landlord because I (have) ________ some problems with him in the past and I knew he wouldn't recommend me. I (end) ________ up listing my father as a reference. It was total luck that he (decide) __________ to give me the apartment. It turns out that the landlord and my father (go) ______ to high school together. He decided that I could have the apartment before he (look) __________ at my credit report. I really lucked out!