The past perfect (ماضی بعید)

Participle plus بودم

The same participle as in the present perfect, followed by the simple past of بودن. The participle never changes; the ending sits on بودن.

The negative goes on the participle: نرفته بودم، ندیده بودیم، نخورده بود.

Compound verbs: کار کرده بودم (I had worked), تلفن نزده بود (he had not called).

What it does

It puts one past event before another past event. The second event is in the simple past.

• وقتی رسیدم، او رفته بود. — When I arrived, he had already left.
• قبلاً این فیلم را دیده بودم، برای همین نیامدم. — I had seen this film before, so I did not come.
• غذا خورده بودیم و گرسنه نبودیم. — We had eaten and were not hungry.
• تا ساعت ۸ همه آمده بودند. — By eight everyone had arrived.

قبلاً, تا آن موقع, هنوز and وقتی که are its usual companions.

In unreal sentences

The past perfect also builds conditions about a past that did not happen (lesson 29):

• اگر زودتر آمده بودی، او را می‌دیدی. — If you had come earlier, you would have seen him.
• کاش به او گفته بودم. — I wish I had told him.

Three past tenses side by side

Watch out as an English speaker

• The auxiliary comes second, not first: ✗ بودم رفته / ✓ رفته بودم.
• Only بودن carries the personal ending: ✗ رفته‌ام بودم / ✓ رفته بودم.
• The negative sits on the participle: ✗ رفته نبودم / ✓ نرفته بودم.
• English often lets the simple past stand in ("He left before I arrived"). With وقتی the earlier event needs the past perfect: ✗ وقتی رسیدم، او رفت. (= when I arrived, he left) / ✓ وقتی رسیدم، او رفته بود.

Example dialogue

چرا به مهمانی نیامدی؟ — Why didn't you come to the party?
وقتی خبر دادی، من بلیت گرفته بودم. — When you told me, I had already bought a ticket.
پس به سفر رفته بودی. — So you had gone on a trip.
بله، تا جمعه برنگشته بودم. — Yes, I had not come back until Friday.