Maysey13
New member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2013
- Member Type
- English Teacher
- Native Language
- English
- Home Country
- United States
- Current Location
- United States
Could someone please explain the difference between simple past and past perfect for describing a first time experience? For example:
That was the first time I had done that.
That was the first time I did that.
I get the feeling that the past perfect implies a relation to a later action such as "That was the first time I had done that (but I wont do it anymore)" or "That was the first time I had done that (and I will continue doing it)". On the other hand the simple past doesn't imply anything and simply states a fact about a past experience.
However, I am having trouble explaining this to a student. Can someone please explain the grammatical difference? Thank you in advance.
That was the first time I had done that.
That was the first time I did that.
I get the feeling that the past perfect implies a relation to a later action such as "That was the first time I had done that (but I wont do it anymore)" or "That was the first time I had done that (and I will continue doing it)". On the other hand the simple past doesn't imply anything and simply states a fact about a past experience.
However, I am having trouble explaining this to a student. Can someone please explain the grammatical difference? Thank you in advance.