I did what he'd asked me to do

[EngLearner]

It's 8:00pm. Peter and Bob are sitting at the table drinking beer. Bob asks Peter about his day. Peter, among other things, says this:

1. John got his bike to me and asked me to repair it. I did what he'd asked me to do, and he paid me for it.

2. John got his bike to me and asked me to repair it. I did what he asked me to do, and he paid me for it.

Are both versions correct in this case? I'm wondering about the tenses in bold.

 

[Barque]

Between the two, I prefer "what he asked".

But I think both pairs of sentences sound a little unlikely. They're not what would normally be said in that sort of situation.

Does Peter regularly repair bikes for money?

John brought his bike along in the morning. There was something wrong with the chain. I fixed it and he paid me [immediately].
John's bike needed some work. I fixed it and he paid me [immediately].

(He may not necessarily specify that he was paid if he does this work regularly.)

If Peter doesn't regularly repair bikes for money, but knows something about bikes, he might say it differently.

John brought his bike along in the morning. There was something wrong with the chain. I fixed it for him and he insisted on paying me.
John's bike needed some work. I fixed it for him. It took me a couple of hours and he paid me for it.

 

[Barque]

Your specific phrasing might be used in other contexts.

An example:
Peter: Bob, those papers I asked you to deliver--they were the wrong ones. Didn't you take a look before you handed them over?
Bob: Don't blame me. I did what you asked me to do. You should have checked.

 

[EngLearner]

Under what circumstances would this sentence be used:

I did what he'd asked me to do.

Could anyone think of an example, please?

 

[jutfrank]

Are both versions correct in this case?

Yes, they're both correct. The first is past perfect and the second is past simple.

I'm wondering about the tenses in bold.

Focus your studies on the use of the past perfect. You should learn what it does and how to use it effectively.

 

[Barque]

Under what circumstances would this sentence be used:

I did what he'd asked me to do.

Could anyone think of an example, please?

John sent me an article last week to review, and I completely forgot about it. I did what he'd asked me to do only this morning.

 

[EngLearner]

Yes, they're both correct. The first is past perfect and the second is past simple.

Would you call both forms in post #1 natural, or do you think that one is natural and the other isn't?

Between the two, I prefer "what he asked".

Would you call "what he'd asked" in sentence #1 (post #1) unnatural?

 

[Barque]

Would you call "what he'd asked" in sentence #1 (post #1) unnatural?

Not exactly unnatural, but a little odd. There doesn't seem to be a reason to use "what he'd asked".

 

[EngLearner]

John sent me an article last week to review, and I completely forgot about it. I did what he'd asked me to do only this morning.

Does "what he asked" sound unnatural in the quoted sentence?

 

[Barque]

No, you could use "what he asked", but "what he'd asked" fits better in my opinion.

 

[jutfrank]

Would you call both forms in post #1 natural, or do you think that one is natural and the other isn't?

They're both equally natural, but that's not what you need to know. This is nothing to do with naturalness.

Would you call "what he'd asked" in sentence #1 (post #1) unnatural?

No, not at all. Stop asking about naturalness. What you need to understand is what the past perfect is used for, and what effect it has. That's what you should be asking.

 

[EngLearner]

I asked John to bring me something, and then he left. When he came back, I asked him if he'd brought what I asked/I'd asked him to bring.

Which option should be used in the above sentence, or are they both correct?