Past Perfect Tense A/V-았/었었어요
Used to describe a state or action that occurred in the distant past and has completely ended, or a situation that is distinctly different from the present.
Summary
Equivalent
Past Perfect (Had been, Used to be)
Example
I used to play the piano when I was young, but I don't play it at all now.
어렸을 때는 피아노를 쳤었지만 지금은 전혀 안 쳐요.
Grammar rules
- It emphasizes the discontinuation of the past state.
- For example, if someone 'used to' be fat, but is thin now, you would use this tense.
Patterns
V/A (Verbs/Adjectives) stem containing ㅏ or ㅗ
과거 (Past) · -았었어요
V/A (Verbs/Adjectives) stem containing other vowels
과거 (Past) · -었었어요
하다 verbs
과거 (Past) · 했었어요
Example sentences
I used to play the piano when I was young, but I don't play it at all now.
어렸을 때는 피아노를 쳤었지만 지금은 전혀 안 쳐요.
Up until last year, this neighborhood used to have a lot of people.
작년까지만 해도 이 동네는 사람들이 많았었어요.
My ex-girlfriend used to be really pretty.
전 여자친구가 정말 예뻤었어요.
Conversation
A: Do you not smoke?
담배 안 피우세요?
B: Yes, I used to smoke before, but I've quit now.
네, 예전에는 피웠었는데 지금은 끊었어요.
Practice
Fill in the blank
Select the correct past perfect tense.
Living somewhere.
Changes.