Past Perfect

The use of Past Perfect with the frequency adverbs: hardly=cu greu/de abia……….when, scarcely=abia
………..when, no sooner=nu mai devreme……. than=ca. They have a negative meaning. We can use them
to refer to things that almost never happen, or do not happen very often.

Hardly had the teacher come into the room when the pupils surrounded him .
Scarcely had we entered the carriage when the train started.
No sooner had the singer finished singing than the public burst into applause.

Hardly had I arrived home when my phone rang. (I had hardly arrived home
when my phone rang.)

Scarcely had she finished reading when she fell asleep. (She had scarcely
finished reading when she fell asleep.)

Barely had they won the match when the coach had a heart attack. (They had
barely won the match when the coach had a heart attack.)

No sooner had the company launched its new product than it went
bankrupt. (The company had no sooner launched its new product than it went
bankrupt.)
Notes

When we begin a sentence with a negative word, we put the auxiliary verb before the
subject.

The Sequences of Tenses=Concordanta timpurilor

A Past Tense is followed by a Future-in-the-Past( would \should + V infinitive )to express a future
action=verbul la past tense dintr-o propozitie este urmat de un verb la Future-in-the-Past pentru a
exprima o actiune viitoare.

Ex. Harold thought that she would not come any longer next year.

Harold credea ca ea nu va mai veni anul viitor.

He had to swear that he would help William.

El a trebuit sa jure ca il va ajuta pe William.

EXERCISES

I Translate into English:

1. Ea mi-a spus ca va merge acolo curand.

2. Nu am stiut ca vei pleca atat de repede.
3. El spera ca toti prietenii vor veni la petrecere.
4. Paula ne-a anuntat ca trenul va sosi in zece minute.
5. Eram sigura ca o vei gasi acasa.
6. El mi-a promis ca-mi va imprumuta cartea a doua zi.
7. Unde ai spus ca isi vor petrece vacanta de iarna?
8. Nimeni nu stia ca acel cantaret va fi renumit in toata lumea.
9. I-am asigurat ca ii vom ajuta.
10. Am inteles atunci ca vei incerca sa o ajuti.

II