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ESL forum > Grammar and Linguistics > By the time we arrived, they (had already left)/ (have already left). What īs the correct answer? thanks    

By the time we arrived, they (had already left)/ (have already left). What īs the correct answer? thanks



Panteleimon
Greece

By the time we arrived, they (had already left)/ (have already left). What īs the correct answer? thanks
 
By the time we arrived, they (had already left)/ (have already left). What īs the correct answer? thanks

10 Sep 2010      





ktull012
Korea, South

By the time we arrived, they had already left (past tense)

10 Sep 2010     



elderberrywine
Germany

not past tense, but past perfect ! but "had already left" is the only correct answer 

10 Sep 2010     



moravc
Czech Republic

By the time we arrived, they had already left. PAST PERFECT

by the time (we arrived)= it means that THEY were gone x minutes BEFORE we arrived.
So the sequence of actions is:
(1st action) They left the house and then
we arrived (2nd action).

Past PERFECT tense is used when we swap the order of actions

By the time we arrrived (2), they HAD already left (1).

The phrase "by the time" is often used with past perfect tense.
It means that something had happened before certain time (before 9,30)...

10 Sep 2010