Question

After only one week of captivity look at the Spanish he had learned!
This is a sentence I stumbled upon in Martin Hewing's CPA grammar.
Why is past perfect used there? Shouldn't there be used past simple?
As I have learned, past perfect is used to describe past action which happened before some other past action. In this sentence, as I understand it, past perfect is used to describe an action that happened after some other past action. How can this be? I would appreciate if someone could help.
I've already asked this question, but I didn't get a reply.
Please help!

Djolec · Accepted Answer

still no reply? <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/6.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/6.gif' alt='Emotion: sad'/>

Terryxpress · Answer

To understand why the Past Perfect is used, look at this sentence:
Prisoner 9381576 was English, and knew no Spanish. When we assessed his Spanish language skills after one week in prison, he had learned enough to communicate with his fellow convicts.
The 'learning' occurred prior to 'we assessed', but in the sentence, the learning is mentioned second, so we use Past Perfect 'had learned' to place this event as actually happening prior to 'assessed'.

Let's changed the sentence around:
After one week in prison, we assessed his Spanish language skills, and he had learned enough to communicate...

Let's change the sentence again to:
On his first day in prison, his Spanish language skills were assessed, and he knew no Spanish. After one week in prison, he had learned enough to communicate...

Can you see how the clause in bold type is similar to Hewing's sentence, and so, why Past Perfect.

(I think that Hewing's question would be difficult for a learner!)

Here, 'after' indicates that a period of time has elapsed.
Look at this:
He could not sew when he came to prison. After one week, he has learnt to sew mail bags.
............|A<............learning............>|After one week/the point at which it is one week since he first arrived
where A is the day he arrived

Khoff · Answer

djolecstill no reply? sad

Did you really post this less than one hour after your original post? Have some patience, please! We're not robots here; we are volunteers with other things going on in our lives in addition to English Forums.

Terryxpress · Answer

Actually, I've just discovered he posted it twice......and Clive and Califjim had already replied to the first!!!!!!

Hmmmmmmmm.

Djolec · Answer

I am really sorry for being pushy. It won't happen again!
I am majoring in teaching other people English, though I am not a native speaker myself.
Thank you very much for clarifying this problem for me!

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