Past perfect

Question

Hello. Let's say you've been working on a problem and you think you've cracked it. But after thiry minutes of review, it turns out you didn't.

1. I thought I finally solved it for a while.
2. I thought I had finally solved it for a while.

Which one should I use? Are they both correct? Don't 'thought' and 'had solved' occur in the same time frame?
If so, can we use the past perfect here?

Thank you

Marius Hancu · Accepted Answer

2. I thought I had finally solved the problem.
gives the most clear sequence of times: you solve first, then you realize you've solved it.

"For the while" doesn't make sense, you either solved it or not.

Optimus · Answer

Thank you for the help, Marius.

I understand you either solved it or didn't, but doesn't 'for a while' modify 'thought' here?
For thirty minutes, you mistakenly think you have solved it.

Or is it the case only for "I thought for a while I had finally solved it"?

Marius Hancu · Answer

That's something else. You must clarify your context, or else ...

For thirty minutes, I mistakenly thought I had finally solved the problem.

Aperisic · Answer

Let's say you've been working on a problem and you think you've cracked it. But after thiry minutes of review, it turns out you didn't.

1. I thought I finally solved it for a while.
2. I thought I had finally solved it for a while.

For a while is not well positioned. Both solved and had solved signalized a completion. I guess you thought for a while, not solved for a while Maybe:

1. For a while, I thought I finally solved it .
2. For a while, I thought I had finally solved it.

(because I thought for a while I finally solved it would require that I thought for a while that I finally... )

Not only that 2. is more logical, but additionally had solved is the past perfect and we can understand I thought as the expression that asks the conditional (it can express uncertainty). In that case had solved suggests that you did not solved it as in:

A: "Still nothing?"
B: "For a while, I thought I had finally solved it."
A: "If you had solved it, you would have been more certain, you wouldn't just think you had."
B: "Yeah, I know."

to think

the conditional case

I wish I solved it. - but you didn't
I wished I had solved it. - but you hadn't
I thought I had solved it. - but you hadn't

I thought

thought

you thought

wish

think

I wish - I solved it, but you didn't. If you solved it, you wouldn’t have wished it any more, because you solved it, why wishing something you already have
I think - I solved it, but you didn't. If you solved it, you wouldn’t have thought about it any more, because you solved it, it is over, there is no reason to think about it any longer (you should've known you did)

Past perfect

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions