-gan edi
Had Done: -gan Edi
-gan edi means had done: Men kelganimda, u ketgan edi (When I arrived, he had left).
How It Works
Form. Verb stem + -gan, then the separate word edi with the person ending:
- ketgan edim (I had left)
- ketgan eding (you had left, familiar)
- ketgan edi (he or she had left)
- ketgan edik (we had left)
- ketgan edingiz (you had left, polite)
- ketgan edilar (they had left)
The endings on edi are the ones used on the -di past: -m, -ng, -k, -ngiz.
Negative. Put -ma- before -gan: ketmagan edi (he had not left). With hali it means had not yet: U hali kelmagan edi (He had not come yet).
Two uses:
- Before another past event: Men kelganimda, u ketgan edi. Allaqachon (already) often goes with it.
- Further back in time: with words like oldin, ilgari and avval (before), it looks back to an earlier stage of life. English often uses the simple past here: Ilgari biz Buxoroda yashagan edik (We lived in Bukhara before).
Spelling. Write edi as a separate word: ketgan edi. In speech the e drops and the words run together; when you write that spoken form, write it as one word: ketgandi, ketgandim. Never write ketgan di.
Examples (5)
- Men kelganimda, u ketgan edi.
When I arrived, he had left.
Word by Word: I my-arriving-at, he left was.
His leaving happened before my arrival.
- Poyezd allaqachon joʻnagan edi.
The train had already left.
Word by Word: Train already departed was.
Allaqachon (already) often goes with -gan edi.
- Men bu filmni oldin koʻrgan edim.
I had seen this film before.
Word by Word: I this film-the before seen I-was.
The person ending -m sits on edi.
- Biz kelganimizda, dars hali boshlanmagan edi.
When we arrived, the lesson had not started yet.
Word by Word: We our-arriving-at, lesson still not-started was.
-ma- before -gan, plus hali, means had not yet.
- Ilgari biz Buxoroda yashagan edik.
We lived in Bukhara before.
Word by Word: Before we Bukhara-in lived we-were.
With ilgari, it looks back to an earlier time of life. English uses the simple past here.
Common Mistakes
Putting the person ending on the -gan verb.
Men uni oldin koʻrganman edi.Men uni oldin koʻrgan edim.Only edi takes the person ending: koʻrgan edim.
Using the he-or-she form edi with men.
Men bu filmni oldin koʻrgan edi.Men bu filmni oldin koʻrgan edim.Edi alone means he or she. With men, write edim.
Using the -di past to say he had already left before I arrived.
Men kelganimda, u ketdi.Men kelganimda, u ketgan edi.U ketdi here means he left at the moment I arrived. To say he was already gone, use ketgan edi.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Builds on Past With -gan and Was and Were: edi.
Related Patterns
- -diSimple Past -di
The -di past tells events in order; -gan edi steps back to something earlier.
Level 2 - -gandaWhen: -ganda
A -ganda clause often sets the later moment: Men kelganimda, u ketgan edi.
Level 3 - allaqachonAlready
Allaqachon (already) often goes with -gan edi: allaqachon ketgan edi.
Level 3 - -(a)yotgan ediWas Doing: -(a)yotgan Edi
-(a)yotgan edi is the other common past form with edi: was doing instead of had done.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice -gan edi in Bubblegum
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