Mimi, I agree with Gaer that overly restrictive definitions of the different tenses can sometimes be misleading. Nevertheless, the real difference between "had planned" and "were planning" is that the first is past perfect, the second is imperfect (or past progressive) tense.

Were planned or was planned?

We were making a plan. We were planning. Both have same meaning. But in the first sentence, "plan" has been used as a noun and in the second one, it's been used as a verb.

What is the future tense of planned?

He/She/It will/shall be planning. ... You/We/They will/shall be planning. Future Perfect Tense. He/She/It will/shall have planned.

What is the past perfect tense of plan?

The past tense of plan is planned. The third-person singular simple present indicative form of plan is plans. The present participle of plan is planning. The past participle of plan is planned.

What is past tense of be?

The past tense of be is was (colloquial, nonstandard) or were. The third-person singular simple present indicative form of be is is or are. The present participle of be is being. The past participle of be is been.

Grammar: Talking about the future in the past - BBC English Masterclass

20 related questions found

Were or was past tense?

When to use were

Whereas was is the singular past tense of to be, were is used for both the third person plural past tense (they and we) and the second person past tense (you). In the past indicative, were acts similar to was. “They were at the store,” you could say, for example.

Were past tense of are?

Meaning - Were is the past tense of the verb are. Look at this example of were used in a sentence. Since were means the same as the past tense of are in this sentence, it is the correct word to use.

What is planning explain?

Planning is the process of thinking about the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. The evolution of forethought, the capacity to think ahead, is considered to have been a prime mover in human evolution.

Which tense would you use for talking about your childhood?

The correct answer is: A. You would use the past tense to talk about your childhood.

Had been planning or was planning?

had been planning is past perfect continuous tense, which means the action had been happening a while before the moment of expressing it, which is not really the case in this sentence. Also, you would not use perfect tense where the exact time - when the news arrived - is specified, you should use simple (indefinite).

Has planned Meaning?

has planned -> present perfect (action in the past with present effect) That is OK.

What is the difference between were and we re?

“Were” is simply a plural past-tense form of the verb “are.” To talk about something happening now or in the future, use “we're”; but to talk about something in the past, use “were.” If you can't substitute “we are” for the word you've written, omit the apostrophe.

What type of verb is plan?

transitive verb. 1 : to arrange the parts of : design plan a new layout.

What is the present tense of develop a plan?

The past tense of develop is developed or developt. The third-person singular simple present indicative form of develop is develops. The present participle of develop is developing. The past participle of develop is developed or developt.

Is it Organising or organizing?

Organise and organize are different spellings of the same word. Organize is the preferred spelling in the U.S. and Canada, and organise is more common outside North America. This extends to all the word's derivatives, including organized/organised, organizing/organising, and organization/organisation.

Was were past continuous tense?

The past continuous tense is formed by combining the past tense of to be (i.e., was/were) with the verb's present participle (-ing word). ... It can also be used to describe something that was happening continuously in the past when another action interrupted it.

What is the verb of Organised?

verb (used with object), or·gan·ized, or·gan·iz·ing. to form as or into a whole consisting of interdependent or coordinated parts, especially for united action: to organize a committee. to systematize: to organize the files of an office.

Were or are?

Are vs Were

The difference between Are and Were lies on the type of tense that is being utilized. So, we can say that the verb 'are' is used in the present tense and in the past tense comes the verb 'were.

Was or were with there?

There was is used when you refer to one thing or person. There were is used when you refer to more than one thing or person.

Where or were meaning?

"Were" (rhymes with "fur") is a past form of the verb "to be." "We're" (rhymes with "fear") is a contraction of "we are." The adverb and conjunction "where" (rhymes with "hair") refers to a place.

Were or was with if?

In both sentences above, the “if” clause contains a form of the past tense of the verb. ... If the verb in the if clause is “to be,” use “were,” even if the subject of the clause is a third person singular subject (i.e., he, she, it).