I checked vs I had checked

Both phrases are correct, but they're used in different contexts. 'I checked' is used to indicate a simple past action, while 'I had checked' indicates a past perfect action that happened before another past action. The choice between the two phrases depends on the specific timeline of events you're describing.

Explained by Miss E.
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: March 28, 2025 • 5128 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"I checked"

Use 'I checked' to describe a simple past action that was completed at a specific point in the past.

Examples:

I checked my email this morning.
She checked the oven before leaving the house.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: November 21, 2024

Feb 16, 2016 ... ... I checked the status of my white male privilege in a variety of situations. Workplace. Joining an all-hands staff meeting a half-hour late, I ...
Sep 9, 2021 ... @MichaelHarvey Those are really good examples. I can see using the present tense for general truths too ("Last time I checked, water boils at ...
Feb 18, 2024 ... Missed my block after I checked in.. So I was checked in at 5:15… and the Amazon ...
Feb 13, 2024 ... Does NYPL keep a record of items I checked out? Is there a history I can look at? Answer. The library itself doesn't keep records of your ...
Jan 10, 2023 ... 14 votes, 16 comments. Thread title says it all. I checked in my flight 24 hours before on the dot as fast as I could.
Apr 7, 2011 ... I checked or I've checked? ... Not open for further replies. W · Will17.
Jul 2, 2023 ... True story: Harvard Business School rejected me in '91. When I got the news, I checked to see if they'd cashed my $100 application fee check. They hadn't, so I ...
Aug 19, 2020 ... I saw my boyfriend's chat and he flirts with other girls. How should I tell him that I'm not okay with that without telling him that I checked ...
Oct 23, 2024 ... 20K likes, 300 comments - sabapivot on October 23, 2024: "I had a year full of tour dates, last I checked I said I'd never go and change and ...
Sep 15, 2021 ... I checked my husband's phone and it turns out he've been cheating on me for a long time. What should I do? 9 Answers.

Alternatives:

I looked
I verified
I examined
I inspected
I reviewed

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"I had checked "

Use 'I had checked' to indicate a past perfect action that occurred before another past action. It shows that the checking happened before something else in the past.

Examples:

I had checked the weather before I left for the picnic.
She had checked her phone before the meeting started.

Show examples from the web [+]

I told him that I had checked with city officials and been told it was legal.
Two years earlier I had checked with the Minneapolis City Attorney's office and been told that it was permitted to picket on public sidewalks in Minneapolis so long as one did not block the flow of traffic.
He told me that I was not allowed to demonstrate there. I told him that I had checked with city officials and been told it was legal. Yes, but there were special rules pertaining to the convention center.
I used to serve delicious dinners with wonderful desserts; (yes, I had checked around and, they were wonderful.)
I thought I had checked it!
In retrospect, I wish I had checked the dude's shoe size first.
I had checked the internet for several weeks before departing, looking for houses to rent with swimming pools.
Googled "psychopaths", went down the checklist, and I was a little surprised to see how many boxes I had checked.
Googled "psychopaths", went down the checklist, and I was a little surprised to see how many boxes I had checked.
I thought that you were Dunston and I had checked in! - Sorry?
I had checked the route once in July and I had absolutely no idea how to climb it, then again immediately after my ascent of Weisse Rose.
I really wish I had checked in there first.
Would you have hired me if I had checked that box that said I had a mental illness?
I had checked into the room
Well, sir, I just checked columns and columns of figures... which people had checked before me... and then other people checked them after I had checked them.

Alternatives:

I had verified
I had examined
I had inspected
I had reviewed

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I checked vs I had checked

"I checked"

"I had checked "

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