we use the past perfect simple to talk about an action in the past that happened before another action or before a certain time in the past. I had visited Rome twice before I went to Venice. We often use the past perfect simple and the past simple together. I had bought my ticket online before I arrived at the station. We often use the following time expressions with the past perfect simple: already, just, before, previously recently and earlier. I had just bought my ticket when the train arrived at the station.