he'd

Meanings

1. 1abbreviation

   The short form of 'he had', used mainly before a past participle.

   Grammar: Comes before a past participle such as finished, left, or seen: He'd finished. The full form is He had finished.

   Patterns

   • he'd + past participle
   • he'd already + past participle
   • he'd never + past participle

   By the time we arrived, he'd already eaten.

   She asked why he'd left the party so early.

   He'd never seen snow before that winter.

2. 2abbreviation

   The short form of 'he would', used with a base verb.

   Grammar: Comes before a base verb such as go, like, or help: He'd go if he could. The full form is He would go.

   Patterns

   • he'd + base verb
   • he'd like + to-infinitive
   • he'd rather + base verb

   He said he'd call you back tonight.

   He'd help if you asked him nicely.

   He'd rather walk than take the bus.

Common combinations

he'd better

He'd better hurry or he'll miss the train.

he'd like to

He'd like to visit Japan next spring.

he'd rather not

He'd rather not talk about the argument.

he'd already gone

When I phoned, he'd already gone home.

he'd have done

He'd have done it if he'd had more time.

Synonyms and how they differ

he had

The full form; use it in formal writing or when you want to be emphatic.

he would

The full form of the other meaning; clearer in writing when the context is ambiguous.

Word family

he's abbreviation

Short for 'he is' or 'he has'.

he'll abbreviation

Short for 'he will'.

he pronoun

The subject pronoun for a male person or animal.

Commonly confused: he'd or heed? he'd or had?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “he'd”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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