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He had left before you came.

He left before you came.

Are the timelines same?

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user73963
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1 Answers1

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The leaving happened before the coming in both sentences. When conjunctions such as before and after are used, the past perfect is not essential to establish the order of actions, but it is possible.

Your two sentences mean approximately the same, but the first could convey more of the idea of 'he was no longer there'.

tunny
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