had just finished

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had just finished" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to indicate that an action was completed very recently in the past, often in relation to another past event. Example: "She had just finished her homework when the phone rang."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

We had just finished lunch.

The New Yorker

Liza! — had just finished up.

The New York Times

He had just finished the piano.

The New Yorker

Stewart had just finished a D.Phil.

The New Yorker

Backstage, her daughters had just finished performing.

The New York Times

Suez had just finished when I joined.

Independent

Incredibly, they had just finished playing.

The New York Times - Sports

Michael had just finished kindergarten.

The New York Times

He had just finished practice.

The New Yorker

We had just finished playing Montclair.

The New York Times - Magazine

Martha had just finished college at Cornell.

The Guardian - Books

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing habitual actions in the past, avoid using "had just finished". Instead, use past simple or past continuous tenses to reflect on-going actions.

Common error

Avoid using "had just finished" to describe actions completed in the present. This phrase is strictly for past perfect scenarios. For current actions, use "have just finished" or "just finished" instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had just finished" functions as a past perfect construction, indicating the completion of an action immediately before another action or time in the past. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and frequent usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

55%

Science

25%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Academia

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "had just finished" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase that indicates the completion of an action immediately preceding another event in the past. Ludwig AI affirms its correctness and versatility. Its neutral register makes it appropriate for various contexts, particularly in news, media, and scientific writing. While alternatives like "had recently completed" or "had wrapped up" exist, "had just finished" remains a clear and effective way to convey the timing of past actions.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had recently completed

Emphasizes the recent completion of an action, similar to "had just finished".

had only just completed

Adds emphasis to the immediacy of the completion.

had barely finished

Highlights that the action was completed with little time to spare.

had concluded moments ago

Replaces "finished" with "concluded" and specifies a short time frame.

had wrapped up

Uses a more informal term, "wrapped up", for finished.

had gotten through

Suggests the completion of something difficult or challenging.

was fresh from completing

Implies a sense of newness or immediacy after the completion.

had ceased working on

Focuses on the cessation of work rather than the completion itself.

had finalized

Focuses on the completion of something requiring a final step

was done with

A more informal way of saying something is finished.

FAQs

How can I use "had just finished" in a sentence?

Use "had just finished" to describe an action completed immediately before another action in the past. For example, "She "had just finished" her homework when the phone rang."

What are some alternatives to "had just finished"?

You can use alternatives like "had recently completed", "had barely finished", or "had wrapped up" depending on the specific context.

Is it correct to say "has just finished" instead of "had just finished"?

No, "has just finished" is present perfect tense and should be used for actions completed recently in the present. ""had just finished"" is past perfect and describes actions completed before another point in the past.

What's the difference between "had just finished" and "had finished"?

""had just finished"" implies the action was completed very recently before another past action. "had finished" simply indicates the action was completed at some point before another past action without specifying the immediacy.