Hi, Chang In!

I am so glad to see you on the Q&A board!

So, to give you a short answer to your question, No I do not think it matters that much, to be honest. Choosing "했습니다" or "했었습니다" would not make a significant difference in meanings.

However, I want you to have a look at this!

"Everyone had expected that the new intervention strategy would have a positive response."
"Everyone expected that the new intervention strategy would have a positive response."

How would you differentiate these two sentences? Essentially, these two sentences have almost identical meaning. A simple grammar tweak does not alter the meaning of the sentence; however, technically speaking, there is a distinction between "expected" and "had expected" which tells us something about when everyone had that expectation!

I really don't think there is a need for us to dive into the grammar part too deep, but there are times when this actually matters!

For instance,

I finished my homework when my parents came home.
I had finished my homework when my parents came home.

What happens in this case? Does the meaning change because of "had"?
If I were to translate/interpret these sentences:

I finished my homework when my parents came home.
-> 나는 부모님이 집에 오셨을때 숙제를 끝냈다.

I had finished my homework when my parents came home.
-> 나는 부모님이 집에 오셨을땐 숙제를 [이미/벌써] 끝냈었다.
= 나는 부모님이 집에 오셨을땐 숙제를 이미 끝낸 상태였다.

Do you see how the word "had" added the nuance that the homework was finished prior to the event of parents coming home; whereas the other one just says the homework was done when parents came home.

I hope this answer helps and keep up the good work!

- Mason (Instructor)

CHANG IN KIM님의 댓글

CHANG IN KIM 쪽지보내기 메일보내기 자기소개 아이디로 검색 전체게시물 Date 20-12-05 23:47

I see! Thank you for your kind words.
I will refer to it and study hard !
Have a nice day. mason ^^ !!