Which sentence correctly uses the past perfect tense?

A. i had learned to paddle a canoe long before we went canoeing.

B. I did paddle the canoe when we went canoeing

C. I have been paddling the canoe for several hours

D. I will be paddling the canoe when we go canoeing

A is the answer

subject+had + 3rd form of verb + object

The correct answer is option A.

The Past Perfect Tense is used to refer to a past action that took place before another past action. For example, in sentence A, the action of learning to paddle a canoe took place long before the action of going canoeing.

When using Past Perfect Tense, it does not matter which action is mentioned first, since the one expressed in Simple Past Tense will be more recent anyway.