"You left" versus "You had left"

[Tom]

Hi

One of my local grammar books says that only the second of the following sentences, according to the strict rules of grammar, is correct. I would like to know your opinion about the same, please.

1- Your husband called after you left.
2- Your husband called after you had left.

Tom

[Yankee]

Hi Tom

I doubt that any native speaker would think it "wrong" or think you'd made a grammar mistake if you used the second sentence (other than an English teacher maybe ).

But the fact is, the use of the past perfect is completely unnecessary in that sentence and native speakers therefore wouldn't use it.

Amy
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English