Is it natural to use this phrase " had had " ?

For example " If I had had 50,000 yen, I could have bought this camera."

For learning: English
Base language: Japanese

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I would just like to add to Learner's answer that when we are speaking we always shorten the first had to 'd:

If I'd had 50,000 yen, I could have bought this camera

Corina answered 13 days ago

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Past perfect: had + past participle
(had played / had seen / had broken / had done / had finished / had had ...)
had had = had + past participle of have
We use the past perfect to refer to events in the past which happened before other events in the past:
By the time we got to the cinema, the film had started.
When my mother got home, I HAD already HAD lunch.

" If I had had 50,000 yen, I could have bought this camera."
This is conditional type III: If +Past perfect + would / could / might have + past participle
(Impossible past conditions)
Used for the results which would follow from an imaginary past situation. As we cannot change the past, this is an impossible condition.
= I didn't have 50,000 yen (in the past). I f I had had enough money, I could have bought this camera.

learner answered 13 days ago Flag