passed vs had passed

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi

There is a sentence I just read:
Nearly a week passed before the girl was able to explain what had happened to her.

Why not use ‘Nearly a week had passed’?
or can I say
Nearly a week had passed since the girl was not able to explain what had happened to her.

Thank you
Miao

2

Nearly a week passed before the girl was able…
Nearly a week had passed before the girl was able…

  • these are both acceptable. There is more of an immediacy about the first.

Your final suggestion doesn’t make sense, though.