Form
had been + verb-ing (the same for all subjects)
| Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|
| She had been working all day. | I hadn't been sleeping well. | How long had they been waiting? |
Short answers: Yes, I had. · No, we hadn't.
Use
- Duration before a past moment: I had been waiting for an hour when the bus came.
- Cause of a past result: She was tired because she had been working all day. His hands were dirty because he had been gardening.
- Action in progress before another past action: I had been thinking about calling you when you phoned.
Past perfect or past perfect continuous?
| past perfect (result) | past perfect continuous (duration) |
|---|
| She had written five emails. | She had been writing emails for hours. |
Words used with it
for, since, how long, all day, all night, when, because.
Watch out
She had been cry → She had been crying. He had been knowing → He had known (state verb).- No did or was:
They were been waiting → They had been waiting. - Spelling: run → running · make → making · sit → sitting · lie → lying.
En español
Pasado perfecto continuo (had been + -ing) = lo que llevaba tiempo pasando antes de otro momento del pasado: Llevaba una hora esperando cuando llegó el autobús. También explica la causa de un resultado pasado.
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