Functions of the past perfect continuous
The past perfect continuous tense is similar to the present perfect continuous tense, but it refers to a time earlier than the present moment. Like the present perfect continuous, our focus is primarily on the ongoing process rather than the result.
What is your English level?
Find out your A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 level of English with our online test and receive your English certificate.
Examples
- Had you been waiting long before the taxi arrived?
- We had been trying to open the door for five minutes when Jane found her key.
- It had been raining hard for several hours and the streets were very wet.
- Her friends had been thinking of calling the police when she walked in.
This form is also used in reported speech. It is the equivalent of the past continuous and the present perfect continuous in direct speech:
- Jane said, “I have been gardening all afternoon.” = Jane said she had been gardening all afternoon.
- When the police questioned him, John said, “I was working late in the office that night.” = When the police questioned him, John told them he had been working late in the office that night.
Forming the past perfect continuous
The past perfect continuous is composed of two elements – the past perfect of the verb to be (=had been) + the present participle (base+ing).
| Subject | +had been | +verb + ing |
|---|---|---|
| I | had been | walking |
| Affirmative | ||
| She | had been | trying |
| Negative | ||
| She | hadn’t been | sleeping |
| Interrogative | ||
| Had you | been | eating? |
| Interrogative negative | ||
| Hadn’t they | been | living? |
To buy, past perfect continuous
| Affirmative | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|
| I had been buying | I hadn’t been buying | Had I been buying? |
| You had been buying | You hadn’t been buying | Had you been buying? |
| She had been buying | She hadn’t been buying | Had she been buying? |
| We had been buying | We hadn’t been buying | Had we been buying? |
| They had been buying | They hadn’t been buying | Had they been buying? |
