Past Perfect Continuous
Lesson 1 of 4 · ~9 minutes

Lesson 1 · Past Perfect Continuous

I had been working

Form

The Past Perfect Continuous is built the same way for every person: had been + a verb ending in -ing. You'll need this form in the next lessons, so first let's learn to build it correctly.

had been + -ing

  • statementI had been working — had been + -ing, the same for every person
  • negativeI hadn't been sleeping — had + not + been + -ing
  • questionHad you been waiting? — Had moves to the front

Type

statement
negative
question

Form

had been + -ing: I had been working.
hadn't been + -ing: I hadn't been sleeping.
Had + subject + been + -ing: Had you been waiting?
Type
Form
statement
had been + -ing: I had been working.
negative
hadn't been + -ing: I hadn't been sleeping.
question
Had + subject + been + -ing: Had you been waiting?

By the time he arrived, she had been waiting for an hour.

I was exhausted because I had been studying all night.

I hadn't been sleeping well before I saw the doctor.

Had you been waiting long when the bus came?

Where people usually slip

After had always comes been, not be: not *had be working*, but had been working.

And only the main verb takes -ing: not *had being working*, just had been working.

In short

  • statementhad been + -ing
  • negativehadn't been + -ing
  • questionHad + subject + been + -ing?
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