Past Perfect Continuous

The past perfect continuous emphasizes the duration of an action that was in progress before another past action.

Formation

Affirmative

had + been + verb-ing

Subject	Had + Been + Verb-ing
I / You / He / She / It / We / They	had been working

Examples:

I had been waiting for an hour when she arrived.
She had been studying all night.
They had been living there for 5 years.

Negative

had + not + been + verb-ing

I hadn’t been sleeping well before the exam.
She hadn’t been working there long.
They hadn’t been paying attention.

Questions

Had + subject + been + verb-ing?

Had you been waiting long?
How long had she been working there?
What had they been doing?

When to Use Past Perfect Continuous

1. Duration Before a Past Event

How long something had been happening before something else:

I had been waiting for 2 hours when she finally arrived.
She had been learning English for 10 years before she moved to London.
How long had you been living there before you moved?

2. Cause of a Past Result

Action that caused a visible result in the past:

Her eyes were red because she had been crying.
He was tired because he had been working all night.
The ground was wet. It had been raining.
She was out of breath. She had been running.

3. Recent Continuous Activity Before a Past Point

What had been happening up to a past moment:

I had been reading for hours, so I needed a break.
They had been arguing when I walked in.
We had been discussing the project all morning.

Past Perfect Simple vs. Continuous

Focus on Completion vs. Duration

Past Perfect Simple	Past Perfect Continuous
Focus on completion	Focus on duration
Result	Process
How many?	How long?

Examples:

Completion (simple):

I had written 3 emails before lunch. (number completed)
She had read the book before the exam. (finished)

Duration (continuous):

I had been writing emails all morning. (duration)
She had been reading for hours. (ongoing activity)

Permanent vs. Temporary

More permanent (simple):

She had worked there for 20 years when she retired.

More temporary (continuous):

She had been working on a special project.

Stative Verbs

Use past perfect simple (not continuous) with stative verbs:

I had known her for years. (not ~~had been knowing~~)
They had had that car since 2010. (not ~~had been having~~)
She had always loved music. (not ~~had been loving~~)

Common Time Expressions

Expression	Example
for + duration	had been waiting for 2 hours
since + point	had been living there since 2010
all day/week/morning	had been working all day
how long	How long had you been waiting?
before	I had been studying before you called

Common Patterns