Past Perfect Continuous
(I Had Been Doing) — Complete Guide
Plus-que-parfait Continu
(I Had Been Doing) — Guide Complet
Master the form, meaning, and use of had been doing — including contrasts with present perfect continuous and past continuous
Maîtrisez la forme, le sens et l'emploi de had been doing — avec les contrastes clés avec d'autres temps
The past perfect continuous (I had been doing) describes an activity that was in progress before a past moment — and often explains a result or situation at that moment. It looks back from a past reference point in the same way the present perfect continuous looks back from now. Think of it as "the past's past in progress."
Le passé parfait continu (I had been doing) décrit une activité qui était en cours avant un moment passé — et explique souvent un résultat ou une situation à ce moment. Il regarde en arrière depuis un point de référence passé, de la même façon que le présent parfait continu regarde en arrière depuis maintenant.
Form & Basic Meaning — Activity in Progress Before a Past Moment
Forme & sens de base — Activité en cours avant un moment passé
The past perfect continuous is formed with had + been + verb-ing. It says that an action was happening continuously before something else happened in the past — and that action was not necessarily complete.
Le passé parfait continu se forme avec had + been + verbe-ing. Il indique qu'une action se déroulait de façon continue avant qu'autre chose ne se passe dans le passé — et cette action n'était pas nécessairement terminée.
I / we / you / they / he / she / it + had (= I'd / he'd …) + been + doing / working / playing …
Key example: Yesterday morning the ground was very wet. It had been raining. — It was not raining at that moment, but it had been raining before.
Exemple clé : Hier matin, le sol était très mouillé. It had been raining. — Il ne pleuvait pas à ce moment-là, mais il avait plu avant.
Have Been -ing (Present Perfect Continuous) vs Had Been -ing (Past Perfect Continuous)
Have been -ing vs Had been -ing — Comparaison
Both tenses describe an activity in progress over a period of time. The difference is the reference point: have been -ing looks back from now; had been -ing looks back from a past moment.
Les deux temps décrivent une activité en cours pendant une période. La différence est le point de référence : have been -ing regarde en arrière depuis maintenant ; had been -ing regarde en arrière depuis un moment passé.
had been -ing → before THEN (past reference)
Present perfect continuous — before now
Présent parfait continu — avant maintenant
Past perfect continuous — before then
Passé parfait continu — avant ce moment passé
Was -ing (Past Continuous) vs Had Been -ing — An Important Difference
Was -ing (passé continu) vs Had Been -ing — Différence importante
Was/were -ing (past continuous) describes what was happening at a past moment — the action was in progress at that exact time. Had been -ing (past perfect continuous) describes what had been happening before that past moment — focusing on duration prior to the reference point.
Was/were -ing décrit ce qui se passait à un moment passé. Had been -ing décrit ce qui se passait avant ce moment passé — avec un accent sur la durée antérieure.
Exercise 1 — Make sentences using the words in brackets
Exercice 1 — Faites des phrases à partir des mots entre parenthèses
Use the past perfect continuous.
Utilisez le passé parfait continu.
Exercise 2 — Complete the sentences using the past perfect continuous
Exercice 2 — Complétez les phrases au passé parfait continu
Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form.
Mettez les verbes entre parenthèses à la bonne forme.
Exercise 3 — Which is right? Past continuous or past perfect continuous?
Exercice 3 — Lequel est correct ? Passé continu ou passé parfait continu ?
Choose the correct tense and write it in the box.
Choisissez le bon temps et écrivez-le.
Frequently Asked Questions — Past Perfect Continuous
Questions fréquentes — Passé parfait continu
It describes an activity that was in progress before a past moment. It often explains the cause of a situation: My hands were dirty because I'd been repairing my bike. The activity was ongoing up to (or shortly before) the past reference point.
Il décrit une activité qui était en cours avant un moment passé. Il explique souvent la cause d'une situation : My hands were dirty because I'd been repairing my bike.
Was/were doing (past continuous) = the action was in progress at that moment in the past. Had been doing (past perfect continuous) = the action was in progress before that past moment. Example: It wasn't raining when we went out (at that moment) but it had been raining (before we went out — hence the wet ground).
Was/were doing = l'action était en cours à ce moment passé. Had been doing = l'action était en cours avant ce moment passé.
I've been waiting (present perfect continuous) looks back from now: I hope the bus comes soon — I've been waiting 20 minutes. I'd been waiting (past perfect continuous) looks back from a past moment: At last the bus came — I'd been waiting 20 minutes.
I've been waiting regarde en arrière depuis maintenant. I'd been waiting regarde en arrière depuis un moment passé.
No. Stative verbs — verbs that describe a state rather than an action (e.g. know, have, like, want, believe, understand, need) — are not normally used in continuous forms. Use the past perfect simple: We had known each other for years (not had been knowing). She'd always had long hair (not had been having).
Non. Les verbes d'état (ex. know, have, like, want) ne s'utilisent pas normalement aux formes continues. Utilisez le passé parfait simple.
Negative: She hadn't been living there long. (had + not + been + -ing)
Question: How long had you been waiting? (had + subject + been + -ing)
In informal speech, had is often contracted: I'd been, he'd been, they'd been.
Négatif : She hadn't been living there long.
Question : How long had you been waiting?
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