Past Perfect Continuous

Schema formrii

Affirmativ: S + had + been + V-ing

Negative: S + had + not + been + V-ing
Interrogative: Had + S + been + V-ing?

Expresii specifice:
By (pn, pn la)
By the time (pn cand)
Until (pn; pn cnd)
Before (inainte)
Since, foretc.
how long
 Utilizare
1. Arat ct timp a durat o aciune sau mai multe aciuni care s-a/s-au
ncheiat naintea altei aciuni trecute.

n prima aciune/aciuni care se desfoar naintea celorlalte se

folosete Past Perfect Continuous iar n urmtoarea aciune/aciuni se
folosete Past Simple.

She was cold then because she had been walking in the rain all night long.

2. O aciune trecut care s-a terminat cu foarte puin timp naintea unei
alte aciuni din trecut (ca la Present Perfect Simple).

He had been dropping the mug when her sister called him.
 Atenie!

Chiar dac situaia comunicat cere un Past

Perfect Continuous, dac verbul are restricie la un
timp continuu, atunci se folosete Past Perfect
Simple.
 Verbe care nu pot fi folosite la un timp continuu

Verbele de percepie (to see, to taste, to smell, to hear etc.)

Alte verbe ca: to be, to have, to think, to believe, to love, to

like, to hate, to know,to understand, to want, to prefer, to
mean, to seem, to belong, to remember, etc.
 Exemplu

I had known him for a long time before he proposed to me.

Andy had been trying to fix the car for twenty minutes by the time the
mechanic arrived.