Past perfect continuous
ያለፈ ፍጹም ቀጣይ ጊዜ (past perfect continuous)
I had been working. For an activity that went on for some time up to a moment in the past, often to explain a result then.
The form
had + been + verb-ing, the same for every person. It is the present perfect continuous moved one step into the past: I have been waiting (until now) → I had been waiting (until then). Amharic: ስጠብቅ ቆይቼ ነበር.
In Amharic
had + been + ግሥ-ing፣ ለሁሉም ሰው አንድ ነው። የአሁን ፍጹም ቀጣይ አንድ እርምጃ ወደ ያለፈ የተወሰደ ነው፦ I have been waiting (እስከ አሁን) → I had been waiting (እስከዚያን ጊዜ)። በአማርኛ፦ "ስጠብቅ ቆይቼ ነበር"።
| All persons | |
|---|---|
| + | I / he / they had (’d) been waiting. |
| − | I / he / they hadn't been waiting. |
| ? | Had you / he / they been waiting? |
| How long | How long had you been waiting? |
- Signal words: for, since, all day, how long, before, when, by the time.
- I had been waiting for an hour when the bus finally came.
- She'd been working at the hotel for ten years before she opened her restaurant.
- How long had you been living in Atlanta when you met your wife?
When to use it
On a timeline: a wavy line in the past that ends at (or near) another past point. Use it (1) to say how long something continued before something else happened: We had been driving for six hours when the car broke down. (2) to explain a past result you could see: His eyes were red because he had been crying. The ground was wet. It had been raining.
In Amharic
በጊዜ መስመር ላይ፦ በያለፈው ውስጥ ያለ፣ በሌላ ያለፈ ነጥብ ላይ (ወይም አጠገብ) የሚያልቅ ሞገዳማ መስመር። ይጠቀሙበት፦ (1) ሌላ ነገር ከመሆኑ በፊት አንድ ነገር ለምን ያህል ጊዜ እንደቀጠለ ለመናገር፦ We had been driving for six hours when the car broke down። (2) የታየን ያለፈ ውጤት ለማብራራት፦ His eyes were red because he had been crying። The ground was wet። It had been raining።
- State verbs use the past perfect instead: I had known her for years (not had been knowing).
- The kids were tired because they had been swimming all afternoon.
- I'd been studying for the citizenship test for months, so I felt ready.
- When I finally got through, I had been holding for forty minutes.
- Her English was good because she had been taking classes at night.
Past perfect continuous or past perfect?
Same difference as in the present: the continuous shows the activity and its duration; the simple perfect shows a completed result or a number. She had been cleaning (that's why she was tired) / She had cleaned the whole house (it was finished). He had been calling all morning / He had called five times.
In Amharic
ልዩነቱ በአሁኑ ጊዜ ያለው ዓይነት ነው፦ ቀጣዩ ድርጊቱንና ርዝመቱን ያሳያል፤ ቀላሉ ፍጹም የተጠናቀቀ ውጤትን ወይም ቁጥርን ያሳያል። She had been cleaning (ለዚህ ነው የደከማት) / She had cleaned the whole house (አልቆ ነበር)። He had been calling all morning / He had called five times።
| Past perfect continuous (activity, how long) | Past perfect (result, how many) |
|---|---|
| I had been typing for hours. | I had typed twenty pages. |
| They had been saving for a house. | They had saved $20,000. |
- If you give a number of things done, use the past perfect.
- By noon she had been driving for five hours and had covered 300 miles.
- He had been trying to call me, but my phone was off.
- We had visited three apartments before we found the right one.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I had been waiting for two hours when he came. | How long up to a past moment: past perfect continuous. | |
| She had been working there for years. | had been + verb-ing. | |
| We had known them since 2010. | know is a state verb. | |
| He had called me five times. | A number of times: past perfect. | |
| They had been living in Texas before they moved here. | Before a past event: had, not have. |
Practice
Each answer is checked as you go, with the reason. Nothing here is saved.
We ___ for an hour when the doctor finally saw us.
She had ___ working there for ten years. (one word)
His clothes were dirty because he ___ in the garden.
By 2020 they ___ three restaurants.
How long ___ you been living there when you got married? (one word)
The street was wet. It ___.
Which is correct?
I ___ (drive) for six hours when I stopped for gas. (three words)
“I have been waiting” moves into the past as: