The Past Perfect Continuous: Had Been Doing

The past perfect continuous (also called the past perfect progressive) is formed with had been plus the -ing form of the main verb. It describes an action that was in progress over a period of time up to a particular point in the past. It often explains the situation or result we can see at that past moment: The ground was wet because it had been raining. This tense is generally placed at B2-C1 on the CEFR scale.

This tense is the past-time equivalent of the present perfect continuous (has been doing). Where the present perfect continuous looks back from now, the past perfect continuous shifts everything one step further back, looking back from a moment in the past. It is a hallmark of fluent, advanced storytelling and explanation.

How to Form the Past Perfect Continuous

The structure is identical for every subject — there is no third-person -s, because had never changes.

Form	Structure	Example
Affirmative	subject + had been + verb-ing	They had been waiting for two hours.
Negative	subject + had not been (hadn’t been) + verb-ing	She hadn’t been sleeping well.
Question	had + subject + been + verb-ing	How long had you been working there?
Short answer	Yes, … had / No, … hadn’t	Yes, I had. / No, I hadn’t.

Use 1: Duration Before a Point in the Past

The main use is to show how long an action had been continuing up to a specific moment in the past. We frequently use for and since to express the length of time.

• By the time the train arrived, we had been standing on the platform for an hour.
• When she finally got the job, she had been applying since January.
• He was exhausted; he had been driving all day.
• They had been living in Rome for ten years before they moved to Paris.

Use 2: Explaining a Past Result or Situation

Very often the past perfect continuous explains why something was the case at a past moment. The ongoing action is the cause; the situation we observe is the effect.

Result we observed (past)	Cause (past perfect continuous)
Her eyes were red.	She had been crying.
The players were muddy.	They had been playing football in the rain.
He was out of breath.	He had been running.
The kitchen smelled wonderful.	Someone had been baking.

Past Perfect Continuous vs Past Perfect

This is the key contrast for advanced learners. The past perfect (had done) emphasises a completed action before a past point and often its result. The past perfect continuous (had been doing) emphasises the duration or ongoing nature of the activity.

Past perfect (had done)	Past perfect continuous (had been doing)
She had written three letters. (we know how many — result/quantity)	She had been writing letters all morning. (duration of the activity)
I had read the report. (it is finished)	I had been reading the report. (the action was ongoing)
They had painted the room. (job done)	They had been painting all day, so they were tired. (ongoing effort)

Time Markers: For, Since and Before

Certain time expressions signal the past perfect continuous very strongly:

• for + a period: for two hours, for ages, for several weeks — We had been waiting for two hours.
• since + a starting point: since morning, since 2010, since she left — He had been studying since dawn.
• before + a past event: before the meeting started — They had been arguing before we arrived.
• how long … ? in questions: How long had they been dating before they married?
• all day / all night / all morning: He had been working all night.

Stative Verbs: Use the Past Perfect Instead

As with every continuous tense, verbs describing states — know, believe, love, own, want, understand — are not normally used in the past perfect continuous. We say She had known him for years, not She had been knowing him. With these verbs, use the simple past perfect. See our guide to stative verbs.

Past Perfect Continuous vs Present Perfect Continuous

The two tenses share the continuous-for-duration meaning, but they look back from different points:

• Present perfect continuous: I have been waiting for an hour. (looking back from now)
• Past perfect continuous: I had been waiting for an hour when the bus finally came. (looking back from a past moment)

Practice Exercises

Explore related grammar topics:

All Grammar Topics Past Tenses Present Perfect Narrative Tenses Stative Verbs Tense Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the past perfect continuous tense?

The past perfect continuous describes an action that was in progress over a period of time up to a particular point in the past. It is formed with had been plus the -ing form: She was tired because she had been working all night. It often explains the situation or result we could see at that past moment.

How do you form the past perfect continuous?

Use subject + had been + verb-ing for every subject: I/you/he/she/it/we/they had been waiting. The negative is had not been (hadn’t been) + -ing: She hadn’t been sleeping well. Questions invert had: How long had you been working there?

What is the difference between the past perfect and the past perfect continuous?

The past perfect (had done) emphasises a completed action before a past point, its result, or how many: She had written three letters. The past perfect continuous (had been doing) emphasises the duration or ongoing nature of the activity: She had been writing letters all morning. Use the continuous to stress how long.

When do we use the past perfect continuous?

We use it to show how long an action had been continuing up to a past moment (We had been waiting for an hour when the bus came) and to explain a past result or situation (Her eyes were red because she had been crying). The ongoing action is usually the cause of the situation we observe.

What time markers go with the past perfect continuous?

Common markers are for (for two hours), since (since morning), before (before the meeting started), all day/night/morning, and how long … ? in questions. For example: They had been arguing before we arrived, or How long had they been dating before they married?

Can I use the past perfect continuous with stative verbs?

No. State verbs such as know, believe, love, own, want and understand are not normally used in continuous tenses. We say She had known him for years, not She had been knowing him. With stative verbs, use the simple past perfect instead.

What is the difference between the past perfect continuous and the present perfect continuous?

Both express duration with the continuous form, but they look back from different points. The present perfect continuous looks back from now: I have been waiting for an hour. The past perfect continuous looks back from a past moment: I had been waiting for an hour when the bus finally came. It simply shifts everything one step further into the past.

How do I contract ‘had been’ in this tense?

After pronouns, had contracts to ’d: I’d been waiting, they’d been talking, we’d been driving. Be careful, because ’d can also be a contraction of would. The presence of been plus an -ing verb tells you it is had, the past perfect continuous.

Does the action in the past perfect continuous have to be finished?

Not necessarily. The action may have just finished or may still have been going on at the past point of reference. He had been driving all day suggests the driving had recently stopped, while When I arrived, she had been waiting for an hour shows the waiting may have continued. The focus is on the duration up to that point, not on completion.

At what level should I learn the past perfect continuous?

The past perfect continuous is usually taught at B2 to C1 (upper-intermediate to advanced) on the CEFR scale. It builds on the past perfect and the present perfect continuous, so learners should be comfortable with those tenses first. It is especially valued in advanced writing and storytelling for adding depth and explaining background causes.