Le Past Perfect Continuous

Le Past Perfect Continuous décrit une action qui était en cours pendant une durée avant un autre événement passé.

Structure

Had been + verbe-ing

• I had been waiting / She had been working / They had been studying

Utilisations principales

• Durée avant un événement passé : "I had been waiting for 2 hours when she finally arrived."
• Cause d'une situation passée : "He was tired because he had been working all night."
• Action récemment terminée avec effet visible : "Her eyes were red. She had been crying."

Mots-clés

for, since, all day/night/week, how long

Past Perfect Simple vs Continuous

• Simple (résultat) : "I had written three emails." (3 emails terminés)
• Continuous (durée/processus) : "I had been writing emails all morning." (focus sur la durée)