Past perfect continuous

Das Past Perfect Continuous beschreibt eine Handlung, die schon eine Weile andauerte, bevor ein Zeitpunkt in der Vergangenheit erreicht war. Form: had been + -ing. Im Deutschen steht oft Plusquamperfekt oder „schon … lang“.

Wann man es verwendet

• Dauer bis zu einem Zeitpunkt in der Vergangenheit, oft mit for / since / how long: We had been driving for six hours when the car broke down.
• Sichtbare Folgen einer früheren Tätigkeit: His eyes were red. He had been crying.
• Vergleich: I had read the book (fertig) / I had been reading (Tätigkeit, evtl. nicht fertig).

Beispiele

• It had been raining, so the streets were wet.Es hatte geregnet, deshalb waren die Straßen nass.
• She had been working there for ten years before she left.Sie hatte dort zehn Jahre gearbeitet, bevor sie ging.
• I was tired because I had been studying all night.Ich war müde, weil ich die ganze Nacht gelernt hatte.
• How long had you been waiting when the bus came?Wie lange hattest du schon gewartet, als der Bus kam?
• He was out of breath because he had been running.Er war außer Atem, weil er gerannt war.

Typische Fehler

• ✗ I had been wait for an hour.✓ I had been waiting for an hour.Nach had been braucht man die -ing-Form: waiting.
• ✗ She had been knowing him.✓ She had known him.Know steht nicht in der Verlaufsform, man nimmt das Past Perfect: had known.
• ✗ How long you had been waiting?✓ How long had you been waiting?In der Frage steht had vor dem Subjekt: How long had you been waiting.
• ✗ I had been waiting since two hours.✓ I had been waiting for two hours.Die Dauer steht mit for, since gehört nur zum Anfangszeitpunkt.
• ✗ I waited for an hour when he finally came.✓ I had been waiting for an hour when he finally came.Die Dauer vor einem Zeitpunkt in der Vergangenheit braucht das Past Perfect Continuous und nicht das Past Simple.