Pasado perfecto continuo

Pasado perfecto continuo construcción: had + been + gerundio (verbo + –ing).

Verbo ejemplar: to travel

I had been travelling	We had been travelling
You had been travelling	You (guys) had been travelling
He/she/it had been travelling	They had been travelling

Se usa el pasado perfecto continuo para hablar sobre una acción que ocurrió en el pasado y siguió sucediendo hasta otro momento en el pasado (el pasado antes del pasado)

Podemos usar una expresión de tiempo para expresar la duración.

• I had been doing my work when my boss came in.
• She had been waiting a long time before catching her train.
• Maria had been seeing her boyfriend for two years before they broke up.

Usamos el pasado Continuo para hablar acerca de una reacción, causa o efecto de algo en el pasado

• Anne was very sick because she had been eating too many fast foods.
• All the employees were exhausted because they had been working the whole day.
• They were all sick and tired as they had all been feeling the effects of the crisis.

Pasado perfecto continuo vs. pasado continuo

Pasado continuo: ‘was/were + gerundio’ (verbo + –ing)

Por regla general, el pasado continuo se usa para hablar acerca de una acción en el pasado que es interrumpida por algo. Por lo tanto, usamos el pasado continuo para enfatizar el ‘algo’ que está siendo interrumpido.

• She was cleaning her house when her friend rang the doorbell. 
• We were helping our friends with their homework yesterday when Sam came in. 

Nótese que NO es obligatoria la interrupción, solo que el pasado continuo es para enfatizar una interrupción:

• I was playing football yesterday.

Pasado perfecto continuo: ‘had + been + gerundio’ (verbo + –ing)

Se usa, generalmente, para hacer hincapié en un período de tiempo en el pasado antes de otro pasado. Por eso, es ampliamente conocido utilizar expresiones de tiempo, tales como: for three hours, since Tuesday, since last year, for fiev days, etc. Además, el pasado perfecto continuo se usa para mostrar la reacción o efecto de algo, mejor que el pasado continuo.

• I had been flying over Scotland when my dad called.
• You had been living in Spain for three years before you married your wife.
• She was sick because she had been working outside all day in the cold.

INCORRECTO:

• I was helpless because I was working without motivation.

CORRECTO:

• I was helpless because I had been working without motivation.

‘I was helpless’, es la reacción y debe preceder al pasado perfecto continuo (had been working).

Ver también