3.20. Past Perfect Continuous/Progressive

При употреблении Past Perfect Continuous происходит фактически «перенос» Present Perfect Continuous в прошлое:

At that time we [had been living] in the caravan for about six months.
When I found Mary, I could see that she [had been crying].
I went to the doctor because I [had been sleeping] badly.

Описываемое действие могло a) закончиться к какому-то моменту в прошлом b) закончиться в этот момент речи (или сразу после него) или c) продолжаться далее:

She felt terrible during the interview because she [had been suffering] from flu since the previous day.
We'd been driving for about an hour when the engine suddenly stopped.
When I last saw John, he'd been running and was out of breath.

В разговорной речи это грамматическое время употребляется достаточно редко.

■ Past Perfect Continuous употребляется в косвенной речи:

‘It has been raining.’ → I told you it had been raining.
‘I've been driving for three hours and I'm tired.' → I told you I had been driving for three hours and was tired.