Joy English
Joy English

B2 Gramática

B2Tiempos verbales15 min

Pasado perfecto simple y continuo

Past perfect simple and continuous

Muestra qué hecho pasado ocurrió primero y habla de actividades en curso antes de un momento del pasado.

Cuando contamos una historia en pasado, a veces necesitamos retroceder más en el tiempo. El past perfect muestra que una acción ocurrió antes de otra acción pasada o antes de un momento concreto del pasado.

FormaEstructuraEnfoque y ejemplo
Past perfect simplehad + past participleA completed action or result: When we arrived, the film had already started.
Past perfect continuoushad been + -ingAn activity in progress, or how long it lasted: Ines had been waiting for an hour when the bus came.
Negativehadn't + past participle / hadn't been + -ingI hadn't met him before the wedding.
Questionhad + subject + past participle / been + -ingHad you been working there long?

Compara las dos formas. She had painted the room nos dice que el trabajo estaba terminado. She had been painting the room se centra en la actividad, a menudo para explicar algo que notamos: había pintura en su ropa. Con frecuencia usamos la forma continua con for y since para mostrar duración.

¿Es siempre necesario?

Si el orden de los hechos ya está claro, por ejemplo con before o after, a menudo basta el pasado simple: After she locked the door, she went to bed. Pero con when, la elección del tiempo verbal cambia el significado.

  • When I got to the platform, the train left. (I saw it leave.)
  • When I got to the platform, the train had left. (It was already gone.)
  • Yusuf was exhausted because he had been studying all night.
  • By the time the guests arrived, we had prepared everything.
  • The streets were wet. It had been raining.

Ejercicio 1 de 2

Elige la forma correcta

Elige la mejor opción para completar cada frase.

  1. When we reached the cinema, the film _____, so we missed the beginning.

  2. Her eyes were red because she _____ onions.

  3. I didn't recognise Omar at first. I _____ him for ten years.

  4. By the time Leila retired, she _____ at the same school for 35 years.

  5. They _____ each other for years before they started the business.

  6. The ground was wet. It _____ all night.

  7. How long _____ before you found a job?

  8. When I opened the fridge, I saw that someone _____ all the cheese.

0 de 8 respondidas

Ejercicio 2 de 2

Escribe el pasado perfecto

Escribe la forma del pasado perfecto simple o del pasado perfecto continuo del verbo entre paréntesis.

  1. When Amara got home, she realised she (leave) her keys at the office.

  2. Leo (fix) the old radio all morning, but it still didn't work.

  3. I (never / see) snow before I moved to Canada.

  4. By the end of the day, Tariq (write) twelve emails.

  5. She (not / eat) anything since breakfast, so she was very hungry.

  6. Yuki (read) the novel for a week, but she was still only on page 50.

  7. Ines was out of breath because she (run) for the bus.

  8. They (know) each other for ten years when they got married.

0 de 8 respondidas

Fuente

Lección original de Joy English.

Los niveles son orientativos. ¿Has encontrado un error? Cuéntanoslo en la página de Contacto.