Both tenses take us back to a time before another moment in the past. The past perfect focuses on a finished action or how many. The past perfect continuous focuses on an activity and how long it had been going on. Use the table as a quick reference, then try the exercises. Every answer is explained.
| Past perfect | Past perfect continuous | |
|---|---|---|
| Form | had + past participle She had left. Had you seen…? | had been + -ing She had been waiting. Had you been working…? |
| Focus | a completed earlier action; a number or amount | a longer activity up to a past moment; its duration; visible results |
| Question | How many? How many times? | How long? |
| Example | By noon, he had sent 40 emails. | He was tired because he had been working since 6. |
Past perfect vs past perfect continuous quiz
Four sets of 20 questions: start with Basics (B1) and move up to Advanced (C1), or try the At work set with office situations. Where both forms are correct, both answers are accepted. Prefer to check everything at the end? Switch to Exam mode.
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When I got home, my sister dinner.
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I couldn’t get in because I my key.
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She was tired because she (run) for an hour.
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you ever seen the sea before that trip?
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By the time we arrived, the shop .
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They (wait) for two hours when the bus finally came.
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He wasn’t hungry because he a big lunch.
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How long she been working there when she got the promotion?
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We (never / fly) before, so we were a bit nervous.
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Everything outside was white. It all night.
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After she the letter, she cried.
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I (not / finish) my homework when the teacher asked for it.
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His English was very good because he in London for years.
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She three cups of coffee before 9 am.
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The children were dirty because they (play) in the garden.
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I knew the way because I there many times.
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When I met Jane, she married for five years.
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How long (you / know) him before you got married?
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My eyes hurt because I at the screen all day.
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The plane when we got to the airport.
Teachers: download these questions as a printable worksheet with an answer key. It’s free to use in class.
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She the report for hours, but it still wasn’t finished.
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She the report, so she sent it to her boss.
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By the end of the day, he (sell) 40 tickets.
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I for a job for months before I finally got one.
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We five different hotels before we found one we liked.
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Her face was red because she (sit) in the sun.
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He the car, so it looked brand new.
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His clothes were soaking wet. He the car.
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I (not / sleep) well for weeks, so I went to the doctor.
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How many times that before?
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How long in the queue before the doors opened?
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The team (win) every match that season until they lost the final.
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They each other for ten years when they finally got married.
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We about moving abroad for a long time, and in 2020 we finally did it.
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When I got to the office, my colleagues (leave) for the day.
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She English for six years, so she spoke it very well.
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By the time he was 20, he in four different countries.
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The baby (cry) all night, so the parents were exhausted.
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I the book, so I gave it back to the library.
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The workers for 12 hours when the accident happened.
Teachers: download these questions as a printable worksheet with an answer key. It’s free to use in class.
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If I about the problem, I would have helped.
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I wish I harder at school.
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She (only / be) in the job for a week when she was promoted.
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Hardly the phone when it rang again.
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It was the second time that week the printer down.
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They (argue) before I arrived. I could feel the tension in the room.
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He looked out of breath, as if he .
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I’d rather you him the truth yesterday.
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If only we (leave) earlier! We wouldn’t have missed the train.
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By the time the ambulance came, he unconscious for nearly an hour.
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The company losses for three years before it finally closed.
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Scarcely (we / sit) down when the fire alarm went off.
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She the novel three times before she found a publisher.
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I suddenly realised that I the wrong person all along.
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Had I known about the traffic, I (take) the train.
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When the police finally arrived, the thief for over an hour.
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It for weeks, and the rivers were close to flooding.
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He admitted that he (take) the money.
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The witness said she the man before.
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I was annoyed because he me the same question again and again.
Teachers: download these questions as a printable worksheet with an answer key. It’s free to use in class.
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When I arrived at the meeting, it .
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The client was angry because we the deadline.
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I (work) at the bank for ten years before I started my own business.
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you met the CEO before the interview?
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She was exhausted because she on the presentation all night.
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By the end of the quarter, we (sign) 30 new contracts.
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The printer wasn’t working because nobody the paper.
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How long for the company when you were promoted?
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I didn’t recognise the office. They (redecorate) it completely.
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Customer complaints for weeks before anyone took action.
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Before the merger, the two companies for years.
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She (never / give) a presentation before, so she was very nervous.
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By the time the investors arrived, we everything.
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I three interviews that week before I got the job offer.
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The team was tired because they (negotiate) since early morning.
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He the company for only a year when he became manager.
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We the contract, so we couldn’t change the price.
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How many emails (you / send) before you got a reply?
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The manager wanted to know why we the order on time.
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They for a new office for months before they found one.
Teachers: download these questions as a printable worksheet with an answer key. It’s free to use in class.
Finished result or activity?
- He had washed the car, so it looked brand new. (the job was finished)
- His clothes were wet. He had been washing the car. (evidence of the activity)
- We had tried five hotels before we found one we liked. (how many)
- I had been looking for a job for months. (how long)
Other uses of the past perfect
The past perfect also appears in regrets and unreal situations: I wish I had studied harder. If I had known, I would have helped. I’d rather you had told me. And after hardly / scarcely / no sooner at the start of a sentence: Hardly had I sat down when the phone rang.
Common mistakes
- ❌ They had been knowing each other for years. → ✅ They had known each other for years. (stative verb)
- ❌ She had been drinking three coffees before 9. → ✅ She had drunk three coffees. (a number)
- ❌ When I arrived, the film started. (if it started earlier) → ✅ …the film had started.
FAQ
Do I always need the past perfect for the earlier action?
No. If the order is already clear, for example with after or before, the past simple is often fine: After she read the letter, she cried. Use the past perfect when the order would otherwise be unclear, or to stress that one action was completed first.
What level are these exercises?
There are four sets: Basics (B1), Intermediate (B2), Advanced (C1) and At work (B1–B2). To practise these tenses together with the past simple and past continuous, try our narrative tenses exercises.