Past Perfect Continuous Tense: Rumus, Contoh Kalimat & Soal

Bila kamu ingin membicarakan suatu aksi atau peristiwa yang terjadi sebelum aksi atau peristiwa lain di masa lalu, maka kamu bisa menggunakan Past Perfect Continuous Tense. Bagaimana rumus dan contoh kalimatnya? Eits sabar ya, simak dulu pengertian Past Perfect Continuous Tense berikut ini.

Apa itu Past Perfect Continuous Tense?

Past Perfect Continuous Tense merupakan tenses yang digunakan untuk membicarakan suatu aksi atau peristiwa yang terjadi di masa lalu dengan menaruh perhatian lebih pada berapa lama aksi / peristiwa tersebut berlangsung.

Masih ingat fungsi Past Perfect? Tenses ini berfungsi untuk menekankan aksi / peristiwa yang terjadi lebih awal dibandingkan aksi / peristiwa lainnya di masa lalu. 

Nah, Past Perfect Continuous hampir mirip dengan Past Perfect. Hanya saja, Past Perfect Continuous menekankan berapa lamanya aksi / peristiwa awal (earlier action) tersebut berlangsung. Contohnya: 

• Hamish and Raisa got together in 2017. Hamish had been living in Bali for three years when they met.

(ini cuma contoh ya folks)

Perhatikan bagian Past Perfect Continuous Tense (kata-kata yang ditebalkan) menekankan bahwa Hamish sudah tinggal di Bali selama tiga tahun saat ia bertemu Raisa. Dapat dipahami bahwa tenses ini menitikberatkan durasi atau lamanya Hamish tinggal di Bali – 3 tahun. 

Perhatikan juga, bahwa aksi / peristiwa yang terjadi setelah Past Perfect Continuous itu dinyatakan dalam Simple Past Tense. Bisakah kamu tunjukkan mana aksi yang dimaksud? Tepat sekali. Bagian ini: when they met ditulis dalam Simple Past.

Jadi pada dasarnya, Past Perfect Continuous tak jauh berbeda dari Past Perfect (sama-sama berpasangan dengan Simple Past). Hanya saja, Past Perfect Continuous memberi penekanan lebih pada durasi atau berapa lama suatu aksi atau peristiwa awal berlangsung di masa lampau. Agar lebih jelas, kita ulangi sedikit apa bedanya dua tenses ini.

Apa Perbedaan Past Perfect Tense dan Past Perfect Continuous Tense?

Kedua tenses ini memang sering dianggap sama, padahal fungsinya berbeda lho. Past Perfect Tense cenderung menekankan pada urutan aksi/peristiwa. 

Jika seseorang membicarakan lebih dari satu aksi di masa lalu, maka sudah jelas bahwa yang diucapkan dalam Past Perfect Tense merupakan aksi yang terjadi lebih awal – dibandingkan aksi lainnya. 

Hal ini juga berlaku untuk Past Perfect Continuous Tense. Artinya, Past Perfect Continuous juga menunjukkan aksi / peristiwa yang terjadi lebih awal (earlier action). Tetapi, tenses ini lebih menekankan pada berapa lama suatu aksi atau peristiwa awal tersebut berlangsung. Oleh karena itu, tenses ini sering dilengkapi dengan keterangan durasi seperti for 2 days, for three years, for two weeks dan sebagainya. Sementara Past Perfect tidak.

Kendati berbeda, namun kedua tenses ini sama-sama membicarakan aksi / peristiwa di masa lampau. Sudah jelas?

Baiklah, mari simak rumus Past Perfect Continuous Tense berikut ini.  

Rumus Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Subject + had + been + verb-ing (kalimat positif)

Subject + had + not + been + verb-ing (kalimat negatif)

Had + subject + been + verb-ing? (kalimat tanya)

 

Sama seperti tenses lainnya, Past Perfect Continuous juga mengenal beberapa singkatan (contractions), seperti:

• I had been = I’d been (berlaku juga untuk subject lainnya: you’d been, she’d been, he’d been, they’d been, we’d been)
• Had not = hadn’t

Biasanya, Past Perfect Continuous juga digunakan untuk mengganti kalimat yang dinyatakan dalam Present Perfect Continuous dalam konteks direct – indirect speech. Contoh direct speech:

• He said “I’ve been living in Yogyakarta for 3 years.”

Indirect speech:

• He said that he had been living in Yogyakarta for 3 years.  

Contoh Kalimat Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Berikut adalah beberapa contoh kalimat past perfect continuous tense. Ingat bahwa peristiwa / aksi yang dinyatakan dalam past perfect continuous tense merupakan peristiwa / aksi awal (earlier action), meskipun letaknya di akhir kalimat.

1. We had been trying to open the door for five minutes when I finally found the key.
2. Baki ran the marathon in less than three hours. She had been training for it since 2020.
3. They missed the train, which they had been hoping to catch.
4. Bio went to the doctor because he had been having trouble sleeping.
5. Baki hadn’t been waiting long when the cab arrived. 
6. Had she been drinking when she fell off her bike?
7. After I had been swimming for two hours, I was so cold I had to stop. 
8. She had only been waiting a few minutes when the bus arrived. 
9. After we had been walking for an hour, we realized we were lost. 
10. Baki finally bought the car that she had been saving up for.

Itulah beberapa contoh kalimat Past Perfect Continuous Tense. Selanjutnya mari simak bagaimana penggunaan tenses ini dalam percakapan. 

Contoh Percakapan Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Berikut adalah percakapan antara Baki dengan Bio. Versi orisinal dialog ini bisa kamu temukan di ISLCollective.com

Baki: Hi Bio, how have you been? 

Bio: So far so good. Anyway, I went to Livia’s party yesterday.

Baki: Oh, how was the party?

Bio: Horrible.

Baki: How come?

Bio: I think the food wasn’t fresh. I had been feeling unwell after the party. Fortunately, Livia sent me to the hospital. Now, I’m much better. 

Baki: Glad to hear that!  

Soal Past Perfect Continuous Tense – Section 1

Kerjakan soal berikut ini dengan baik dan benar dengan cara mengubah kata didalam kurung () ke dalam bentuk Past Perfect Continuous.

1. I apologized because he …… (wait) for a long time.
2. Baki …… (watch) TV for three hours when I arrived. 
3. I …… (play) trumpet for three hours before I joined a band.
4. He was confident because he …… (rehearse) hard for the show.
5. They took their baby to the doctor because she ….. (cry) all night.  
6. How long ….. (he / learn) English with Hargabelanja.com before he went abroad?
7. I ….. (try) to open the door for 30 minutes when Baki found her key.
8. It …… (rain) hard for several hours and the streets were very wet.
9. She ….. (think) of calling her parents when she walked in.
10. ……. (you / wait) long before the bus arrived?

Jawaban Soal Past Perfect Continuous Tense – Section 1

Berikut adalah jawaban dari soal di atas.

1. I apologized because he had been waiting for a long time.
2. Baki had been watching TV for three hours when I arrived. 
3. I had been playing trumpet for three hours before I joined a band.
4. He was confident because he had been rehearsing hard for the show.
5. They took their baby to the doctor because she had been crying all night.  
6. How long had he been learning English with Hargabelanja.com b    before he went abroad?
7. I had been trying to open the door for 30 minutes when Baki found her key.
8. It had been raining hard for several hours and the streets were very wet.
9. She had been thinking of calling her parents when she walked in.
10. Had you been waiting long before the bus arrived?

Soal Past Perfect Continuous Tense – Section 2

Jawablah pertanyaan berikut dengan baik dan benar. 

1. We found a solution to a problem that had been frustrating us for a while. Which one is background information?

A.found a solution

B.had been frustrating. 

2. It was great when we moved in, because we had been looking for a new office for a month. Which one is background information?

A.moved in

B.looking for a new office. 

3. We had been trying to work out what to do for a while, and when the answer came, it was a surprise. Which one is background information?

A.trying to work out what to do

B.the answer was a surprise

4. The problem …… been caused by lack of communication. 

A.have

B.had 

5. They’d been ……. on a plan for a few weeks.

A.work

B.working

6. I ….  (work) all day so I didn’t want to go out. 

A.had been work

B.had been working

7. She ……  (sleep) for ten hours when I woke her.

A.had been sleeping

B.had been sleep

8. He ….. (live) in Beijing for four years when he met her.

A.was living

B.’d been living

9. When we met, you …… (work) at that company for seven months.

A.work

B.had been working 

10. We ….. (eat) all day so we felt a bit ill.

A.eating

B.had been eating

Jawaban Soal Past Perfect Continuous Tense – Section 2

Berikut adalah jawaban untuk soal di atas.

1. B. had been frustrating
2. B. looking for a new office
3. A. trying to work out what to do
4. B. had
5. B. working
6. B. had been working
7. A. had been sleeping
8. B. ‘d been living
9. B. had been working
10. B. had been eating

Soal Past Perfect Continuous Tense – Section 3

Seperti yang kamu tahu, Past Perfect Continuous Tense sering digunakan untuk mengganti Present Perfect Continuous dalam indirect speech. Contoh:

Direct speech: Baki said: “I’m hungry, I’ve been waiting for my food for an hour.”

Indirect speech: Baki said that she was hungry, she had been waiting for her food for an hour.

 

1. Baki said: “I’m very tired, I’ve been running for three hours.”

2. Bio said: “The room is still not clean, although somebody has been cleaning it for 3 hours.”

3. Baki said: “I’m not surprised. My car hasn’t been running well for a long time.”

4. Bio said: “I have been waiting for my friend for three days.”

5. Baki and Bio said: “We’re not tired even though we have been walking for an hour.”

Jawaban Soal Past Perfect Continuous Tense – Section 3

Berikut adalah jawaban dari soal di atas.

1. Baki said that she was very tired, she’d been running for three hours.
2. Bio said that the room was still not clean, although somebody had been cleaning it for 3 hours.
3. Baki said that she was not surprised. Her car had not been running well for a long time.
4. Bio said that he had been waiting for his friend for three days.
5. Baki and Bio said that they were not tired even though they had been walking for an hour.

Itulah beberapa soal Past Perfect Continuous Tense yang bisa kamu jadikan bahan belajar. Selanjutnya kamu bisa mempelajari tenses lainnya atau mengerjakan soal TOEFL: structure and written expression dan reading comprehension.