Gramática › Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Past perfect continuous: frases negativas
560 ejercicios de huecos, 56 tests de diez
Not va detrás de had, delante de been.
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La estructura
Not se mete detrás de had:
He had not been listening. → He hadn’t been listening.
El orden no varía nunca: had, not, been, -ing.
Explicar qué salió mal
El negativo suele dar el motivo de que una situación pasada acabara mal:
He failed because he hadn’t been revising. The engine seized — nobody had been checking the oil.
Cuidado con la causa
El negativo invierte la lógica del afirmativo, y es fácil escribir una frase que se contradice. He was exhausted because he hadn’t been working solo tiene sentido si lo cansó otra cosa. Cuando dudes, vuelve a leer la frase entera: ¿el motivo produce de verdad el resultado?
For long, in ages
Acompañantes naturales del negativo:
They hadn’t been speaking for long when the argument started. I hadn’t been sleeping properly in ages.
Dónde se tuerce para un hispanohablante
«No llevaba mucho durmiendo bien» se reconstruye: I hadn’t been sleeping well for long.
Y «llevaba semanas sin dormir bien» se puede decir de dos maneras en inglés, las dos correctas: She hadn’t been sleeping well for weeks o She had been sleeping badly for weeks. El español prefiere «sin», el inglés el negativo del verbo.
Todas las formas
| Sujeto | Forma completa | Forma corta |
|---|---|---|
| todos los sujetos | had not been working | hadn't been working |
Ejemplos
Tomados de las 560 frases de este ejercicio. La respuesta va resaltada.
- The kids hadn't been playing all day, so they weren't tired.
- The students hadn't been studying for the test, so they didn't pass.
- He hadn't been going to the same cafe for months, but he found a new favorite spot.
- By the time I arrived, they hadn't been waiting for five hours.
- The dog hadn't been running in the backyard all day, and it was full of energy.
- She was frustrated because her computer hadn't been working properly all day long.
- She told me the company hadn't been doing well lately, so they had to reduce their expenses.
- He hadn't been practicing his guitar every day, but he picked it up again last week.
- I hadn't been sleeping well, so the doctor was not surprised.
- He was disappointed because he hadn't been making progress in his studies.
- He hadn't been watching his favorite TV show lately because of his busy schedule.
- We hadn't been driving for hours, so we didn't need to find a restaurant.
Errores que evitar
Incorrecto: She didn't had been working. correcto: She hadn't been working.
El tiempo forma su propio negativo. Did no aparece.
Incorrecto: I hadn't been knowing about it. correcto: I hadn't known about it.
Know es verbo de estado, así que hace falta el past perfect normal.