The Past Perfect Continuous Tense in Urdu describes an action that started in the past and continued for a certain period before another past event. It emphasizes duration, continuity, and completion of an action. Understanding this tense helps in expressing past actions effectively. In this blog post, you’ll learn its structure, rules, and usage with examples. Explore more in our grammar section.
Table of Contents
Past Perfect Continuous Tense in Urdu
Past Perfect Continuous Tense in Urdu is used to describe an action that started in the past and continued for a certain period before another action happened. This tense emphasizes the duration of an action.
(1) Affirmative Sentences (سادہ فقرات)
Structure:
➡ Subject + had been + verb (ing) + since/for + time
Examples:
- He had been playing hockey since morning.
وہ صبح سے ہاکی کھیل رہا تھا - It had been raining since yesterday.
کل سے بارش ہو رہی تھی - They had been building the house for three months.
وہ تین ماہ سے مکان تعمیر کر رہے تھے - She had been washing the clothes for three hours.
وہ تین گھنٹوں سے کپڑے دھو رہی تھی - We had been living in this house for the last six months.
ہم پچھلے چھ ماہ سے اس مکان میں رہ رہے تھے - She had been teaching in this school for five years.
وہ اس سکول میں پانچ سال سے پڑھا رہی تھی
(2) Negative Sentences (منفی فقرات)
Structure:
➡ Subject + had not been + verb (ing) + since/for + time
Examples:
- He had not been going to school for the last two days.
وہ پچھلے دو دن سے سکول نہیں جا رہا تھا - She had not been ironing the clothes since morning.
وہ صبح سے کپڑے استری نہیں کر رہی تھی - It had not been raining since night.
رات سے بارش نہیں ہو رہی تھی - They had not been doing their duty for one month.
وہ ایک ماہ سے اپنا فرض ادا نہیں کر رہے تھے - I had not been waiting for him for eight days.
میں آٹھ دنوں سے اس کا انتظار نہیں کر رہا تھا - I had not been doing work since morning.
میں صبح سے کام نہیں کر رہا تھا
(3) Interrogative Sentences (سوالیہ فقرات)
Structure:
➡ Had + subject + been + verb (ing) + since/for + time?
Examples:
- Had he been writing for twenty minutes?
کیا وہ 20 منٹس سے لکھ رہا تھا؟ - Had Saif been going to the bazaar since Monday?
کیا سیف سوموار سے بازار جا رہا تھا؟ - Had she been sleeping since morning?
کیا وہ صبح سے سو رہی تھی؟ - Had it been raining since morning?
کیا صبح سے بارش ہو رہی تھی؟ - Had you been traveling since morning?
کیا آپ صبح سے سفر کر رہے تھے؟ - Had we been reading the newspaper for fifteen minutes?
کیا ہم پندرہ منٹس سے اخبار پڑھ رہے تھے؟
Key Rules for Using Past Perfect Continuous Tense
- Use “since” for specific points in time (e.g., since Monday, since 8 AM, since last year).
- Use “for” for durations of time (e.g., for three hours, for ten days, for five years).
- This tense is often used to describe actions that were interrupted by another past action.
- Example: He had been waiting for an hour before she arrived.
- It is also used to show the cause of a past action.
- Example: She was tired because she had been working all day.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Wrong: I had been went to school since morning.
✅ Correct: I had been going to school since morning.
❌ Wrong: They had been waited for the bus for one hour.
✅ Correct: They had been waiting for the bus for one hour.
Usage in Daily Life
- To describe actions that were ongoing in the past:
She had been studying all night before the exam. - To explain past situations:
He was hungry because he had not been eating properly. - To narrate background details in storytelling:
It had been snowing all night when we woke up.
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