El Past Perfect
Una comparación entre el Past Perfect Simple y el Past Perfect Progressive
- Usamos el Past Perfect para proporcionar una imagen más completa de un punto específico en el tiempo en el pasado al referirnos a una acción o estado que lo precedió. El Past Perfect conecta dos períodos de tiempo en el pasado.
- El Past Perfect Simple y el Past Perfect Progressive conectan dos puntos en el tiempo en el pasado de diferentes maneras. En la estructura simple, el énfasis está en la información seca en términos de cantidad y números, mientras que en la estructura progresiva nos enfocamos en la actividad. A continuación, encontrarás oraciones con contenido similar pero significados contrastantes. Esto te ayudará a mejorar tu comprensión de las diferencias entre las dos estructuras.
Past Perfect Progressive She'd (had) been working for a big company for 9 years before starting working. (una actividad progresiva de un punto en el pasado a otro - the emphasis is on the activity that was ongoing for 9 years. It is plausible that the speaker will proceed to provide further information in the context of her work in the company and the skills she had acquired.) |
Past Perfect Simple She had worked for a big company before she started working for Samsung. (experiencia\informativo - the emphasis is on the fact that this action had been completed before she started working for Samsung. It is pointed out that she possessed the necessary experience to have made her a good fit.) |
Past Perfect Progressive He had been working with Jack for 9 years before going into business with him. They spent a lot of time together and got to know each other very well. I think it was a good choice for them to work together. (una acción en curso realizada durante 9 años antes del punto en el tiempo en que él y Jack comenzaron a trabajar juntos - Notice how it is very natural to add additional details about their acquaintance as the focus is on the activity.) |
Past Perfect Simple He had known Jack for 9 years before he went into business with him. (un estado que fue verdadero durante 9 años antes de un punto específico en el pasado - The word “to know” is a verb but a stative one which describes a situation that was true for 9 years before they went into business together.) |
Past Perfect Progressive You hadn't been doing your homework and that's why you failed on your test. (un proceso de no participar en una actividad determinada - the emphasis here is on someone who fails to do their homework repeatedly and how that influences a certain point in the past. A description of how this deficiency harmed the student’s ability to succeed on a test or at school is a sensible continuation.) |
Past Perfect Simple You hadn't done your homework and that's why the teacher scolded you. (una tarea que no se había completado antes de un punto específico en el pasado - when the lesson took place and the teacher scolded the student as a result.) |
Past Perfect Progressive I had been preparing the food for 2 hours and it was too late for me to start making the cake too, I was also very tired by the time the party was about to start. (el hablante usa el Past Perfect para proporcionar información de contexto para el momento en que la fiesta estaba a punto de comenzar y lo que lo precedió - the focus is the activity and how it influenced that point in time in the Past.) |
Past Perfect Simple I had prepared the food, called the guests, but hadn't made the cake. I was sure that my brother would bring a cake from the shop but that didn't happen and the party was a big let down. (cuántas tareas se habían completado para un punto específico en el tiempo en el pasado - informativo\cuantitativo.) |
Past Perfect Progressive The cost of living had been increasing steadily for a long time and by 2016 people were very worried. They didn't know for how long this was going to continue. (cambio progresivo - the emphasis is on the process of increase and how prices repeatedly increased until 2016. The speaker will probably continue by describing how this increase continued and how that posed a problem and what was done to stop this.) |
Past Perfect Simple The cost of living had gone up by 2016 and people couldn't afford a house. (el resultado de un cambio - the emphasis on the fact that the prices have become higher by 2016 and therefore it was harder to get by economically. It is likely that the speaker will proceed to describe how people had to work longer hours as a result of this new situation.) |
Past Perfect Progressive She'd (had) been sitting in class completing the test when the fire alarm went off and everybody was rushed outside. (una acción progresiva de un punto en el pasado a otro - the emphasis is on how long the action had been and the process and not the number of times it occurred, that is also the reason why we provided with additional information about what happened around that action.) |
Past Perfect Simple She had taken the test twice and failed before she finally passed it on the third try. (cuántas veces algo había ocurrido hasta un punto específico en el tiempo en el pasado - the emphasis is on the number of times she had done the test before she finally passed.) |
Past Perfect Progressive It smelled of food and there were pots on the stove, somebody had been cooking. (adivinar qué precedió a una actividad específica en el pasado según lo noticeable - the emphasis is on the activity that had been happening before that point in the past where we saw the pots on the stove.) |
Past Perfect Simple I had cooked dinner and asked everyone to come to the table. It was late and I wanted to make sure the children went to sleep on time. (una acción que precedió a un punto específico en el tiempo en el pasado - the emphasis is on the fact that this action had been completed and it had implication on the described point in time the past. The focus is more on the implications than the actionsoil action itself.) |
- En Resumen:
Past Perfect Progressive
- Acciones que precedieron a un punto en el tiempo en el pasado
- Múltiples acciones antes de un punto en el tiempo en el pasado que se convierten en un proceso
- Cuánto tiempo había estado ocurriendo una acción hasta un punto específico en el tiempo en el pasado
- El énfasis está en la acción misma y lo que ocurre a su alrededor
Past Perfect Simple
- Situaciones o estados que precedieron a un punto en el tiempo en el pasado
- Una acción singular que precedió a un punto en el tiempo en el pasado y lo influyó
- Cuántas veces se había realizado una acción hasta un punto específico en el tiempo en el pasado
- El énfasis está en el resultado de la acción y no en la actividad misma
