Understanding the Past Perfect Continuous Tense in Shqip
The Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used to describe actions that were happening over a period of time in the past, before another action. It's like telling a story about something that was going on before something else happened.
Important Points
- It is used to talk about an action that started in the past and continued until another action happened.
- It often answers the question 'How long?' for something that was happening in the past.
- It helps to show the cause of something in the past.
To form the Past Perfect Continuous Tense in Shqip, we use the past perfect form of the verb 'to have' (kisha, kishe, kishte, kishim, kishit, kishin) followed by the past participle 'qenë' and the present participle of the main verb. This structure helps us tell stories about things that were happening.
Examples
- Ai kishte qenë duke lexuar për dy orë kur unë e thirra.
- Ne kishim qenë duke luajtur jashtë kur filloi shiu.
- Ajo kishte qenë duke mësuar anglisht për një vit kur shkoi në Amerikë.
Let's break it down: 'kishte qenë' means 'had been,' and 'duke' is like saying 'doing.' So when you say 'kishte qenë duke lexuar,' it means 'had been reading.'
Important Points
- Use 'kishte qenë' for 'he/she/it had been'.
- Use 'kishim qenë' for 'we had been'.
- Use 'kishin qenë' for 'they had been'.
This tense helps us understand the background of a story, showing what was happening before something else took place. It's like saying, 'This was going on, and then this happened.'