how long had you been waiting vs how long had you waited

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'How long had you been waiting?' is used to ask about the duration of an action that was ongoing in the past. 'How long had you waited?' is used to ask about the duration of a completed action in the past.

Last updated: March 29, 2024

how long had you been waiting

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to ask about the duration of an ongoing action in the past.

This phrase is used to inquire about the length of time someone was waiting for something in the past. It focuses on the continuous nature of the waiting.

Show examples from the web [+]

I wish I knew how long we've been waiting.
How long have you been waiting?
It all boils down to your D.N.A. And how long you've been waiting.
We know how long you've been waiting to say that to a woman.
How long has Fido been waiting for his master?
How long's she been waiting?
Man, you have no idea how long kids have been waiting to do that.
How long you been waiting to say that?
How long you been waiting for this promotion?
How long you been waiting to say that one?
How long have you been waiting to say something?
How long you're been waiting him?
And how long have you been waiting for Marie?
How long have you been waiting to say that?
How long have you been waiting for this, doctor?
How long have you been waiting to say something?
You have no idea how long I've been waiting to talk to you about it.
How long have you been waiting to say that?
The thing is, whenever he returned from wherever he'd been, no matter how long I'd been waiting, the actuality always exceeded the anticipation.
How long you been waiting to bring that up?

how long had you waited

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to ask about the duration of a completed action in the past.

This phrase is used to inquire about the length of time someone spent waiting for something in the past. It refers to the waiting as a completed action.

Show examples from the web [+]

I know how long you waited to be made boss.
You waited long enough to give signal.
You don't know how long I've waited for this opportunity.
If you knew how long I have waited for you.
How long I've waited to welcome you aboard Vyerni.
I told you, if you waited too long...
PAULIE: You waited a long time for the stripes.
You waited a long time to ask.
The truth is you waited too long.
I'm surprised you waited this long.
What's wrong is you waited too long Bob.
I just don't understand why you waited so long to tell me.
You waited too long to tell Sue about unicorns.
You waited so long for this.
How long the child waited for his grandfather?
How long I've waited for the pleasure of another human being.
I can't tell you how long I've waited to see the look on your face.
You have no idea how long I've waited just to hear you say you're sorry.
How long I've waited to hear you say that.
I can't tell you how long I've waited to see the look on your face.

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how long had you been waiting vs how long had you waited