How do you translate “had been ____ing” into French?
For phrases such as “I had been sitting” or “he had been working”, so you translate them into French with a simple imperfect or is it there a better way? What is this tense (« had been Xing) in English?

Question

How do you translate “had been ____ing” into French?
For phrases such as “I had been sitting” or “he had been working”, so you translate them into French with a simple imperfect or is it there a better way? What is this tense (« had been Xing) in English?

Answer

If the action started in the past and continued up until another time in the past we should use Imparfait:
When my father came home I had been watching TV for 1 hour. - Quand mon père est venu, je regardais la télé depuis une heure.

If the action was finished before another action in the past or the moment of speech, we should use Plus-que-parfait:
Yesterday he was very tired because he had been working the whole day. - Hier il était très fatigué parce qu'il avait travaillé tout le jour.
I was sure he had been drinking. -  J'étais sûr qu'il avait bu.

Answer

It depends on what you mean. If the action started in the past and it's still going on, you should use Présent de l'indicatif:
I have been waiting for you for three hours already. - Je vous attends déjà pendant trois heurs.
If the action is finished before the moment of speech, you should use Passé Composé:
Your eyes are red. Have you been crying? - Tes yeux sont rouges. As-tu pleuré?
I have been working the whole day. I'm very tired. - J'ai travaillé tout le jour. Je suis trés fatigué.

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