When recounting long-standing disputes in your neighborhood (le voisinage), you will often need to explain how long a problem had been going on before things escalated.
Had Been Doing: Imparfait + Depuis
If an action started in the past and was still continuing at a later point in the past, English uses "had been doing." In French, you simply use the imparfait (imperfect) tense followed by depuis (for or since).
| The neighborhood problem had been continuing for months. | Le problème de voisinage continuait depuis des mois. |
This structure is very common when setting the scene for an interruption or a realization. The ongoing background action uses the imparfait with depuis, while the interrupting event uses the passé composé.
| He had been building the fence for three days when he saw that it was encroaching on the garden. | Il construisait la clôture depuis trois jours quand il a vu qu'elle empiétait sur le jardin. |
Just like when using it in the present tense, depuis can be followed by a duration (for three days, for months) or a specific starting point in time (since noon).
| The neighbors were writing a complaint because he had been blocking the passage since noon. | Les voisins rédigeaient une plainte parce qu'il bouchait le passage depuis midi. |
Expressing Annoyance
Neighborhood disputes often involve something being blocked (boucher) or someone being bothered (gêner). Notice how seamlessly these verbs pair with depuis to explain exactly how long a nuisance had been happening before someone finally complained.
| This tall hedge had been bothering her for a long time. | Cette grande haie la gênait depuis longtemps. |
| This wall had been blocking the view for a year, which made the neighbor furious. | Ce mur bouchait la vue depuis un an, ce qui rendait le voisin furieux. |