Present perfect continuous

P resent Perfect Continuous

FORM

Have / has been + VERB -ing

I/we/they/you have (= I ’ve , etc.)

he/she/it has (= he ’s , etc.)

been

doing, waiting, writing , etc.

Present perfect continuous

• It talks about an action that started in the past and continues in the present .
• The action is not yet complete .
• It tells how long the action has been in progress.

He has been washing w riting since 8:00.

They have been waiting for the ir boss for twenty minutes .

Present perfect continuous

I

You

We

They

have

He

She

It

been

has

working

since 8:00.

for two hours.

Since & For

You can use the present perfect continuous for

actions that are repeated over a period of time:

• Debbie is a very good tennis player. She’s been playing since she was eight .
• Every morning they meet in the same café. They ’ve been going there for years .

For and since

For

Since

For shows an amount of time:

Since tells when an action started:

for a few minutes

since 2 pm

for three weeks

since 1998

for two years

for a decde

since Sunday

since she began her new job

Present continuous vs. Present perfect continuous

• The present continuous describes what a person is doing.
• The present perfect continuous tells how long a person has been doing that action.

Ex ample: Katie is writing an email.

She has been writing an e mail for two hours.

Present perfect vs. Present perfect continuous

• Both used to express that an action began in the past and is still going on or has just finished.
• In many cases, both forms are correct, but there is often a difference in meaning .
• We use the  Present Perfect Simple  mainly to express that an action is completed or to emphasi z e the result.
• We use the  Present Perfect Progressive  to emphasise the duration or continuous course of an action.
• Result : I have written 5 letters.
• Duration (how long) : I have been writing for an hour.

REMEMBER:

In most situations with how long, since, and for , the continuous is more usual:

Examples:

• I ’ve been studying English for six months. (more usual than I ’ve studied )

• It ’s been raining since lunchtime.
• Richard has been doing the same job for 20 years.

• some verbs (for example, know / like / believe ) are not normally

used in the continuous:

Example: How long have you known Jane?

( not have you been knowing)

• either the present perfect continuous or present perfect simple with live and work :

Example:

J ohn has been living / has lived in London for a long time.

How long have you been working / have you worked here?

• with always the simple is used (I ’ve done / I ’ve lived , etc.) :

Example:

John has always lived in London. ( not has always been living)

• w e use the present perfect simple in negative sentences like these:

Example: I haven’t seen Tom since Monday.

Jane hasn’t called me for two weeks.