Present Perfect Continuous (Present Perfect Progressive) – present continuous perfect tense. Present Perfect Continuous is not very popular in English for three reasons:
- Long form.
- Narrow aspect of use.
- Interchangeability. In some cases Present Perfect Continuous can be easily replaced with Present Perfect without changing the meaning of the sentence.
But this does not mean that our article should be closed and forgotten about its existence Present Perfect Continuous. Scope of use Present Perfect Continuous quite narrow, but this tense has its place in the English language, and it is sometimes impossible to replace it with another. Moreover, in speech Present Perfect Continuous sounds very impressive if you use it correctly.
How is the Present Perfect Continuous formed?
Statement
The peculiarity of this time is that it combines two aspects - Perfect And Continuous. Present Perfect Continuous formed with an auxiliary verb to be V Present Perfect – have been(or has been for pronouns he, she, it and nouns in singular). The main verb is verb + ending -ing.
| I/We/You/They + have been + verb- ing | He/She/It + has been + verb- ing |
|---|---|
| I have been read ing
. - I am reading. We have been wait ing . - We expect. You have been play ing . - You're playing. They have been work ing . - They work. |
He has been runn ing
. - He is running. She has been laugh ing . - She is laughing. It has been work ing
. - It works. |
Negation
A particle appears in negation not, which must be placed between have (has) And been.
| I/We/You/They + have not been + verb- ing | He/She/It + has not been + verb- ing |
|---|---|
| I have not been read ing
. - I do not read. We have not been wait ing . - We don't expect it. You have not been play ing . -You're not playing. They have not been work ing . - They do not work. |
He has not been runn ing
. - He doesn't run. She has not been laugh ing . - She doesn't laugh. It has not been work ing
. - It doesn't work. |
We can use shortened forms for the verb have (has). IN affirmative sentence have/has combined with the pronoun:
- You've been playing.
- She's been laughing.
In a negative sentence have/has merges with not:
- We haven't been waiting.
- Hasn't been running.
Question
In an interrogative sentence have/has comes first, and been remains with the main verb. Thus, it turns out that in first place we have have (has), after it the subject, then been and the main verb closes this long chain.
| Have + I/we/you/they + been verb- ing | Has + he/she/it + been verb- ing |
|---|---|
| Have I been read ing
? - I am reading? Have we been wait ing ? - We expect? Have you been play ing ? - You're playing? Have they been work ing ? - They work? |
Has he been runn ing
? - He is running? Has she been laugh ing ? - She is laughing? Has it been work ing
? - It works? |
To make it convenient for you to study this time, we have divided all its functions into three blocks: green (for entry level), yellow (for medium), red (for high).
Using the Present Perfect Continuous
First level
Time Present Perfect Continuous looks like it at the same time Present Perfect, and on Present Continuous. This time has two main functions: one contains the meaning of the aspect Continuous, the second – aspect Perfect.
- We use Present Perfect Continuous, if the action began in the past, lasted for some time and is still ongoing in the present. This function shows a long-term effect; it comes from the aspect Continuous.
As a rule, the proposal indicates the duration of the action, but without clear time boundaries. That is, we can know when the action began and how long it lasted, but we do not know when it will end. To show time we use the following words and expressions: lately(V Lately, recently), recently(recently, the other day), quite a while(pretty long), all day(all day), as well as prepositions for(during) and since(beginning with).
Tom has been watching TV all day. - Volume looks TV all day. (Tom started watching TV in the morning, watched it all day and is still watching it now)
It has been raining for 3 hours. - Rain goes within three hours. (the rain started three hours ago, continued for three hours and is still raining now)
Since this function shows the duration, the question is Present Perfect Continuous usually starts with expressions how long(how long, what time) and since when(since when, starting from what moment).
– How long has she been learning French? – How long she teaches French?
– She has been learning French for seven years. - She teaches French during seven years old– Since when have you been learning German? – Since when You you teach German?
–I have been learning German since yesterday. - I I teach German with yesterday.Pay attention to the translation. We are talking about an action that continues to last in the present, so when translated into Russian the verb will be in the present tense.
- We use Present Perfect Continuous, if the action ended recently and its result is now visible. This function comes from the aspect Perfect. But using Perfect Continuous, we emphasize that the action lasted for some time in the past.
Your clothes are dirty. What have you been doing? -Your clothes are dirty. What you did? (now it’s dirty, which means before that he did something where he could get dirty)
I 've been talking to Sandy about the problem and she agrees with me. - I talked with Sandy about this issue and she agrees with me. (in the present Sandy agrees with me because we discussed this issue in the past)
In this function, the duration may or may not be specified.
We are very tired. We have been walking in the mountains. - We are very tired. We walked in the mountains.
We are very tired. We have been walking in the mountains since early morning. - We are very tired. We walked in the mountains c early morning.
Pay attention to the translation. In this function we are talking about an action that has already ended, so when translated into Russian the verb will be in the past tense.
Where else is the Present Perfect Continuous found?
Average level
- With verbs like work, live, feel, teach, are used as Present Perfect, so Present Perfect Continuous no difference in meaning. These verbs imply that the action takes long span time, that is, it already becomes a permanent state.
I 've worked here for 20 years. = I 've been working here for 20 years. - I Working here for 20 years.
Her family has lived in Moscow since 1781. = Her family has been living in Moscow since 1781. – Her family lives in Moscow since 1781.
If you want to emphasize that the situation is temporary, use Present Perfect Continuous.
- (state verbs) are most often not used in Present Perfect Continuous. But, as is often the case in English, there are exceptions. If we want to emotionally highlight some action, we can use Present Perfect Continuous. Very often verbs are used in this function mean(to gather, to intend), want(want), wish(to desire), other stative verbs are less common.
We 've been wishing to visit India for ages. - We we want have been visiting India for many years now.
He 's been thinking it's over. - He is ponders. = He's been working on it for a long time ponders.
Complex cases of using the Present Perfect Continuous
High level
- Present Perfect Continuous used together with Past Simple
V complex sentences with the union since. In a subordinate clause that begins with since, we use Past Simple, it is the starting point for the action in the main clause. And in the main sentence it will be Present Perfect Continuous.
Silvia has been playing tennis since she was ten. – Sylvia plays tennis since then, How to her turned ten. (she has been playing tennis since she was ten)
- We use Present Perfect Continuous when we draw a conclusion from what we saw or heard, in most cases with a tinge of dissatisfaction or criticism.
Who has been messing around with my papers?! How should I work now?! - Who rummaged in my papers?! How can I work now?!
He has been eating chocolate though he knows that he is allergic to it! - He ate chocolate, although he knows he is allergic!
Present Perfect Continuous shows outrage over an action that happened once, while Present Continuous implies dissatisfaction with an action that is constantly repeated.
Present Perfect Continuous- a time with a terrifying name and a long form of formation. But appearances are deceiving; it has only 2 main functions in language: to show a long-term action and an action with a result. The remaining functions can be considered derivatives. If you suddenly forget how it is formed Present Perfect Continuous, you can always look in the table. And in order not to forget anything, take the test.
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Test
Present Perfect Continuous - present continuous perfect tense in English
Education Present Perfect Continuous
(have/has been + …-ing)
Present Perfect Continuous (Present Perfect Progressive) is formed with the help to be in the shape of ( have been, has been) and the present participle form of the semantic verb: I have been working.
When adding endings to verbs -ing sometimes there are changes in their spelling, for example have/hav ing. More about .
| Affirmative form | Negative form | Interrogative form | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | have been working | I | have not been working | Have | I | been working? |
| he she it |
has been working | he she it |
has not been working | Has | he she it |
|
| we you they |
have been working | we you they |
have not been working | Have | we you they |
|
Abbreviated forms:
‘ve= have
's=has
haven't= have not
hasn't= has not
Using the Present Perfect Continuous
1. An action that began in the past, continued for some period before the present, and which is still ongoing at the present time. The period of time during which the action lasted is always indicated or implied: marker words ( for … hours/weeks/years – for … hours/weeks/years, since 10 o’clock – since 10 o’clock, since morning – since morning, since 2005 – since 2005). Often the Present Perfect Continuous is translated with an adverb already.
Examples: I have been working since 9 o'clock in the morning. – I work from 9 o’clock in the morning.
She has been living in Venice for 2 years. – She has been living in Venice (for) 2 years.
2. The action is ordinary, constant, i.e. happening in general, but indicating how long the action takes (used with marker words). If it is not indicated how long the action takes, then instead of the Present Perfect Continuous, use (action that was performed at the time of speech) or (usual, constant action).
Examples: It has been snowing for 2 days. – Snowing(already) 2 days. (indicating how long the action takes - within 2 days)
It is snowing. - Snowing. (without specifying how long the action takes)
She has been studying French for 10 years. – She has been studying French (for) 10 years. (indicating how long the action takes place - within 10 years)
She is studying French. – She is learning French. (without specifying how long the action takes)
3. Sometimes the Present Perfect can be used instead of the Present Perfect Continuous. If the speaker wants to emphasize the duration of an action, the Present Perfect Continuous is used, and if the speaker wants to emphasize the fact of the action, the Present Perfect is used.
Examples: I have been working there since 1997. -I have been working here since 1997. (the goal is to emphasize the duration of action)
I have worked there since 1997. – I have been working here since 1997. (the goal is to emphasize the fact of the action)
4. Used in interrogative sentences with question words ( since when - from what time, since when, how long - how long, how much time), If we're talking about about the period that precedes the moment of speech.
Examples:How long have you been sitting here? – How long have you been sitting here?
5. Not used with verbs that do not have Continuous forms (to be, to have, to love, to hate). Instead of the Present Perfect Continuous, the Present Perfect is used. More about .
Examples: How long have you known her? – How long have you known her?
In the huge family of present times special place occupies the Present Perfect Continuous. Let's look at everything about the formation, use and changeable soul of this grammatical phenomenon in the article.
If you've reached studying Present Perfect Continuous (progressive), which means you can easily understand the word-by-word translation of each element from the name: the present perfect continuous tense. But don't be put off by the long and cluttered title. The biggest difficulty is remembering education, because there are quite a few components. But using it is even easier than Present Simple.
Education
Present Perfect Continuous grammar, which is based on correct construction sentences, includes auxiliary verbs have/has, been and Ving . With pronouns he, she, it has is used, and with I, we, you, they- have. This is, in principle, not new. More on initial stage It is necessary to get acquainted with the peculiarities of the conjugation to have. Semantic verb or the predicate is used with an ending ing, the form of which corresponds to participle 1. More information about exceptions in writing with such an ending can be found in the article “Countinuous tenses”. When forming a negation, you just need to insert the particle “not”, and in questions, you need to swap have / has and the subject.
| Narrative | Negative | Interrogative |
| I have been teaching | I have not been teaching | Have I been teaching? |
| She (he, it) has been teaching | She (he, it) has not been teaching | Has she (he, it) been teaching? |
| We have been teaching | We have not been teaching | Have we been teaching? |
| You have been teaching | You have not been teaching | Have you've been teaching? |
| They have been teaching | They have not been teaching | Have they been teaching? |
Short forms are also important to know so that your written language was literate.
You have = you've
He (she, it) has = he’s (she’s, it’s)
We have = we've
They have = they've
Have not = haven’t, has not = hasn’t.
I have been waiting for my brother for a long time.
I’ve been waiting for my brother for a long time.I have not been waiting for my brother for a long time.
I haven’t been waiting for my brother for a long time.
Use
The Present Perfect Progressive has several uses, which distinguishes it from other tenses.
- If the action began in the past, lasted, is still continuing, or has just ended, then you can safely use the present perfect continuus.
My sisters have been watching TV for 3 hours. — My sisters watch TV for 3 hours.
He showed the picture he has been working on. — He showed the picture he was working on.
Find out, determine this time, and accordingly set correct form, it is possible if you set question: How long? How much time?. Signal words that not only accompany the predicate, but also characterize it in this tense, can be called for - during(for a month, for a long time, for an hour). Or the conjunction is used since - since then, which serves as the starting point of action from which it all began. Sometimes none of the clues are used, which means you need to look at the context.
- The event began, lasted and ended before the moment of conversation, but affects it. In this case, the time indicator is not always used.
She has been looking for a rich man all her life and now she has found one. “She’s been looking for a rich man all her life, and now she’s found him.”
They have been living abroad, but now they are at home. — They lived abroad, but are now at home.
In order not to confuse this tense with other present tenses, for example, Present Simple and Present Continuous, carefully look at the following table and compare:
| Action currently taking place | |
| Present Perfect Continuous (must indicate how long the action takes) | Present Simple and Present Continuous (does not indicate how long the action takes) |
| I have been waiting for him for a long time. - I've been waiting for him for a very long time. | I am waiting for him. - I am waiting for him. |
| I have been cooking dinner since 2 o’clock. — I’ve been preparing lunch since 2 o’clock. | I am cooking dinner. - I cook dinner. |
| He has been living in Minsk for 5 years. — He has been living in Minsk for 5 years. | He lives in Minsk. — He lives in Minsk. |
| She has been teaching English since 1930. - She has been teaching English since 1930. | She teaches English. - She teaches English. |
In order not to confuse the Present Perfect Continuous with the Present Perfect, it is important to take into account some details. Let's compare?
| Perfect action | |
| Present Perfect Continuous | Present Perfect |
| duration is important | result |
| I have been doing the work. - I did the work. | I have done the work. - I did the job. |
| undesirable result | desired result |
| Why are you so dirty? I have been working in the garden. - Why are you so dirty? I was working in the garden. | I have worked in the garden. Now, I am free. — I worked in the garden. Now I'm free. |
| beginning of action (starting point) | last time |
| I have been playing the piano since 10 o’clock. — I've been playing the piano since 10 o'clock. | I haven’t played the piano since childhood. — I haven’t played the piano since childhood. |
| answers to questions: How long? How long? | answers to questions: How many? How often? What? |
However present rules Perfect Continuous doesn't end there. It's very important point counts translation. So, in the first case we translate in the present tense: works, lives, reads. And in the second - the past, and it sounds like this: worked, lived, read.
Just like in other Continuous tenses, verbs of feelings, perception, and possession are not used in this tense. All this can be found out in great detail from the article “Verbs not used in the Continuous”.
The main thing that needs to be taken into account when translating the Present Perfect Continuous is the moment of conversation and the end of the action; when forming, do not forget all the components, and when using, pay attention to whether the duration is emphasized or you are simply informed about the fact of the accomplishment. Well! You have become familiar with the rule, go for it! It's time to move on to exercises and tests!
There are difficult points in English grammar. Time Present Perfect Continuous tense (Present Perfect Continuous) refers to just such. But don’t panic and be disappointed in advance; it’s better to figure it out together.
Main question
If not all, then many have heard about the main difficulty of the English language - tenses. Therefore, in the first lessons of language learning, the question about the number of tenses is asked. But, as they say, the devil is not so black as it is painted (the devil is not as terrible as he is painted). There are only three tenses in English - Present, Past and Future. However, depending on what action is in front of us, four aspects are distinguished in each time - Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous.
Today we are talking about how the Present Perfect Continuous is formed and when to use it.
Education formula
The Present Perfect Progressive tense refers to unusual tenses. It combines the “incompatible” - Perfect aspect(Perfect) with the Continuous aspect in the Present. This leads to the “double” formula of education: (have/has + 3rd form of the verb) + (to be + verb + -ing) = have/has + been (3rd form of the verb to be) + verb + -ing . In other words, this tense form is formed using a “double” auxiliary verb have/has been (not translated, but changed according to persons and numbers) and the main verb with the ending - ing (translated, but not changed).
How this “works” in practice can be seen in the table:
Verb form in Present Perfect Continuous Passive voice(Present Continuous Perfect in passive voice) is built according to the formula “subjects + have/has + been + being + main verb in the 3rd form”, but is used in oral speech and texts are extremely rare (This monument has been being built for 50 years - This monument was built over 50 years)
Negation
Negative sentences in the Present Perfect Progressive are built according to the same formula, but with the addition negative particle not (not) between two auxiliary verbs: subjects + have/has + not + been + main verb + -ing .
Question
Interrogative sentences are different in English in reverse order words The formation of a question in the Present Perfect Continuous also follows this rule: Have/has + subjects + been + main verb + -ing?
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As a rule, special questions in the Present Perfect Continuous begin with question words How long? (how long?) and Since when? (From which moment?). They are, one might say, time markers (How long has it been snowing? - How long has it been snowing?)
Use
The aspects Perfect (Perfect) and Continuous (Continuous) affect not only the formula for the formation of the Present Perfect Continuous tense, but also the cases of its use. On the one hand, it describes an action with a result. On the other hand, it emphasizes its duration in time. So, despite the long and slightly scary name, it does not have many functions and they are easy to remember:
- To describe events that begin in the past and continue up to the present:
Alice has been swimming since morning - Alice has been swimming since morning (Alice started swimming in the morning and still continues to do this)
My grandfather likes news. He has been watching news on TV for two hours - My grandfather loves the news. He watches the news on TV for two hours.
- To describe events that have recently begun, have been going on for some time, have just ended, and are visible result present:
- This time is characterized by indicator words that emphasize the duration of the action: recently, lately, all day, since, for.
A famous scientist has been recently developing new research programs - A famous scientist has recently developed new scientific research programs.
What have we learned?
The rules discussed and examples Present Perfect Continuous proves that appearances can be deceiving. The long formula of formation and the confusing name of this temporary form are only an outer frightening shell. In fact, everything is much simpler: it has only two functions. The first is to indicate the completion of the action and its result in the present. The second is to emphasize the duration.
Test on the topic
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Confused about the use of Present Perfect and Past Simple? Some useful clarifications on this topic!
Hi all! I remember at the beginning of learning English, I was very often worried about the difference between the use of Present Perfect and Past Simple. He often made mistakes when speaking and could not understand when it would be correct to use “I’ve been” and when “I was.” As you know, both phrases translate as “I was.” If you are experiencing the same difficulties, then read this short article “The difference between i’ve been and i was” to the end and perhaps everything will become a little clearer to you.
Using "I was".
Friends, whenever you cannot decide between “I was” and “I have been,” always quickly refresh your memory of the conditions under which these two tenses are used!
After all, you know that we never use the Present Perfect, if we know exactly when in the past we performed this or that action! That is, if you want to say “I was in London last summer,” the phrase “last summer” is a marker that determines the time at which it would be best to say this phrase in English. Do you know exactly when I was in London? Yes, last summer! Means, the right option will:
I was in London last summer.
I've been to London last summer.
If in a conversation you just want to say that you have already been to London (sometime in the past, just as a fact), then the Present Perfect Tense is eager to fight:
I've been to London.
More examples:
I was there two times.
(I've been there twice)
The implication is that it is clear from the context when exactly you were there twice in the past. For example, you can discuss your summer holidays with a friend. In English, a lot depends on the situation.
I've been there two times.
(I've been there twice)
In this case, it is absolutely not clear from the topic of conversation exactly when you were there. This could have been a week ago or right after you were born. IN in this case, you are simply stating a fact - I was there twice.
Using “I’ve been.”
So, from the first part of the article it became clear that when using “I’ve been” we are in no way attached to any specific moment in time in the past.
By the way, after “I’ve been” it would be correct to use the preposition “to” and not “in”:
I’ve been to London - I was in London.
I’ve been to Thailand - I was in Thailand.
I’ve been to Moscow - I was in Moscow.
There is another difference between using Past Simple and Present Perfect. Let's say there are two phrases:
I've been at home.
What is the difference? Again, the first case assumes that you were home in the past (for example yesterday), but now you are no longer at home.
Using “I’ve been” means that you were at home, say this morning, and now you are still at home.
She was the best student in the class.
She has been the best student in the class.
In the first case, she was the best student in the class. But now she is no longer studying, or is no longer the best.
In the second case, she was the best student in the class, and still is.
Once again I want to emphasize that in English a lot depends on the context, the topic of conversation, and the situation. The ability to sense the time difference in a specific situation helps to use the correct tense. All this comes with experience and practice. If you are having trouble with this now, just keep studying and very soon everything will become clear to you and you will stop being confused English times. Now you know the difference between ive been and i was
Keep learning English and good luck to you working week!
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