Why do the rules provide examples? Maybe a detailed explanation would be enough? But no! Visual perception of an English sentence, text, comparison with the Russian version are important, if not the main elements of the entire learning process. This is what will help to understand the soul of each phenomenon, for example, Present Perfect Continuous.
Let's start with the fact that this time is not just present, but completed continuous. This can only mean one thing: it is ongoing at the time of the conversation or has literally just ended. Despite the long name, Present Perfect Continuous is easy to use: only two situations or functions.
Examples of Present Perfect Continuous
- If the action lasts for the duration of the conversation, but it started in the past, happened during that time period, and is still relevant now, then we use the Present Perfect Continuous. In such sentences you can find hints already, for, since, recently, a question with How long. These can be two parallel actions, or those that were performed more than once (several times).
Is it still raining? — It’s been raining since yesterday morning.— Is it still raining? It has been raining since yesterday morning.
Tom has been playing tennis recently.— Tom has been playing tennis lately.
I have been watching the game since I have been sitting there.“I’ve been watching the game since I’ve been sitting here.”
I have been repairing my car for several days.— I have been repairing my car for several days now.
He has been smoking for 10 years.— He has been smoking for 10 years.
- An action that began in the past continued and ended the conversation. Most often, signal words are not found in such sentences; the whole situation, and therefore the time, follows from the context.
Sorry.I'm late. I have been preparing for my examination. Have you been waiting?- Sorry I'm late. I was preparing for exams. Have you been waiting?
You are out of breath! Have you been training?- You're out of breath. Have you been training?
Why are you so dirty? What have you been doing?-You're so dirty. What did you do?
I've been talking about your problem to my mother.— I talked about your problem with your mother.
- You can display emotionally charged sentences in a separate line that also use the Present Perfect Continuous
She has been telling lies again. - She's lying again!
- It is very often difficult to use the cases of Present Perfect Continuous or Present Perfect Simple, because each of them is based on a combination of past and present. Let's look at the sentences in the Present Perfect Continuous and compare.
1. If we care about ourselves process, not result , then we use it for a long time.
Ann is covered in paint. She has been painting her country house.- Anna is all in paint. She was painting a country house.
The country house was yellow. Now it is blue. Ann has painted it.— The country house was yellow. Now it's blue. Anna painted it.Tom should smoke less, because he has been smoking too much recently.— Tom should smoke less. He's been smoking too much lately.
The guests have smoked all my cigarettes.— The guests smoked all my cigarettes.
2. Continuous emphasizes the process itself, how long the action lasted, and therefore answers the question How long? (how long) . Present Perfect Simple answers the question How much? (How many) and comments on how much work was completed in a certain time.
My friends have been writing poems all day.— My friends wrote poems all day.
My friends have written 2 poems today.— Today my friends wrote 2 poems.How long have you been writing your last novel?— How long did it take you to write your last novel?
How many pages of your novel have you written?— How many pages of your novel have you written?
3. The present continuous refers to temporary actions, and completed to permanent .
That man has been standing outside for hours.— That man stood on the street for several hours.
That man has always worked hard.“That man always works hard.”
I have known him for some time.- I've known him for a while.
She has been in Minsk for the past last week.— She was in Minsk last week.
But the Present Perfect Continuous Passive does not exist. You can be glad that it will be easier with Passive Voice.
Summarize. Perfect Continuous is not as difficult to remember as it seems. If you clearly see the signs, look at the lexical side of the sentence, learn the rules, look at the examples, then you will not confuse this tense with another.
If you carefully study, you will notice that the main meaning of this time is to convey the connection of a certain process with the present moment. To put it simply, a couple present perfect & present perfect continuous very similar to present simple & present continuous. One tense in each pair serves to convey facts (results in the case of perfect simple), and the other indicates a process. But these “processes” are not alike.
present perfect continuous rules and examples
So let's consider present perfect continuous rules and examples. There are 3 main cases when you can (and even need) to use present perfect continuous .
|
rule |
example |
translation |
|
To express a process that lasted for a period of time but has just ended. It is connected with the present, a certain result is visible. |
I have been tidy ing up the house for three hours so I look tired. |
I cleaned the house for three hours, so I look tired. |
|
To express an action that began some time ago and is still ongoing at the time of speech. |
Look! She has been read ing that book since yesterday. |
Look! She has been reading that book since yesterday. |
|
To convey an action that has occurred regularly over a long period of time and is still occurring. |
Every morning he drinks the same coffee. He has been do ing this for five years. |
Every morning he drinks the same coffee. He has been doing this for five years. |
Features of using the present perfect continuous. Questions and denials 
U consumption present perfect continuous very similar to the ordinary perfect tense. Just for present perfect continuous It is not the 3rd form of the semantic verb that is used, but the ing form. You probably noticed the ending –ing in each example. If you need to form a negative, use 'haven't been' And 'hasn't been'. Using the present perfect continuous in questions it is limited by the need to place the auxiliary verb before the subject. Please note the following examples.
(-) She hasn't been ask ing any questions for three days. – She doesn’t ask anything for 3 days.
(?) Has it been rain ing here? - Was it raining here?
How to train the difference between the present perfect and the present perfect continuous?
We hope this article is on the topic “ present perfect continuous rules and examples"helped you figure it out. We wish you success in conquering the heights of the English language and will be happy to provide assistance in learning it!
- Back
- Forward
You have no rights to post comments
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 singular nouns). 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 an 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 intermediate), 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(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 a long period of time, that is, it 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 in complex sentences with a conjunction 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.
(*.pdf, 186 Kb)
Test
Present Perfect Continuous - present continuous perfect tense in English
There are difficult points in English grammar. The Present Perfect Continuous tense is one of these. 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” - the Perfect aspect 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:
The form of the verb in the Present Perfect Continuous Passive voice (Present Continuous Perfect in the 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 extremely rarely (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 using the same formula, but with the addition of a negative particle not (not) between two auxiliary verbs: subjects + have/has + not + been + main verb + -ing .
Question
Interrogative sentences in English have reverse word order. The formation of a question in the Present Perfect Continuous also follows this rule: Have/has + subjects + been + main verb + -ing?
TOP 4 articleswho are reading along with this
As a rule, special questions in the Present Perfect Continuous begin with the 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 have a visible result in the 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 discussed rules and examples of the Present Perfect Continuous prove 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
Article rating
Average rating: 4.7. Total ratings received: 149.
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. – It has been snowing (already) for 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 are talking 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 the Continuous form ( 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?