Present Perfect Continuous Tense
The present perfect continuous tense is made up of the present perfect tense of the verb to be : have been or has been and the present participle of the main verb (verb + ing)
The Present Perfect Continuous is:
used for an action that began in the past and is still continuing.
Examples:
- Cecilia and I have been talking about getting married.
- They have been trying to contact her.
- Your dogs have been barking since early this morning.
used for an action that began and just finished in the past.
Examples:
- Thank Heaven, you have arrived. We have been waiting for you.
- Why are my hands so dirty? I have been repairing the car.
- I have been calling you and I got no reply.
used without mention of time
Examples:
- They have been having a lot of difficulties with their new computer system. (describes a difficult situation that is not over.)
- This is the game they have been playing for years.
- A party of volunteers has been looking for her missing grandmother.
used with all (all day, all evening, all week) to indicate duration of an activity, and adverbs such as lately , etc.
Examples:
- The family has been spending all day looking for the cat.
- The party has been going on all night.
- I have been feeling ill all week.
- She has been grumbling lately.
Present perfect continuous tense in questions .
Examples:
- How long have you been growing your really long beard?
- How much money have you been borrowing from your grandmother?
- Have you been riding my new bicycle while I was away?
| Forming Statements & Questions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statement: | subject | + | have/has | + | past participle | |
| They | have | been | gambling. | |||
| He | has | been | lying to us. | |||
| Question form: | have/has | subject | past participle | |||
| Have | they | been | gambling? | |||
| Has | he | been | lying to us? | |||
Present perfect continuous and present perfect tenses.
The present perfect continuous and the present perfect tenses do not differ much in meaning.
Examples:
- He has been selling pencils for two years.
- He has sold pencils for two years.
- We have been telling the children about their table manners.
- We have told the children about their table manners.
The present perfect continuous and the present perfect tenses are used in the same way with for , since , ever since , etc.
Examples:
- Grandpa has been playing hide-and-seek with the grandchildren for hours.
- Grandpa has played hide-and-seek with the grandchildren for hours.
- I have been looking for the missing piece of the jigsaw since ten o'clock.
- I have looked for the missing piece of the jigsaw since ten o'clock.
- He has been living with this woman ever since his wife died.
- He has lived with this woman ever since his wife died.
Verbs not used with present perfect continuous
There are verbs that cannot be used with the present perfect continuous tense : believe, decide, hate, know, recognize, want, etc. So, use the present perfect tense instead.
Examples:
- No : Julia has been deciding to buy a big teddy bear.
- Yes : Julia has decided to buy a big teddy bear.
- No : She has been hating cockroaches since she was a small girl.
- Yes : She has hated cockroaches since she was a small girl.
- No : His parents and mine have been wanting to practice yoga together.
- Yes : His parents and mine have wanted to practice yoga together.