Present perfect continuous
How long? The ongoing past
- The present perfect continuous shows an action that started in the past and is still going (or just stopped).
- I have been waiting for an hour.
- It focuses on the activity and its duration.
Form: have been + -ing
- have / has been + verb-ing.
- She has been studying. They have been working.
- Short forms: I've been …, she's been ….
Which sentence is the present perfect continuous?
Present perfect continuous = have/has been + verb-ing.
for and since
- for + a length of time: for two hours.
- since + a starting point: since this morning.
- I have been living here for two years.
Complete: She has been studying ___ nine o'clock. (for / since)
Nine o'clock is a starting point → since.
Translate into English: 我已经等了一个小时了。
Ongoing duration → have been + -ing: “I have been waiting for an hour.”
Continuous vs simple
- Continuous → the activity / duration: I've been reading (still going).
- Simple → the result: I've read it (finished).
- State verbs (know, like, be) don't take the continuous.
Can this verb be continuous?
Action verbs can be continuous; state verbs (know, like, be) cannot.
Is this correct? “I have been knowing him for years.”
“know” is a state verb — no continuous: “I have known him for years.”
Common mistakes
- ❌ I am waiting for an hour. → ✓ I have been waiting for an hour. — a length of time needs the perfect.
- ❌ How long are you living here? → ✓ How long have you been living here?
- ❌ She has been finished. → ✓ She has finished. — been only goes with -ing.
Put the words in order to make a question.
How long + have + subject + been + -ing: “How long have you been waiting?”
You finished three books this week. Is “I have been reading three books this week” the best tense?
A completed amount → present perfect: “I have read three books this week.”
- have / has been + verb-ing = started in the past, still going.
- for + a duration; since + a starting point.
- Focus on the activity, not the finished result.
What have you been doing a lot lately? Write one sentence using the present perfect continuous.
Example: “I have been practising English every day.”