Present Perfect Continuous

The Present Perfect Continuous tense, also known as the Present Perfect Progressive tense, is used to describe actions that began in the past and continue into the present, or actions that have recently stopped but have a connection to the present.

Structure#

1. Affirmative:

   • Subject + has/have + been + verb(-ing)
   • Example: “She has been studying.”

2. Negative:

   • Subject + has/have + not + been + verb(-ing)
   • Example: “She has not been studying.”

3. Interrogative:

   • Has/Have + subject + been + verb(-ing)?
   • Example: “Has she been studying?”

Usage#

1. Actions that started in the past and continue in the present:

   • To emphasize the duration of an action that began in the past and is still ongoing.
   • Example: “I have been living in this city for five years.”

2. Actions that have recently stopped and have a result in the present:

   • To indicate an action that has recently finished but still has present relevance.
   • Example: “She is tired because she has been running.”

3. Temporary actions and situations:

   • To describe actions or situations that are temporary and ongoing.
   • Example: “He has been working at the company for the past month.”

Time Expressions#

Common time expressions used with the Present Perfect Continuous tense include:

• For
• Since
• All (morning, afternoon, day, week, etc.)
• Recently
• Lately

Differences with Present Perfect Tense#

The Present Perfect Continuous tense differs from the Present Perfect tense in that it emphasizes the duration and continuity of the action rather than its completion.

• Present Perfect Continuous:

  • Focus on duration/ongoing action.
  • Example: “I have been reading this book for two hours.” (The action is ongoing or was ongoing until recently)

• Present Perfect:

  • Focus on the result/completion.
  • Example: “I have read this book.” (The action is completed)