Present Perfect Continuous

1. What the Present Perfect Continuous Shows

You already know present perfect (have/has + past participle) and present continuous (am/is/are + verb-ing). The present perfect continuous combines them: have/has + been + verb-ing to show an activity from the past up to now (or very recently).

We use the present perfect continuous to describe two main situations:

• actions that started in the past and are still continuing (often to emphasize duration)
• actions that finished very recently when we can see evidence now

Examples:

• “I have been studying English for two hours.” → The action started two hours ago and is still continuing now (or the speaker is focusing on the two-hour duration).
• “She has been working in this company since 2020.” → She started in 2020 and is still working there.

Common mistake: Don’t use present continuous with since/for to talk about a past-to-now meaning. Say “I have been working here since 2020.”, not “I am working here since 2020.”

2. Present Perfect Continuous Structure

Structure: have / has + been + verb-ing

• I / you / we / they → have been + verb-ing
• He / she / it → has been + verb-ing

Examples:

• “I have been reading that book.”
• “She has been watching TV all afternoon.”
• “They have been playing football since 10 a.m.”

Note: The focus is on the activity and duration, not the fact that it’s finished.

3. Present Perfect Continuous vs Present Perfect

Both tenses connect the past to the present, but the difference is:

• Present perfect: Focus on result or experience

  • Present perfect simple often answers: What has happened / what is finished? Present perfect continuous often answers: How long / what have you been doing?

• Present perfect continuous: Focus on duration or ongoing activity

  • “I have been reading the book for a month.” → Emphasis on the time spent reading; the action may not be finished.

Examples:

• “I have cleaned the kitchen.” → It’s clean now (result).
• “I have been cleaning the kitchen.” → I spent time cleaning; maybe I’m still cleaning or just finished.

4. Time Expressions Often Used

Present perfect continuous often appears with words or phrases that show duration or starting point:

• for → how long (for two hours, for a week)
• since → when it started (since Monday, since 2019)
• all + period → all morning, all week
• lately / recently → to show recent activity with results

Examples:

• “I have been working here for five years.”
• “She has been feeling tired since Monday.”
• “They have been training all morning.”
• “He has been running lately.”

5. Negative Sentences and Questions

Negatives

• Subject + have/has + not + been + verb-ing
  • “I haven’t been sleeping well.”
  • “She hasn’t been feeling well recently.”

Questions

• Have/Has + subject + been + verb-ing?
  • “Have you been studying English today?”
  • “Has he been working here long?”

Short Answers

In short answers, we repeat only have/has (not been + -ing):

• “Have you been working?” — “Yes, I have.”
• “Has he been working here?” — “Yes, he has.”
• “Has she been working late?” — “No, she hasn’t.”

Short answers usually use ‘Yes, I have.’ / ‘No, I haven’t.’ (Full forms like ‘No, I have not’ are possible but less common in conversation.)

6. Quick Summary

• Present perfect continuous = started in the past → still happening now or recently finished
• Form: have/has + been + verb-ing
• Focus: duration, process, effort, ongoing activity, not only result
• Time expressions: for, since, all morning/week, lately, recently
• Compare with present perfect: present perfect → result / experience; present perfect continuous → action / duration