Present Perfect Continuous
📌 Lesson Contents
🎯 Lesson goal
In this lesson you will learn to use the Present Perfect Continuous 📖 to talk about actions that started in the past and are still going on, or that stopped very recently and you can see the result now. You will see how to make it, when to use it 🧠, and you can practise for real with the test at the bottom of the page! 🚀
🌟 What is the Present Perfect Continuous?
We use the Present Perfect Continuous for:
- Long actions still going on: activities that started in the past and continue now. ⏳➡️
- Actions that have just finished: actions that stopped a short time ago and have a clear result now.
🔍 How do we make it?
Formula: Subject + have/has + been + verb + -ing
| Subject | Correct form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I / You / We / They | have been + verb + -ing | I have been studying all morning. 📚 |
| He / She / It | has been + verb + -ing | She has been working since 8 a.m. ⏰ |
🔍 Practical examples
1. An action still going on
- I have been learning English for two years. (I started two years ago and I am still learning.) 📖
- They have been waiting for an hour. ⏰
2. An action that has just finished, with a result now
- She has been running and now she is tired. 🏃♀️💨
- He has been cleaning the house all morning. 🧹
🧩 Summary table – Present Perfect Continuous
| Situation | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Action still going on | have/has been + verb -ing | They have been waiting for an hour. ⏰ |
| Action that has just finished, with a result | have/has been + verb -ing | He has been cleaning the house. 🧹 |
❓ Basic doubts cleared up
- Do I always have to use “for” or “since”?
➔ When you want to say how long (for = the length of time) or when it started (since = the starting point), yes! - What is the difference from the Present Perfect Simple?
➔ The Present Perfect Continuous focuses on the activity and how long it lasts.
➔ The Present Perfect Simple focuses on the final result or on how many times something happened. - How do I choose between have and has?
➔ Use have with I, you, we, they.
➔ Use has with the third person singular he, she, it.
🚫 Common mistakes to avoid
| Mistake ❌ | Correct ✅ |
|---|---|
| She have been working. | She has been working. (Third person = has!) |
| They has been waiting. | They have been waiting. (Plural = have!) |
| I have been work since morning. | I have been working since morning. (Always the -ing form!) |
👉 Remember: have/has + been + verb + -ing, always!
📌 Final summary
- Present Perfect Continuous ➔ actions that are still going on or have just finished.
- Formula: have/has + been + verb + -ing.
- Use for for the length of time (a period) and since for the exact starting point! ✍️✨
Practise by talking about what you have been doing for a while lately! ✨
Gap Fill & Translation Exercises
Test yourself! In the first 15 sentences, complete with the correct form of the Present Perfect Continuous. In the last 5, write the sentence in English from the clue.