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У Present Perfect Continuous Tense есть лишь одно отпугивающее свойство: сложное название. В остальных аспектах это английское время доступно для понимания. В повседневной речи настоящее длительное совершенное используется не часто, а скорее в редких случаях. Иногда это время заменяется на Present Perfect без какой-либо существенной потери смысла. Однако есть ситуации, в которых без этого времени не обойтись. К тому же, Present Perfect Continuous позволяет существенно обогатить речь, более точно передать какие-то жизненные моменты и эмоции.

Чтобы строить утверждения, отрицания и вопросы в Present Perfect Continuous, необходимо выучить форму Present Perfect для вспомогательного глагола to be (have been) и запомнить, что к смысловому глаголу всегда нужно добавлять суффикс ing. В целом же, фразы в настоящем длительном совершенном времени строятся по тому же принципу, что и в случаях с более простыми английскими временами. То есть для того, чтобы сформировать вопрос в Презент Перфект Континиус, необходимо поставить на первое место перед подлежащим вспомогательный глагол, а в отрицании в обязательном порядке используется частица not.

Present Perfect Continuous: случаи употребления

Настоящее длительное совершенное время является некой производной Present Perfect и Present Continuous. То есть, в высказывании в Презент Перфект Континиус речь идет о продолжительном действии. Аспект Perfect говорит о том, что это время может акцентировать внимание на результате какого-то действия. Случаев употребления Present Perfect Continuous не так много. Вот несколько основных ситуаций, требующих обращения к этому времени:

Длительное действие, начавшееся в прошлом и продолжающееся в настоящем. В этом случае Презент Перфект Континиус реализует аспект Continuous. При этом, как правило, говорящий не знает, какова будет точная продолжительность этого длительного действия, так как оно еще не завершилось в момент речи. Маркерами времени в данной ситуации являются наречия lately (недавно), quite a while (достаточно долго), recently (недавно), all day (весь день) и т. п.

It has been raining all day. — Дождь идет весь день.

В данном случае специальные вопросы в Present Perfect Continuous чаще всего начинаются с таких вопросительных высказываний, как since when (с каких пор, с какого момента) и how long (как долго).

How long have you been working at school? — Как долго ты работаешь в школе?

I have been working at school since 2011. — Я работаю в школе с 2011 года.

Презент Перфект Континиус также используется в ситуации, когда действие продолжалось и завершилось до момента речи, но сейчас мы наблюдаем его результат. Здесь мы видим реализацию аспекта Perfect.

I am very tired. I have been working since morning. — Я очень устал. Я работал с самого утра.

В этой ситуации временные рамки действия могут как указываться, так и не обозначаться.

Важно также запомнить, что Present Perfect Continuous, как правило, не употребляется с глаголами состояния (хотеть, любить, желать и т. п.). Но если нам важно подчеркнуть эмоциональную значимость какого-то действия, то можно использовать настоящее длительное совершенное время. Например,
I have been wishing to see a Madonna’s concert for ages. — Я уже много лет мечтаю увидеть концерт Мадонны.
С глаголами teach, live, work, feel можно, без потери в значении, использовать, как Present Perfect Continuous, так и Present Perfect. Правда, если говорящий подчеркивает продолжительность описываемой ситуации, то лучше все-таки обращаться к Презент Перфект Континиус.

I have been teaching his son for 10 years. — Я учу его сына в течение 10 лет.

I have taught his son for 10 years. — Я учу его сына на протяжении 10 лет.

В рассматриваемом примере высказывание с одинаковым смыслом выражено в разных временных формах.

Как построить различные типы предложений в настоящем длительном совершенном времени?

Схема построения утвердительного высказывания в Present Perfect Continuous выглядит следующим образом:

Подлежащее + have been + смысловой глагол с суффиксом ing.

Например, I have been watching an interesting TV-show this month. — Я смотрю интересное телешоу в этом месяце (говорящий имеет в виду, что он продолжает смотреть это шоу).

Отрицательные фразы создаются по этой же схеме. С той лишь разницей, что здесь необходимо после вспомогательного глагола have/has поставить частицу not.

She has not been waiting for 2 hours. — Она не ждет два часа.

Что касается вопросов в Презент Перфект Континиус, то они строятся так же, как и вопросительные высказывания в других временных группах, то есть подлежащее должно ставиться за первым вспомогательным глаголом.

Have you been reading this book for a year? — Ты читаешь эту книгу уже на протяжении года?

Общие вопросы в Present Perfect Continuous

Общие вопросы в жизни мы формулируем повсеместно. Задавая такой вопрос, человек намеревается что-то уточнить, получить некие общие сведения. Купил ли муж хлеб в магазине? Был ли ребенок на уроке английского? Хорошо ли мама спала сегодня? Все это примеры общих вопросов, требующих простого ответа: да или нет.

Общие вопросы в Present Perfect Continuous начинаются со вспомогательного глагола have или has (для 3 лица единственного числа — он, она, оно). Это, по сути, самый простой тип вопросительных предложений. Здесь не нужны какие-либо уточняющие обороты. Например,

Have you been eating ice-cream? You know that you are allergic. — Ты ел мороженое? Ты знаешь, что у тебя аллергия.

Вот еще несколько примеров общих вопросов в Презент Перфект Континиус:

He is tired. Has he been working all night? — Он уставший. Он работал всю ночь?

Have you been waiting for the bus for 2 hours? — Ты ждешь автобус на протяжении 2 часов?

Как строятся специальные вопросы в Present Perfect Continuous?

Специальные вопросы в английской речи задаются с целью получить дополнительную информацию. Структура их практически полностью идентична общим вопросам. В Present Perfect Continuous построение предложений, являющихся специальными вопросами, начинается с вопросительного слова (what, when, why и т.д.), по которым мы и понимаем, чем именно интересуется спрашивающий.

How long have you been watching this TV show? — Как долго ты смотришь это телешоу?

Why have you been studying Spanish all this year? — Почему ты учишь испанский весь этот год?

He is afraid. What has he been doing? — Он напуган. Что он делал?

Вопросительное слово в таких конструкциях всегда ставится на первое место, перед вспомогательным глаголом have/has.

Для того, чтобы научиться владеть схемой построения специального вопроса, для начала потребуется ознакомиться с правилами создания общих вопросов.

Разделительный вопрос в Present Perfect Continuous

Достаточно часто мы строим вопросы через утверждения, то есть, сначала высказываемся о каком-то факте или действии в положительном ключе, а потом переспрашиваем у собеседника, так ли это. Такого рода вопросы называются разделительными. Получается, что подобные вопросительные конструкции состоят из двух частей: утверждения и, непосредственно, самого вопроса. Например,

Вчера вы были в театре с Вероникой, не так ли? — You were in the theatre with Veronica yesterday, weren’t you?)

Они ходят в кино с Джейн каждый понедельник, не так ли? — They go to the cinema with Jane every Monday, don’t they?

Важно помнить, что двух отрицаний в одном английском высказывании быть не может. Поэтому если в первой части разделительного вопроса мы видим слова, имеющие какое-либо отрицательное значение (nobody, none, never и т. п.), то во второй части частица not исчезает, оставляя лишь вспомогательный глагол и подлежащее: I have never been here before, have I? (Я никогда раньше здесь не был, не так ли?).

Разделительный вопрос в Present Perfect Continuous строится следующим образом:

Утвердительное высказывание в Present Perfect Continuous + отрицательный уточняющий вопрос: haven’t/hasn’t + подлежащее.

(Вспомогательные глаголы have/has в сочетании с частицей not дают формы haven’t и hasn’t).

Либо:

Отрицательное высказывание в Present Perfect Continuous + положительный уточняющий вопрос: have/has + подлежащее.

Примеры вопросов в настоящем длительном совершенном времени

Итак, в Present Perfect Continuous вопросы бывают следующих видов:

Общие вопросы

Have you been watching this film for more than two hours? — Ты смотришь этот фильм уже больше двух часов?

Have you been talking to your friend for an hour? — Ты разговариваешь со своим другом уже час?

Have they been waiting for me for three hours? — Они ждут меня на протяжении трех часов?

Специальные вопросы

How long have you been watching this film? — Как долго ты смотришь этот фильм?

Since when have they been living in London? — С какого времени они живут в Лондоне?

Why have you been waiting for me for several hours? I told you that I am busy today. — Почему ты ждешь меня несколько часов? Я говорил тебе, что занят сегодня.

Альтернативные вопросы

Have you been living there for 2 months or 2 years? — Вы живете там 2 месяца или 2 года?

Have you been studying Spanish for a month or a year? — Ты учишь испанский месяц или год?

Have they been playing chess for two hours or all day long? — Они играют в шахматы на протяжении двух часов или весь день?

Разделительные вопросы

He has been studying English for 5 years, hasn’t he? — Он учит английский в течение 5 лет, не так ли?

She has been writing a book for two months, hasn’t she? — Она пишет книгу на протяжении двух месяцев, не так ли?

They have been living in New York for 10 years, haven’t they? — Они живут в Нью-Йорке 10 лет, не так ли?

Вопросительно-отрицательные предложения

Haven’t you been working here for a long time? — Разве ты не работаешь здесь долгое время?

Haven’t they been studying English for five years? — Разве они не учат английский уже на протяжении пяти лет?

Hasn’t she been working all day? — Разве она не работает весь день?

Вопросы к подлежащему

Who has been writing this book? — Кто пишет эту книгу?

Who has been working on the project? — Кто работает над этим проектом?

Who has been waiting for you for an hour in the living room? — Кто ждет тебя в гостиной уже на протяжении часа?

Обратите внимание, что при образовании вопросов к подлежащему собственно само вопросительное слово Who и становится подлежащим, а вспомогательный глагол следует за ним как в утвердительных предложениях: Who has been playing the piano all night? (Кто играет на пианино всю ночь?). В вопросно-отрицательных высказываниях такого типа к вспомогательным глаголам have и has просто добавляется отрицательная частица not.

Итак, в Present Perfect Continuous вопрос образуется по тому же принципу, что и вопросительные фразы во всех остальных временах: вспомогательный глагол выносится на первое место перед подлежащим, а дополнения и обстоятельства следуют после смыслового глагола.

Источник

Table Of Contents:

Questions in Present Perfect Continuous
Yes/No questions
Special questions
Negative forms of Present Perfect Continuous

We often use the Present Perfect Continuous to express a continuing activity in the past that still influences the present moment.

We often use the Present Perfect Continuous to ask and answer questions focusing on the duration of an activity. We often use the question How long …+ Present Perfect Continuous.

To make questions in the Present Perfect Continuous, put ‘have’/’has’ before the subject and add ‘been + ‘-ing’ form of the verb:

Has he been running? He’s out of breath.

Yes/No questions

To create a question that will be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’, use ‘Have‘ / ‘Has‘ (or ‘Hadn’t‘ / ‘Hasn’t‘ for a negative question) + been + -ing verb.

Singular	Plural
I have (I’ve) been reading You have been reading He/she/it has been reading	We have been reading You have been reading They have been reading

Have you been watching the movie?
Yes, come in, let’s watch it together.

Has she been studying French this year?
Yes, and she is taking her exam next Monday.

Have they been waiting for the bus for an hour?
Unfortunately… Looks like the bus broke down.

Note: In short positive answers to the Present Perfect Continuous questions we use only full forms of ‘have’ / ‘has’. In short negative answers we can also use short forms of ‘have’ / ‘has’.

Have you been waiting here for two hours?
Yes, I have (No, I haven’t).

Has he been learning English for five years?
Yes, he has (No, he hasn’t).

Special questions

Special questions (also known as wh-questions) are questions that require more information in their answers. They are made using wh- words such as what, where, when, why, which, who, how, how many, how much. In Present Perfect Continuous, we usually use ‘how long‘.

To make a special question, use the same word order as with yes-no questions but put a wh-word before the verb ‘have’ or ‘has’. The structure is:

wh-word + have/has + [subject] + -ing verb

How long have you been waiting for me?
Why has she been working today?
What have you been doing for the last 30 minutes?
Why has Nancy not been taking her medicine for the last three days?

Negative forms of Present Perfect Continuous

To make negative statements in the Present Perfect Continuous, we use:

have/has not (haven’t/hasn’t) + been + the ‘-ing’ form of the verb

Singular	Plural
I haven’t been running You haven’t been running He/she/it hasn’t been running	We haven’t been running You haven’t been running They haven’t been running

I haven’t been eating all day long. I am very hungry.
Vicky hasn’t been sleeping last night and now she looks drowsy.
We haven’t been talking to each other since last Friday.

What is Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Present perfect continuous tense is used to express an action that started in the past and continued till present. A time reference is found in these kind of sentences like “since 2000”, “for 2 hours”. This time reference specifies that the task has been continued from the past till now. Such time references can be seen in present perfect continuous tense. For Example if a person says,” I have been waiting here for three hours”. It means that the person is waiting for last three hours and he is still waiting. It identifies that he started waiting in the past and still waiting.

Present Perfect continuous Tense is made up of three main parts auxiliary verb has/ have , auxiliary verb been and 1^st form of base verb+ ing.

Present Perfect continuous Tense= Subject +has/have (Helping Verb) + been (Auxiliary verb) + 1^st Verb+

ing+ Object.

Has –> (He, She, It, any Name, Singular noun)

Have –> (I, We, They, You, Plural Noun)

Examples of Present Perfect continuous Tense with structure

Positive Sentence

In positive sentences, we simply make the sentences according to Present Perfect continuous Tense rules.

For Example

He has been walking for two days.
She has been doing this job since 4 o’clock.
I have been playing for three hours.
Steve has been feeling little stressed.
You have been teaching me the lesson since morning.

Negative Sentences in the Present Perfect Continuous Tense

When we make negative sentences, we normally use not after auxiliary verbs has/have.

Negative Simple Present tense = Subject +has/have (Helping Verb) + not+ been (Auxiliary verb) + 1^st Verb+ ing+ Object.

For example

I have been not attending his class since Monday.
Leena has not been practicing her dance.
Mark has not been using too much computer lately.
Recently I have not been feeling bored.

Yes/No Questions in the Present Perfect Continuous Tense

When you make any question that can be answered as yes or no, then you should start it with auxiliary verb followed by the subject, been and 1^st form+ ing.

Yes/No Sentences = has/have + Subject +been+ 1^st Verb+ ing+ Object?

For example

Have you been watching this serial since morning?
Has Leena been washed her clothes for four hours?
Have you been solving all the questions since 3 p.m.?
Has Steve been reading this book for 3 hours?

Wh- Questions in the Present Perfect Continuous Tense

When you make any question that starts with wh word, then you should start it from wh word and then add auxiliary verb, after that subject followed by been and 1^st form+ ing..

Wh words are when, why, who, where, whom, how, what, how much, how many.

WH Sentences = Wh word + has/have + Subject + been+1st Verb + Ing + Object?

For example

Which technology has she been working, recently?
Where have you been visiting since afternoon?
Why has she been sending me these gifts?
What have you been doing with this book?

Tag Questions in the Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Tag questions are those questions which are answered at the end of the sentence. They can be simply made by adding auxiliary verbs.

For examples

I have been visiting the market, have you not been?
She has been working, has she not been?

You can also use tag questions in positive sentences

She has not been reading news paper, has she been?
Those girls has not been playing basketball, have they been?

Rules of Present Perfect tense

Action started in past and still ongoing
Since when and for how long
Recently and lately
Since and for

Action started in past and still ongoing

Any action which was started in the past and still in progress, then for this kind of sentences we use present perfect continuous tense.

For example

He has been still working.
Why has she been wasting my time?
What have you been thinking about me?

Since when and for how long

When we have “since when” and “for how long” words in the begging of the sentences then present perfect continuous tense is used.

For example

Since when has she been living in this house?
For how long have you been waiting for her?
Since when have you been staying in hotel room?

Recently and lately

When we have “Recently” and “Lately” words in the sentences then present perfect continuous tense is used.

For example

Recently, I have been visiting to Canada.
She has been working too much lately.

Since and for

When we have “Since” and “For” words in the sentences then present perfect continuous tense is used.

For example

It has been raining for five days.
I have been sleeping since 7 O’clock.
Steve has been climbing up this tree for over 3 hours.

More Examples to unfold some other aspects of Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Why have you not been doing anything for 3 months?
I have not been working with this company since June 2003.
For how long have you been wasting your time just like this?
Since when has she been teaching him?

I hope you have enjoyed this article and get what you wanted. So this was all about What is Present perfect continuous tense, rules and examples. If you feel any problem regarding this topic then comment below so that we can solve out your problems.

Present Perfect Continuous — rules and examples

In this article, we will study in detail the rules and examples of Present Perfect Continuous. It expresses a long-term action that has just completed or is still ongoing. Let’s also compare Present Perfect Continuous with Present Perfect, Present Continuous and Past Continuous and figure out when to use them.

Present Perfect Continuous time is translated into Russian as «present perfect for a long time.» Don’t be intimidated by such a long name. In fact, it is not so difficult to deal with it, especially if you have already mastered Present Perfect well. Let’s start with the formation of Present Perfect Continuous and then move on to rules and examples.

Present Perfect Continuous Education

Present Perfect Continuous is formed according to the following scheme:

Examples of affirmative sentences in Present Perfect Continuous:

It has been raining all day long. I’m sick and tired of this weather. — It’s raining all day. I got sick of this weather.
Sorry, I’m late. I‘ve been looking for a parking spot. — Sorry I’m late. I AM looking for parking space.
She‘s been talking to her boss since morning. I believe she is in trouble. — She talking with the boss in the morning. Looks like she’s in trouble.

Examples of negative sentences in Present Perfect Continuous:

Sorry, I haven’t been listening to you. Now I’m all ears. — Sorry, I will didn’t listen… Now I am all in the attention.
He hasn’t been working all weekend. He is lying. — He did not work all weekend. He’s lying.
Things have not been going really well lately. — Affairs do not go very good recently.

Examples of interrogative sentences in Present Perfect Continuous:

Your clothes are all dirty. What Have you been doing? — Your clothes are all dirty. What you did?
How long Have you been dating him? — How long have you been with him you meet?
you he been watching series all day? — He what, watched TV shows all day?

Using Present Perfect Continuous

Now let’s talk about when Present Perfect Continuous is used.

We use Present Perfect Continuous for an action that began in the past and continues in the present. In such proposals, we focus on the duration of the action. Pay attention to the Present Perfect Continuous marker words: for (throughout, during), since (from some time), all morning / day / week (all morning / all day / all week), lately (recently ), recently.
I have been looking through these articles for two hours but I still can’t find the information I need. — I AM looking through these articles it’s already two o’clockbut still can’t find the information I need.

We have been planning our trip since January… — We are planning our trip From January.
Try it! Julia has been baking this cake all moring.

— Try! Julia scorching this cake all morning.
The next use of Present Perfect Continuous is that the action began in the past, lasted for some time and has just or very recently ended. In this case, we focus on the result of the action, which is associated with the present time. But duration of action is also a prerequisite for using Present Perfect Continuous.
My feet are killing me because I have been walking in these terrible shoes. — My legs hurt terribly because I went in those awful shoes.
I‘ve been waiting for you in the rain! Why are you always late? — I AM waited you in the rain! Why are you constantly late?
Present Perfect Continuous is used to build how long questions. Such sentences are often translated into Russian in the present tense.
How long have you been standing here? You didn’t have to wait for me. — How long are you here you are standing? You might not have waited for me.
How long has she been sleeping? It’s 11 am

already! — How many it is sleeping? It’s already 11 o’clock!
How long have they been dating? Will he propose to her or not? — How many they already meet? Will he propose to her or not?

Present Perfect Continuous and Present Perfect

Let’s talk about the difference between Present Perfect Continuous and Present Perfect. Compare examples and rules in the table below.

Present Perfect Continuous Present Perfect

Emphasis on duration of action. It doesn’t matter if the action is over or not. have been cleaned the kitchen all morning. I am very tired. — I AM cleaned kitchen all morning. I’m very tired. She has been doing homework all evening. — Mary is very diligent. She makes homework all evening.	Emphasis on the result of an action. Action completed I have cleaned the kitchen. It is as good as new now. — I AM removed kitchen. She can go out because she has done her homework. — She can go for a walk, because has done homework.
The action is still ongoing or has just ended. May I ask how long? (how long?) I have been watching the last season of “Game of Thrones” since yesterday. — I AM look the last season of Game of Thrones since yesterday. have been hitchhiking for seven years. — They hitchhiking for seven years now.	Action completed. Can I ask how much questions? (how many?), how many times? (how many times?), how often? (how often?) I have watched the last episode of “Game of Thrones” three times. — I AM looked the last episode of Game of Thrones three times. have never hitchhiked in my life. — I AM never in life did not hitchhike.

There are verbs that are not used in the continuous form (Continuous). Since these verbs describe not the action itself, but the state of the object, they are called stative verbs. There are many examples of such verbs. To make them easier to remember, the following groups can be distinguished:

emotions, feelings: love (to love), hate (to hate), want (to want), (like);
physical perception: see (to see), hear (to hear), seem (to seem);
thought processes: know (to know), believe (to believe), remember (to remember);
possession, possession: have (to have), own (to own), belong (to belong);
others: be, contain, need, etc.

If the action began in the past, but has not yet ended, we usually use Present Perfect with state verbs, and not Present Perfect Continuous.

How long Have you owned this house? — How long have you do you own this house?
I‘ve known him since we were kids. — I AM I know him from childhood.

Some of the above verbs can still be used in Present Perfect Continuous, but their meanings will be different. For example: think (reflect), see (meet, see), mean (intend, want), have as part of the expression (to have a shower — take a shower, to have breakfast — have breakfast). Compare:

She has been thinking about your offer all night long. — She thought about your offer all night.
I have thought, until now, that you were an honest man. Now I see that you are a cheater. — Until this moment I thoughtthat you are an honest person. Now I see that you are a crook.

I have been having strange dreams for about three weeks. — To me dream strange dreams for about three months.
I have had such a problem before. — I have was such a problem before.

We have been seen each other since Christmas. We are in love. — We meet since Christmas. We are in love.
I Have fair seen Derek at the bar. — I have just saw Derek is at the bar.

There are a number of verbs in English that have process-related meanings. They are called durable verbs: live, work, teach, study, feel and others. These verbs can be used both in Present Perfect Continuous and Present Perfect when we talk about actions that began in the past and continue in the present.

Aborigines have been living here for thousands of years. /Aboriginals have lived here for thousands of years. — Aborigines Live in here for thousands of years.
I have been feeling really depressed lately. /I have felt really depressed lately. — I AM feel like very depressed lately.
She has been studying

Source: https://englex.ru/present-perfect-continuous-tense/

Present perfect continuous rules, examples, sentences

Present Perfect Continuous formed using an auxiliary verb to be in the form of Present Perfect ( have been, has been ) and the present participle of a semantic verb — present participle (ing-the form)

Interrogative Present Perfect Continuous is formed by setting the first auxiliary verb before the subject, and the rest of the tense form after the subject, and negative — using the particle -not, which is placed after the first auxiliary verb.

Affirmative form	Interrogative form	negative form
+ have / has been + IV	Have / Has been + IV?	have / has not been + IV
I have (= I’ve) have been playing. I’m playing. ( already with )	Have I’ve been playing? Am I playing?	I have not (= I haven’t) have been playing. I do not play.
HeSheIt	Has Been playing= (‘s been playing)	you	hesheit	Been playing?	HeSheIt	has not been playing= (hasn’t been playing)
WeyouThey	have been playing= (‘ve been playing)	Have	weyouthey	Been playing?	WeyouThey	have not been playing= (haven’t been playing)

The meaning and use of Present Perfect Continuous

1) Present Perfect Continuous Tenseused to express a long-term action that began in the past and is still taking place at the present time… In this case, the period during which the action is performed is always indicated.

The duration of the action is indicated by circumstances such as for (during), for a long time, all day, all day long, how long, and the beginning of the action — turns with the preposition since (since, since) — since 1987, since five o’clock.

Examples of using present perfect continuous:

How long have you been doing bodybuilding? — How long have you been doing bodybuilding

I’ve been doing bodybuilding for six years already — I’ve been doing bodybuilding for 6 years

How long have you been living here? — How long have you lived here

We’ve been living here for a year only. — We only live here one year

I’ve been living in England since 1955. — I’ve been living in England since 1955

2) Present Perfect Continuouscan be used without specifying the duration of actionif it is clear from the context that the action began in the past and has continued (or continues) to the present.

Do not payattention to my

I’ve been repairing my car — I am repairing my car

Why are your eyes red? — Why do you have red eyes?

I’ve been cutting onions. — I cut the bow

You are not well to-day. You look distressed. You have been weeping — you are not getting well today. You look miserable. You were crying

3) With verbs that are not used in the Continuous form, in the meaning of Present Perfect Continuous are used Present Perfect forms.

How long have you been here? — How long have you been here?

I’ve been here since 2 o’clock. — I’ve been here since 2 o’clock

I’ve known Tony for two years. “I’ve known Tony for five years.

4) If we are talking about an ordinary, constant action inherent in the subject, i.e. which occurs in general, and not at the moment of speech, then when indicating the duration of the action, along with the Present Perfect Continuous, the Present Perfect is used. The use of Present Perfect Continuous emphasizes the duration of the action, while the Present Perfect emphasizes the fact of the action.:

Has not been living in Moscow for five years = He has lived in Moscow for five years — He has been living in Moscow for (already) five years.

Often there is almost no difference between Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous in this sense.:

I’ve worked for the same company for twelve years. — I worked in the company for 12 years

I’ve been working for the same company for twelve years. — I worked in the company for 12 years

But in the suggestions below, the difference between Present Perfect Tense and Present Perfect Continuous Tense is dramatic: a sentence with Present Perfect shows the completeness of the action; Present Perfect Continuous indicates the duration, incompleteness of the action:

I’ve been watching TV show (= I haven’t finished it). — I’m watching the program (i.e. I’m in the process).

I’ve watched TV show (= I’ve finished it). — I watched the program. (I finished watching her.)

I’ve been learning Spanish all afternoon. — I study Spanish all day.

I’ve learned Spanish (= I know it). — I learned Spanish. (I know him.)

5) The Present Perfect Continuous Tense is also used for expression of an action that lasted for a certain period of time, but ended immediately before the moment of speech and is associated with the present tense by its result… The period of time during which the action was performed may or may not be specified. In these cases, Present Perfect Continuous is translated into Russian by the past tense of the imperfective verb:

Source: https://englishart.ru/present-perfect-continuous/

Present Perfect Continuous — Present Perfectly long

Such a long name for the temporal form as Present Perfect Continuous Tense (present for a very long time) will undoubtedly scare those who are just starting to learn English grammar. It immediately seems that such a long name hides a very complex structure with many incomprehensible rules. In fact, the opposite is true.

If you are already familiar with the temporary forms Perfect and Continuous, then this time will seem like a mere trifle to you, because you will not find anything particularly new either in the design or in the rules of use. As you can imagine, Present Perfect Continuous Tense consists of a combination of elements of the Perfect and Continuous groups.

So, let’s figure out what Present Perfect Continuous Tense is.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense Meaning

What is Present Perfect Continuous Tense?

Present Perfect Continuous Tense, in translation, the present for a very long time, expresses an action or event that began at some point in the past and continues until the present moment of speech, while it can continue at the time of speech, or it could end directly before the moment of speech.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense is translated into Russian either by the present or by the past tense, depending on whether the action ended before the moment of speech or is still ongoing.

Like all tenses of the Continuous group, Present Perfect Continuous Tense is not used with static verbs (verbs that denote states, not actions). In such situations, Present Perfect Tense replaces it.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense is rarely used in both colloquial speech and writing.

Present Perfect Continuous Education Rules

Affirmative sentences in Present Perfect Continuous Tense are formed using the auxiliary verb to be in Present Perfect Tense (have / has been) and the present participle of the semantic verb (verb + ending –ing → Present Participe).

Fake. + have / has been + Present Participe

Interrogative sentences are formed by placing the first auxiliary verb to have in the first place before the subject, the rest of the temporal form remains in its place after the subject.

Have / Has + Authentic + been + Present Participe?

To form negative sentences, the particle not is used, which is placed after the first auxiliary verb to have.

Fake. + have / has + not + been + Present Participe

In colloquial speech, it is customary to use abbreviated forms. For example:

I have → I’ve [aɪv]
he has → he’s [hiz]
has not → hasn’t [ˈhæzənt]
have not → haven’t [ˈhævənt]

Conjugation Table of the verb tо try in Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Number	Face	Affirmative form	Interrogative form	negative form
Unit. h.	123	I have (I’ve) been tryingYou have (You’ve) been tryingHe / She / It has (He’s / She’s) been trying	Have I been trying?Have you been trying? Has he / she / it been trying?	I have not (haven’t) been tryingYou have not (haven’t) been tryingHe / She / It has not (hasn’t) been trying
Mn. h.	123	We have (We’ve) been tryingYou have (You’ve) been tryingThey have (They’ve) been trying	Have we been trying?Have you been trying?Have they been trying?	We have not (haven’t) been tryingYou have not (haven’t) been tryingThey have not (haven’t) been trying

Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used:

1. If you want to express a lasting action that started in the past tense and is still going on in the present. As a rule, in this case, it is necessary to indicate the period of time during which the action is performed. This period can be indicated by detailed expressions, prepositional phrases, etc .:

for an hour (a month, a week) — within an hour (month, week)
for a long time — long, for a long time
since 4 o’clock (yesterday, morning) — from 4 o’clock (from yesterday, in the morning)
since he returned — since he returned
lately — recently, recently
these two weeks — these two weeks
all this year (my life, day long) — all this year (all my life, all day)

Example using “for” and “since”

In translation into Russian, verbs of the imperfect form in the present tense are used. Examples:

It has been raining since morning — It has been raining since morning
They have been waiting for the train for half an hour — They have been waiting for the train for half an hour
I have been thinking of you since I first saw you — I think about you since I first saw you

2. In special questions (if we are talking about the period immediately preceding the moment of speech) that begin with the words:

how long — how long, how long
since when — since when

examples:

How long have you been waiting for us? — How long are you waiting for us?
Since when has she been learning Spanish? — Since when has she been studying Spanish?

3. If you want to express a long-term action that began in the past tense and ended just before the moment of speech. Moreover, you want to emphasize the duration of the action and the presence of its result at the moment. The period of time during which the action took place may not be indicated. In translation into Russian, imperfective verbs in the past tense are used. Examples:

Come in! I’ve been looking for you all day — Come in! I’ve been looking for you all day
Why are you all silent? Have you been talking about me again? — Why are you all silent? Are you talking about me again?
Her eyes are red. Has she been crying? — She has red eyes. She cried?

Source: https://englishfull.ru/grammatika/present-perfect-continuous.html

The temporal form of Present Perfect Continuous combines the meanings of a long time (Continuous) and completed (Perfect). It is used to refer to an action that:

started in the past,
lasted for some time (not necessarily continuously),
ended before the moment of speech or is still going on.

That is, it is such an action stretched out in time, which began in the past. I will give examples of life situations that fall under this definition. For convenience, all examples will be in the first person.

I have been living in this house for ten years. — I have lived in this house for ten years.

In this example:

the action began in the past (ten years ago, when I settled in this house),
lasted for some time (ten years), and lasted continuously.
is still going on (I still live in this house).

Let me give you another example. Often the Present Perfect Continuous form is used with the verb to wait.

I have been waiting for you for three hours. “I’ve been waiting for you for three hours.

In this example:

the action started in the past (an hour ago when I started to wait),
continuously lasted for some time (hour),
ended immediately before the moment of speech (now I no longer wait, because I have waited).

Let me give you another example. Here the action does not last continuously.

I have been working here for a week. — I’ve been working here for a week.

It is clear that the “work” action itself did not last continuously for a whole week, day and night, 24 hours a day. It means that the action regularly, on an ongoing basis occurred during this time.

Present Perfect Continuous Education

If you are familiar with other times (otherwise there is no point in studying the times of Perfect Continuosu), the formation of Present Perfect Continuous will be easy to remember. The shape is formed by:

Affirmative form

Single number The many number

1 person	I have been waiting	We have been waiting
2 person	You have been waiting	You have been waiting
3 person	He / She / It has been waiting	They have been waiting

Sample sentences:

I have been waiting for you for a long time. — I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.

Source: https://langformula.ru/english-grammar/present-perfect-continuous/

Present Perfect Continuous — present perfect long time

Perfect Continuous times are used to denote a process that began and lasted for some time until a certain moment in the present, past or future.

Time Present Perfect Continuous indicates an action that started in the past, continued for some time, and either ended immediately before the conversation or is still ongoing at the time of the conversation.

I have been waiting here for 2 hours!
I waited here for two hours!

We have been preparing for our exam since morning.
We have been preparing for the exam since morning.

Present Perfect Continuous Education

Affirmative suggestions:

I have been playing	We have been playing
You have been playing	You have been playing
He/she/it has been playing	They have been playing

Interrogative sentences:

Have I been playing?	Have we been playing?
Have you been playing?	Have you been playing?
Has he/she/it been playing?	Have they been playing?

Negative suggestions:

I have not been playing	We have not been playing
You have not been playing	You have not been playing
He/she/it has not been playing	They have not been playing

To put a verb in the tense form Present Perfect Continuous, auxiliary verb required to be in the Present Perfect tense and the present participle (V-ing form) of the semantic verb.

To be in time Present Perfect has two forms:

have been — 1st and 2nd person units. h. and all forms of pl. h
Has been — 3rd person unit h

Present participle (Participle I) can be obtained by adding the ending to the initial form of a significant verb -ing:

jump — jumping

live — living

В interrogative sentence auxiliary to have is put in place in front of the subject, and the rest of the predicate is located after it:

I smell tobacco. Have you been smoking?
I smell tobacco. Have you smoked?

you she have been using my car again?
Was she using my car again?

В negative sentences behind the auxiliary verb to have followed by a negative particle Note:

It has not been snowing here since 1993.
There has been no snow here since 1993.

Cases of using Present Perfect Continuous:

The action that started in the past has been going on for some time and is still going on at the moment of the conversation:

The workers have been trying to move our wardrobe for half an hour, go help them.
The workers have been trying to move our closet for half an hour, help them.

The action, which began in the past, continued for some time and ended just before the conversation:

Do you this cake? I have been baking it since morning.
Do you like this pie? I baked it since the morning.

Source: https://www.native-english.ru/grammar/present-perfect-continuous

Present Perfect Continuous: how it is formed and what action expresses, principles and examples of the use of time, description of examples with translation

27.06.2019

We think you have already studied English tenses from the Present group: Present Simple, Present Continuous and Present Perfect. Today we invite you to get acquainted with the latest time from this group — Present Perfect Continuous Tense (Present Perfect Continued Time).

How is Present Perfect Continuous Tense formed?

Let’s analyze the name of this time and try to guess how it was formed. The name contains the word Perfect, which means that we need the auxiliary verb have / has (moreover, the present tense form, since it is Present), there is also the word Continuous, which means that there must be a verb to be and an imperfect participle (ING- new form of the verb). Quite right!

What action does Present Perfect Continuous Tense express?

This time expresses an action that started in the past, continued for some time and continues to this day — either just ended and there is a result.

“I have been learning English for 3 years” — which means I started learning English in the past, studied for three years and still study it — I have been learning English for 3 years.

Consider another example. — The sun is shining, but the earth is somehow wet.

— It was raining.

That is, it started raining in the past, it rained for a while and just stopped, and there is a result: the ground is wet. It has been raining.

Your face is dirty. What have you been doing? — You have a dirty face, what did you do?
He’s so tired. He has been working in the garden. — He’s so tired. He worked in the garden.

The prepositions FOR and SINCE

The time interval during which the action takes place is introduced using the prepositions of time FOR — «during» and SINCE — «from (some time)»

He has been writing his new book for two years already. — He has been writing his new book for 2 years already.
Here you are at last! I have been waiting for you for half an hour! — And here you are at last! I’ve been waiting for you for half an hour.
Granny has been making pancakes since morning. — Grandma bakes pancakes in the morning
My uncle has been writing poems since his childhood. — My uncle has been writing poetry since childhood.

Accordingly, if we are interested in how long the action takes place, we will ask a question using the interrogative word “How long how long«And use Present Perfect Continuous Tense:

How long has Alan been looking for a job? — How long has Alan been looking for a job?
How long has it been raining? — How long has it been raining?

Verbs have, be, know instead of Present Perfect Continuous they are used in Present Perfect Simple: • I have known Tom since our childhood — I have known Tom since childhood • We have been at the seaside for two weeks — We have been on the coast for 2 weeks. • I have had this car for three months already. — I have this car for three months

Present Continuous vs Present Perfect Continuous Tense

In Present Continuous Tense, the action takes place at the moment, now:

Mother is cooking dinner — Mom is cooking dinner (the action takes place now)

In Present Perfect Continuous Tense, the action has already been taking place for some time and at the moment is either still happening or has just ended:

Mother has been cooking dinner for two hours. — Mom prepares lunch for 2 hours (the action took place over 2 hours and is happening at the moment)
Mother is tired, she has been cooking dinner. — Mom is tired, she was preparing dinner. (the action has been going on for some time and has just ended)

Comparison of Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Source: https://tutorblog.ru/drugoe/present-perfect-continuous-pravila-ispolzovaniya-nastoyashhego-sovershennogo-prodolzhennogo-vremeni.html

Present Perfect Continuous (Progressive)

Did you study English at school? This means that you went through each of the many English times — and did not just go through, but disassemble it in detail, trying to forever remember the order of words in sentences (narrative, negative and interrogative), the peculiarities of their use in English, to comprehend the sometimes elusive differences between them

But when you find yourself in real life situations that require communication in English — did you feel that the years behind the textbooks helped you communicate in the language easily and naturally? Most likely no.

The main problem with most traditional methods of teaching English is that the main focus is on the grammatical aspect (rules, structure, system), and not on the living spoken language.

There are numerous cases when honored teachers who devoted their entire lives to teaching English according to the method of priority of theory over practice were completely lost when they got into the language environment.

In other words, while studying this or that rule, you need to be aware of where and how you can use it — otherwise the rule will be forgotten, and your communication skills will remain the same.

And if you started learning English after graduation, you have a great opportunity to approach this problem without making the mistakes of previous generations, because an ounce of practice equals a pound of theory!

Let’s be familiar: Present Perfect Continuous (Progressive) or present perfect long-term (continued)

What is the mystery hidden in the present tense, describing past events?

This time is considered present (Present), but it is perfect (Perfect), and at the same time long (Continuous or Progressive), which is paradoxical in itself.

Some people compare Present Perfect Continuous with repairs, which, as you know, cannot be completed, but can only be suspended — perhaps this is the most successful intuitive explanation of this temporary category.

And they use it as follows:

1. To indicate an action started in the past and continuing to the present moment (note, such sentences are translated into Russian in the present tense):

Source: https://skyeng.ru/articles/present-perfect-continuous-progressive

Present Perfect Continuous: Everything You Need to Know | English is easy!

The English verb tense Present Perfect Continuous — the present perfect for a long time is used when you need to designate an action that began and lasted for a certain time until a certain moment in the present, past or future.

I have been waiting here for 5 hours! — I waited here for 5 hours!

We have been preparing for our exam since morning. — We have been preparing for the exam since the morning.

Present Perfect Continuous (Progressive) — rarely used in English because:

It has a long shape.
Few cases of use.
Interchangeability. Present Perfect Continius can be easily replaced with Present Perfect without changing the meaning of the statement.

But this does not mean that this time is generally useless. The scope of use of Present Perfect Continuous is really very narrow, but there are cases when it is impossible to replace this time with another. In addition, the correct use of Present Perfect Continius in oral speech sounds very effective.

How Present Perfect Continuous is formed

For Present Perfect Continuous, the rules of education are simple and depend on the form of expression.

Statement

The peculiarity of this tense of English verbs is that it combines two nuances — Perfect and Continuous. The affirmation is constructed using the auxiliary verb «to be» in the Present Perfect — have been (has been). The main verb is the verb + the ending «-ing».

Affirmative sentence in Present Perfect Continuous, examples:

I / We / You / They + have been + verb-ing	He / She / It + has been + verb-ing
I have been playing. — I’m playing.	He has been laughing. — He’s laughing.
You have been reading. — You read.	She has been running. — She is running.
We have been working. — We are working.	It has been working. — It is working.
They have been waiting. — They expect.

Denial

To form a negative sentence, the particle «not» must be placed between «have (has)» and «been».

Negative statement in Present perfect continuius, examples:

I / We / You / They + have been + verb-ing	He / She / It + has been + verb-ing
I have not been playing. — I do not play.	He has not been laughing. — He’s not laughing.
You have not been reading. — You don’t read.	She has not been running. — She doesn’t run.
We have not been working. — We do not work.	It has not been working. — It doesn’t work.
They have not been waiting. — They don’t expect.

Note that abbreviated forms are sometimes used for the verb «have (has)». So in the statement, this verb is combined with a pronoun:

You’ve been laughingp.
She’s been laying.

In a negative statement, «have / has» is combined with «not»:

We haven’t been running.
He hasn’t been waiting.

Question

When constructing a question, «have / has» is put in the first place, and «been» remains with the main verb. It turns out the scheme: have (has) + subject + been + main verb.

Affirmative sentence in Present Perfect Continuous, examples:

I / We / You / They + have been + verb-ing	He / She / It + has been + verb-ing
Have I been playing? — Am I playing?	Has he been laughing? — He’s laughing?
Have you been reading? — You read?	Has she been running? — She is running?
Have we been working? — We are working?	Has it been working? — It is working?
Have they been waiting? — Are they expecting?

In order to quickly remember this time, it is worth studying the cases of its use in speech.

When Using Present Perfect Continuous

The tenses of English verbs in Present Perfect Continuous have two main functions: the Continuous aspect and the Perfect aspect.

Present perfect continuius is used only in 6 cases:

To express an action that started in the past, it lasted for some time and continues at the moment. This function demonstrates long-term action from the Continuous aspect:

The workers have been trying to move our bed for half an hour, go help them. — The workers have been trying to move our bed for half an hour, help them.

Usually, when speaking, an indication of the time of action follows, but without clear time boundaries. That is, it is known when the action began, how long it lasted, but it is not known when it will end.

To indicate the time, you need to use the following words and expressions: lately (recently, recently), recently (recently, the other day), quite a while (quite a long time), all day (all day), as well as prepositions for (in current) and since (starting with).

Since this function indicates duration, then the question in Present Perfect Continuous, most often, begins with the grammatical constructions «how long (how long, how long)» and «since when (since when, from what moment)».

— How long has she been learning Italian language? — How long has she been studying Italian?

— She has been learning Italian for eight years. — She has been studying French for eight years.

Translated into Russian, the verb will be in the present tense, because the action continues in the present.

To express an action that began in the past, lasted for a certain time and ended right before the conversation. This function is from the Perfect aspect. However, in this case, the emphasis is on the fact that the action lasted a certain time in the past:

Do you this cake? I have been baking it since morning. — Do you like this pie? I baked it since the morning.

Here, the validity time may or may not be marked.

We are very tired. We have been walking in the mountains. — We are very tired. We walked in the mountains.

Since it is talking about an action that has already ended, in the Russian translation the verb will be in the past tense.

It is used with basic verb forms such as «work, live, feel, teach», since these lexemes imply that the action lasts for a long period of time and already becomes a stable state.

I’ve worked here for 25 years. = I’ve been working here for 25 years. — I have been working here for 25 years.

To emphasize the temporality of the situation, Present Perfect Continuous is used.

Source: https://simplenglish.ru/present-perfect-continuous/

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

In this article, we will talk about Present Perfect Continuous time and look at its use with real life examples.

The time is quite difficult in education, but a little practice, exercise — and you will remember its shape. The Present Perfect Continuous form combines the signs of the Perfect group tenses (the auxiliary verbs have / has + the BE verb in the third form) and the Continuous tenses (the semantic verb with the ending -ING).

Consider the different types of utterances:

Statement

IYouWeThey	Have	Been	Ving:working.sleeping.reading.watching TV.cooking.
HeSheIt	has

Denial

IYouWeThey	have not(haven’t)	Been	Ving:working.sleeping.reading.watching TV.cooking.
HeSheIt	have not(hasn’t)

General and informational questions

(how long)(What)(Where)(when)(Why)	Have	Iyouwethey	Been	Ving:doing? working? sleeping? reading? watching TV? cooking?
you	hesheit

Present Perfect Continuous Tense Values

Present Perfect Continuous combines the meanings of the times of the Perfect (action performed; action that has not yet completed) and Continuous (action in progress) groups.

Present Perfect Continuous has three main meanings. You have probably read books, studied the rules, so I will not just rewrite them once again, but I will explain the use of Present Perfect Continuous time with examples of situations that we face in life.

1 value

An action that began in the past and continues right up to the present. Present Perfect Continuous is used to emphasize the duration, duration of the action.

Situation 1.

You are about to go for a walk, but suddenly it starts raining. You decide to wait for it to end, but an hour, two, three passes, and the rain does not end. You are complaining:

It’s been raining for three hours! — It has been raining for three hours.

The rain started three hours ago and is still not over, the action is in progress, which you can watch from the window.

Situation 2.

You made an appointment to meet with a friend, and he is late. You have been waiting for half an hour, but he is still gone. You lose patience, call him and say:

I’ve been waiting for you for half an hour! — I have been waiting for you for half an hour!

You came half an hour ago, and you are still waiting for your non-punctual friend, the action is still incomplete.

Situation 3.

They bought a new computer game for the teenager and decided to go through it with joy. The game turned out to be so exciting that after a while his parents began to worry:

You have been playing since the morning! — You have been playing since morning!

Their son sat down at the computer in the morning, and still his game is not over, he continues to play.

But we can not always observe the action right at the moment of speech. Sometimes Present Perfect Continuous denotes an action that we associate more with a habit than with a process. In this case, Present Perfect Continuous is often confused with Present Simple. Let’s take a look at the situations.

Situation 4.

Anna celebrates every birthday with her friends. She began to celebrate it with friends when she was a student, and since that time she invites friends every year. What time to use: it seems like a habit, but on the other hand it continues (repeats) for some time.

Ann always celebrates her birthday with her friends. — Anna always celebrates her birthday with friends.

Ann has been celebrating her birthday with her friends since she was a student. — Anna has been celebrating her birthday with friends since she was a student.

Look, we used Present Simple when we were just talking about this habit (or rather, tradition). But as soon as it was necessary to indicate the period of time during which this habit exists, we use Present Perfect Continuous.

Present Perfect Continuous may be mistakenly associated exclusively with an action, the continuation of which we can observe at the time of speech. We use Present Perfect Continuous to emphasize the duration of an action or habit.

Situation 5.

Your friend started learning English five years ago. He has been studying English for five years now and is not going to stop. He can say:

I learn English. I have been learning English for five years. — I study English. I have been studying English for five years.

As you can see from the examples, the translation of the sentences is identical, except that the time period is indicated in the second sentence. Such an insignificant detail, but in English there are two completely different tenses!

2 value

Present Perfect Continuous can mean an action that has been going on for a while, has just ended, and the obvious result of this action is visible. Consider the situations.

Situation 1.

You wake up in the morning and look out the window: the ground is wet, there are puddles everywhere, but the sun is already shining. You understand, of course, that it has been raining recently.

He walked for a while (the action lasted for a while). You have not seen the rain itself, you have only seen the result. You can conclude:

It has been raining. — It’s been raining.

Situation 2.

The student is late for class. The lesson is already beginning, and then he bursts into the audience: his hair is disheveled, he cannot catch his breath. It becomes clear to everyone that he was running:

He has been running. — He was running.

Source: https://enginform.com/article/present-perfect-continuous-tense

Present Perfect Continuous. Real perfect long lasting

Present Perfect Continuous (present perfect continuous tense) is used in two main meanings, that is, it means:

№ 1

The action that started in the past has been going on for a while and is still going on… This uses the words for (within) or since (since since):
for example, for two weeks, for five minutes, for an hour, since yesterday, since 5 o’clock, since Wednesday.

I have been living in London for two years. — I have been living in London for two years.
I came to live in London, lived for a while and still live.

It has been raining since morning. — It has been raining since morning.
It started raining in the morning, it has been raining for a while and is still falling.

Please note that in this meaning, Present Perfect Continuous is translated into Russian as a verb that answers the questions what am I doing? what is he doing? what are they doing? what are we doing?

№ 2

An action that began in the past lasted for a period of time and has just ended, and the result of this actionobvious… We can see, hear, feel that something has recently happened. In this case, the words are often used late и recently (recently, recently).

I ran. Therefore, I am very tired. — I have been running. So I am very tired.
I ran for a while, but now I’m done, as a result — I feel tired.

It was raining. The sidewalk is wet. — It has been raining. The pavement is wet.
It rained for some time, but it ended, as a result — we see a wet sidewalk.

Look, in this meaning, Present Perfect Continuous is translated into Russian as a verb that answers the questions what did you do? what did you do? what they were doing?

Statement

I have been working since morning. — I’ve been working since the morning.
We have been working since morning. — We have been working since the morning.
you have been working since morning. — You work in the morning.

(You work in the morning.)
They have been working since morning. — They work in the morning.
He Has Been working since morning. — He works in the morning.
She Has Been working since morning.

— She works in the morning.

Note that the auxiliary verb has used only in 3 liters. units h (with pronouns he, she, it). How to add to a verb ending -ing, read here.

Denial

Negation is formed with a particle Noteafter the auxiliary verb Have / has:

I have not been working since morning. — I have not been working since the morning.
We have not been working since morning. — We don’t work since morning.
you have not been working since morning. — You have not been working since the morning.

(You don’t work since morning.)
They have not been working since morning. — They don’t work in the morning.
He has not been working since morning. — He hasn’t been working since the morning.
She has not been working since morning.

— She’s not working since the morning.

The auxiliary have / has is shortened in negative form as follows:

have not = haven’t (I have not been working = I haven’t been working)

has not = hasn’t (He has not been working = He hasn’t been working)

Questions

For education questions Have / has placed before the subject:

Have I Been working since morning? — Have I been working since morning?
Have we Been working since morning? — We work in the morning?
Have you Been working since morning? — Do you work in the morning? (Do you work since morning?)
Have they Been working since morning? — Do they work in the morning?
you he Been working since morning? — Does he work in the morning?
you she Been working since morning? — She works in the morning?

It is important to remember that there are verbs that are not used in the Continuous tenses. With such verbs, Present Perfect is used instead of Present Perfect Continuous.

Still have questions on the topic? Ask them in the comments.

Source: https://myefe.ru/reference/verbs/tenses/present-perfect-continuous

The most understandable rules of not quite clear Present Perfect Continuous time

Greetings my beloved readers.

What’s your favorite time in English? I bet you haven’t even thought about the one we’re going to talk about today. A vain, because the Present Perfect Continuous rules are the simplest of all 12 existing ones. Let’s bet that I can convince you of this today. Rules and examples await us both for schoolchildren, for example, grade 8, and for those who are older.

Let’s start?

How is formed

There is nothing complicated in the order of formation of this time. The general principle is simple:

Subject + verb to have (has) + been + predicate with the ending –ing + additions and circumstances.

Let’s see some examples:

I have been helping at the golf competition the whole morning. — I helped at the golf competition all morning. (The action continued and only recently ended)

He has been preparing for the test for the whole evening. It’s time to eat something. “She has been preparing for the test all evening. Time for something to eat. (The action continued but ended)

The most important feature in the formation of Present Perfect Continuous is the use of the auxiliary verb have.

When it comes to the first and second person (I, we, you, you, they), then we put the have form in the sentence.
When it comes to third parties (he, she, it), then have turns into has.

Let’s break it down in detail in the table.

Affirmative form
I have been dancing.	We have been dancing.
You have been dancing.	You have been dancing.
He She It has been dancing.	They have been dancing.

In negative form, the particle not is added to have.

negative form
I have not been dancing.	We have not been dancing.
You have not been dancing.	You have not been dancing.
He She It has not been dancing.	They have not been dancing.

And to form a question, you need to move have to the very beginning of the sentence.

Interrogative form
Have I been dancing?	Have we been dancing?
Have you been dancing?	Have you been dancing?
Has he she it been dancing?	Have they been dancing?

So, remembering the formation of this time is not so difficult. Therefore, let’s move on to when it is applied in practice.

When Used: Beginner Level

For beginners, there are two main uses to remember.

Imagine that the action has already started earlier. It lasted for some time, and by the time of the conversation it was over. This is one situation.

Source: https://lizasenglish.ru/grammatika/present-perfect-continuous.html

Present Perfect Continuous in English

Continuous tenses in English is a rather difficult task to learn. All of them are almost always tied to voicing the duration and continuity of some action or process.

Specifically, Present Perfect Continuous Tense, or, as it looks in Russian: the present perfect continuous tense is not too difficult in terms of grammatical structure.

But its correct use often causes confusion: it is difficult to determine when it is necessary to say something in this particular time, and not in another.

Rules of formation

The word Perfect in the name of the time immediately terrifies those who have started learning English — again these irregular verbs! And how happy it is to know that the third form of an irregular verb when using Present Perfect Continuous, you need to know only one — been (the verb to be).

How Present Perfect Continuous is formed

Dad and Mum have been waiting for me since the very morning, I must hurry: I don’t want them to be angry with me! — Dad and mom have been waiting for me since the morning, I must hurry: I don’t want them to be angry with me!

Matilda has been knocking on Leon’s door for five minutes, but he doesn’t want to open the door. — Matilda knocks on Leon’s door (already) for five minutes, but he does not want to open the door.

I’ve been eating your salad since the beginning of the party and cannot stop — it is so tasty and extraordinary! — I have been eating your salad since the beginning of the party and I cannot stop — it is so delicious and unusual!

He’s been washing the dishes all day long, doesn’t she want to have a little break? — She washes the dishes all day, doesn’t she want to take a short break?

He has not (hasn’t) been doing the translation for two weeks, his computer is broken. — He hasn’t made a translation for two weeks, his computer is broken.

I have not (haven’t) been drinking anything except water for a month, it’s my new diet. — I do not drink anything except water for a month, this is my new diet.

Have you been picking apples since the very morning? — Do you pick apples in the morning?

Has Nick been repeating the rules for three hours? — Nick has been repeating the rules for (already) three hours?

When used

The first thing to remember when studying Present Perfect Continuous time — when using it, emphasis is often placed on the duration and continuity of an action. The second important fact is that this process either continues when they talk about it, or just stopped, literally just before the very statement. Here are the situations when the Present Perfect Continuous time will be used in the sentence.

The action began sometime in the past, is periodically performed, and it is not a fact that this will not happen again in the future.

Source: https://4lang.ru/english/grammar/present-perfect-continuous

Present perfect continuous — present perfect continuous tense

Studying English, students can deal with the Perfect and Continuous times for a long time in order to learn how to use them automatically.

Therefore, you can imagine their feelings when they come to such a terrible topic as Perfect Continuous.

These are two times at once, and even such not simple ones! However, these fears are completely in vain, and now we will be convinced of this by the example of Present Perfect Continuous time (pronounced as [present perfect continuus]).

This time is used relatively rarely, since it is often replaced by Present Perfect time, but it is still necessary to know it, because in certain situations it will not be possible to do without it.

Moreover, the correct use of sentences in Present Perfect Continuous will only confirm your high level of knowledge of the language, and therefore will attract praise from native speakers.

Let’s take a look at how this time is formed and used.

Present Perfect Continuous: educational rules

Present Perfect Continuous education is similar to Present Perfect and Present Continuous. To form this tense, two verbs are needed: auxiliary and semantic. The auxiliary verb is to be in the Present Perfect form. It has 2 forms of perfect, depending on the person and number:

IYouWeThey	have been
HeSheIt	Has Been

Semantic verbs are formed using Participle I or the present participle. To form it, add the ending –ing to the verb.

Infinitive	V + -ing
(to) blink	blinking
(to) strike	striking
(to)pressure	pressing
(to) blossom	blooming
(to) heal	healing
(to) give	giving
(to) mumble	mumbling
(to) walk	walking
(to)compensate	compensating

Actually, that’s all. By attaching both parts, you get a verb in Present Perfect Continuous Tense:

have been traveling	traveling
have been whispering	whisper
has been wandering	wanders
has been giggling	giggles
have been protesting	protest
has been creating	creates

Present Perfect Continuous: sentence forms

We figured out the formation of verbs, now let’s see how to make sentences with them in various forms.

Affirmative Sentences with Present Perfect Continuous

The affirmative form Present Perfect Continuous, as always, is standard: first, the subject is used, after the predicate, expressed by auxiliary and semantic verbs. Any minor member can complete the sentence. Table for clarity:

Subject	Predicate	Secondary parts of the sentence
Auxiliary	Main verb
She	has been talking	for 2 hours.
She’s been talking for two hours.

Source: https://crownenglishclub.ru/dlya-nachinayushhih/present-perfect-continuous-nastoyashhee-sovershennoe-prodolzhennoe-vremya.html

Present Perfect Continuous. I have been doing

Present Perfect Continuous — the time that is used to describe an action in the process that has occurred and continues to occur (or has just completed).

Keys to Understanding Time Present Perfect Continuous:

1. The action is in progress (hence the link to the Continuous group).
2. The process began in the past and continues to the present (hence the connection with the Perfect group)

Examples. I have been living in Kiev since 1975. — I (already) live in Kiev since 1975.

I live and continue to live in Kiev, the process has begun and continues!

How long have you been studying Spanish? — How long have you (already) been learning Spanish?

In these examples, the word already is very important, which is invisibly present in the constructions Present Perfect Continuous… Those. the process continues from the past to the present.

Present Perfect Continuous Forms

Affirmative form	Interrogative form	negative form
I / We / You / They have been living	Have I / we / you / they been living?	I / We / You / They have not (haven’t) been living
He / She / It has been living	Has he / she / it been living?	He / She / It has not (hasn’t) been living

Examples.

He has been playing football all day. — He plays football all day.
I’ve been waiting for you for two hours. — I’m waiting for you for two hours.

1. The action began in the past, continues to the present, and may continue in the future

Example I’ve been doing my work for three weeks. — I’ve been doing my job for three weeks.

Those. I did and continue to do.

2. The action ended recently or just recently

Example

I’ve been looking for you a whole hour. — I’ve been looking for you (already) for an hour.
I was looking for you, but now I have found you, so I am no longer looking. The action has just ended.

Difference between Present Perfect Continuous and Present Continuous

Present Perfect Continuous	Present continuous
I have been doing	I am doing
I have been working hard all week. — I’ve been working hard (already) all week. The action began in the past and continues to the present.	I’m working. — I’m working now. There is no connection with the past!

The difference is that Present continuous there is no connection with the past, but Present Perfect Continuous began in the past and continues to the present.

Difference between Present Perfect Continuous and Present Perfect

Present Perfect Continuous	Present Perfect
I have been doing	I have done
I have been reading a book for a month. — I’ve been reading the book (already) for a month. Important process, not the result!	I’ve read a book. — I read the book. Important result — I read!
He’s been writing articles all day. — He writes an article all day. We’ve been playing basketball for three hours. — We’ve been playing basketball for (already) three hours. how long the action takes place.	He’s written three articles today. — Today he wrote three articles. We’ve played basketball two times this week. — We played basketball three times this week. how everything is done or how many times the action takes place.

Present Perfect Continuous shows how long the action takes, and Present Perfect — how many times.
For Present Perfect Continuous the process is important, and for Present Perfect — result!

Source: http://www.dinternal.com.ua/grammar/present-perfect-continuous/

Present Perfect Continuous

Present Perfect Continuous (present perfect long tense) in English, as opposed to Future Perfect Continuous, used much more often. Moreover, I would say that this is one of the most used English times, the essence of which is not so difficult to understand. It is enough to imagine a period of time connecting the past with the present (Present Perfect) and having a current continuation (Continuous).

Present perfect continuous. Examples:

+ We have been reading this book for three months. — We have been reading this book for three months.

? you he been working for you for half a year? — Has he been working for you for six months?

— I have not been swimming since 2012. I have not been swimming since 2012.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used:

1. to express a long-term action that began in the past and is still taking place in the present.

For example:

my husband has been cooking in the kitchen for 10 minutes. My husband cooks in the kitchen for 10 minutes.

2. to express a long-term action that began in the past and ended immediately before the moment of speech.

For example:

I feel hungry as I have been walking for several hours. I feel hungry as I have been walking for several hours.

Important!

1. Remember the verbs that are not used in Continuous. For example, in sentences like:

I have this car since spring. — Instead of the NOT USED form «I have been having this car since spring», you should use Present Perfect and say «I have had this car since spring».

A couple more similar examples, in which Present Perfect is used instead of Present Perfect Continuous:

I have been here for 10 minutes. Not I have been being

We have known each other since 2000.

2. When used Present Perfect Continuous the period of time during which the action is performed is always indicated, while certain marker words are used.

Marker words for Present Perfect continuous:

(read more about marker words in the article «Present Simple Table»)

Source: http://blog.englishvoyage.com/present-perfect-continuous/

Источник

The Present Perfect Continuous seems a little bit complicated. But in fact, there is nothing complicated here. No need to be afraid of the Present Perfect Continuous! 🙂 Especially if you already understand the Present Perfect and the Present Continuous.

Because the Present Perfect Continuous combines the qualities of the tenses of the Perfect group and the Continuous group.

Why do we need this tense?

The Present Perfect Continuous describes an action that began in the past, lasted for some time, and ended before the moment of speaking, or has not yet ended and still continues.

John has been running ten kilometers already.

This sentence means that John started running in the past. He was running for some time, he run a distance of ten kilometers. John may still be running now. Maybe John will run for another five kilometers.

We can also use the Present Perfect Continuous if John stopped running in some recent past. In this case, we use the Present Perfect Continuous to emphasize the duration of the process.

Imagine that John comes home, he is sweating and he is tired. Jessica asks John:

Jessica: John where have you been? Why are you so tired and sweaty?
John: I have been running ten kilometers!

John isn’t running now, it happened in the past. John can also answer the question with the Present Perfect:

I have run ten kilometers.

But if John wants to emphasize the duration of the process so that Jessica understands why John is so tired and wet, then John can use the Present Perfect Continuous:

I have been running for ten kilometers.

We use the Present Perfect Continuous to emphasize not only completeness but also duration. We use the Present Perfect to focus only on the completeness of the process.

Even if John is talking about an action that has ended in the recent past, the Present Perfect Continuous refers to the present. Because the Present Perfect Continuous shows the result of what happened in the past.

John has been running ten kilometers.

Take a look at the word has in this sentence.

John HAS been running…

Has means that John now has the result that he run ten kilometers. It is has that makes the Present Perfect Continuous relevant to the present.

If we use had instead of has this result refers to the past. If we use will have then the result refers to the future. But we use has. Despite the fact that John may no longer run now and will not continue to run further.

Look again at two sentences:

The Present Perfect: John has run in the park this morning.

The Present Perfect Continuous: John has been running in the park this morning.

We can use both of these options, they mean the same thing.

But if we use the Present Perfect Continuous and not the Present Perfect, we focus on the duration of this action. The Present Perfect emphasizes the completeness of the action. Its result. Not its process or duration.

Therefore, the main difference between the Present Perfect Continuous and the Present Perfect can be seen in the main verbs that we use in these two examples:

Run
Running

Run is the third form of the verb run (this is not a regular verb, so its third form looks like the first). The third form of the verb shows us the completeness of the action.

Running is a verb with an -ing ending, and the ing ending emphasizes the duration of the action.

We use -ing verbs to emphasize duration. We also use the third form of the verb to be been. Been expresses completeness.

been + ing = completed continuous action.

Been shows what has already happened. -ing shows that the action lasted for some time, it was in progress, it was happening. Together, it means that the continuous action is already completed. This is the main function of the Present Perfect Continuous.

Take a look at another way to understand the Present Perfect Continuous. To do this, you need to look at the Present Continuous:

John is running.

This means that John is running right now.

Now let’s say that this whole process lasted from the past to the present. For this, we need the third form of the main verb. But our main verb “run” already has one change, because we added the -ing ending to it. Therefore, we change not the main verb but the verb to be. The third form of the verb to be is been. And this is what we get:

John has been running.

See? We show completeness by transforming to be from is to been. We show the duration with the -ing ending of the main verb. It’s that simple!

How to form sentences

The Present Perfect Continuous is formed a little more complicated than the tenses of other groups. Let’s take a closer look at what the Present Perfect Continuous consists of.

The Present Perfect Continuous is formed with the help of three main components, each of which plays its particular role:

The verb to have. The form of the verb to have depends on the subject:

I have
He has
She has
It has
We have
They have
You have

The third form of the verb to be is been. We use been to indicate the completeness of an action. Attention, we use been regardless of who is the subject (with all persons).

I have been
He has been
She has been
It has been
We have been
They have been
You have been

The main verb with the -ing ending. It is the main verb with the -ing ending that expresses the duration of the action.

painting
waiting
sitting
coming
playing
staying
reading
leaving

If we combine these three parts with a subject we get the usual the Present Perfect Continuous sentence:

John has been working all day!

Let’s see how we use these three components and the adjective in affirmative (positive), interrogative (question), and negative sentences.

How to form Affirmative (Positive) Sentences in Present Perfect Continuous

To form an affirmative (positive) sentence, we put the subject first. After the subject, we put the verb to have (have or has). Then the third form of the verb to be been. Then the main verb with the -ing ending.

Subject (I, you, they, John, friends, dog) + have/has + been + main verb with the -ing ending (running, looking, reading) + rest of the sentence.

I have been waiting seven years to tell you the truth!

How to form Interrogative (Question) Sentences in Present Perfect Continuous

To form an interrogative (question) sentence, we put at the very beginning have or has. Then the subject. Then the third form of the verb to be been Then the main verb with the -ing ending.

Have/has + Subject (I, you, they, John, friends, dog) + been + main verb with the -ing ending (running, looking, reading) + rest of the sentence.

Have you been waiting for me?

Note that to ask a question we only put have/has before the subject. It is the verb to have that is an auxiliary verb. We do not put have been/has been before the subject.

Incorrect: Have been you waiting for me?
Correct: Have you been waiting for me?

How to ask Special Wh-Questions

A Wh-Question is a question that has additional words we add to find out more information.

We form a Wh-Question just like a General (Yes/No) Questions in the Present Perfect Continuous, only at the beginning of the structure we put a question word or phrase:

Question word or phrase + have/has + subject (I, you, they, John, friends, dog) + been + main verb with the -ing ending (running, looking, reading) + rest of the sentence.

How long have you been driving this car?

How to Answer questions

How do we form answers to questions in the Present Perfect Continuous?

Short positive answer:

Yes + subject (I, you, they, John, friends, etc.) + have/has

Question: Have you been drivin all this time?
Answer: Yes, I have.

Short negative answer:

No + subject (I, you, they, John, friends, etc.) + have/has + not

Question: Have you been driving?
Answer: No, I have not.

In a full positive answer, we add part of the question to the construction, but in an affirmative (positive) form:

Yes + subject (I, you, she, John, friends, etc.) + have/has + main part of the question in positive.

Question: Have you been driving?
Answer: Yes, I have been driving.

In a full negative answer, we add negative No (at the beginning of the sentence) and not (after have / has):

No + subject (I, you, she, John, friends, etc.) + have/has + not + main part of the question in negative.

Question: Have you been driving?
Answer: No, I have not been driving.

How to form Negative Sentences in Present Perfect Continuous

To form a negative sentence, we start with the subject. Then we put the right form of the verb to have and the negative not. Then the third form of the verb to be been. Then we put the main verb with the -ing ending.

Subject (I, you, they, John, friends, dog) + have/has + not + been + main verb with the -ing ending (running, looking, reading) + the rest of the sentence.

I have not been running ever since I injured my leg …

Note: Pay attention, we add the negative not after have/has. We don’t add not after been.

Correct: I have not been…
Incorrect: I have been not…

What is the sort form of will have?

In the Present Perfect Continuous, we contract the verb to have in affirmative (positive) sentences and the verb to have and the negative not in negative sentences.

Full	Short
I have been	I’ve been
He has been	He’s been
She has been	She’s been
It has been	It’s been
We have been	We’ve been
They have been	They’ve been
You have been	You’ve been

Contractions in Positive sentences:

I have been – I’ve been
He has been – He’s been
She has been – She’s been
It has been – It’s been
We have been – We’ve been
They have been – They’ve been
You have been – You’ve been

Full	Short
I have not been	I haven’t been
He has not been	He hasn’t been
She has not been	She hasn’t been
It has not been	It hasn’t been
We have not been	We haven’t been
They have not been	They haven’t been
You have not been	You haven’t been

Contractions in negatives:

I have not been – I haven’t been
He has not been – He hasn’t been
She has not been – She hasn’t been
It has not been – It hasn’t been
We have not been – We haven’t been
They have not been – They haven’t been
You have not been – You haven’t been

When and why we use Present Perfect Continuous?

We use the Present Perfect Continuous in the following cases:

We use the Present Perfect Continuous to describe an action that started in the past, lasted for some time, and continues in the present moment.

We have been running our own company for several years.

We use the Present Perfect Continuous to describe an action that started in the past, lasted for some time, and ended before the moment of speaking.

We use the Present Perfect Continuous in this case if the result of this action is visible or related to the present.

This guy has been speaking non-stop! I am happy he is silent now!

We use the Present Perfect Continuous to express dissatisfaction with someone’s actions.

In this case, we may not know exactly when and under what circumstances such an action happened and how long it lasted.

In this case, the Present Perfect Continuous expresses our anger, discontent, annoyance.

Someone has been in my room again!

We use the Present Perfect Continuous to make conclusions based on what we saw, heard, or learned.

Often, such a conclusion has a negative meaning of annoyance, criticism, or discontent.

Who has been spilling the tea on my carpet?

Look at him, what a lazy boy! He has been doing nothing all day!

Attention: remember that we also use the Present Perfect in similar cases. The difference between the Present Perfect and the Present Perfect Continuous is that with the help of the Present Perfect we express dissatisfaction with a one-time action. With the Present Perfect Continuous, we express our dissatisfaction with an action that happens all the time.

We use the Present Perfect Continuous to express repetitive actions that occur as a continuous process.

Look at her! She has been baking these pies one by one all day!

Attention: If we want to tell how many times the action took place and what result was obtained, then we need to use not the Present Perfect Continuous, but the Present Perfect.

I have washed the car three times today!

We use the Present Perfect Continuous when answering the “how long” question.

Question: How long have you been driving?
Answer: I have been driving all day long!

How to form questions with how long

We use the Present Perfect Continuous to form a question with how long.

This is a very useful question that we use to find out how long (over what period of time) someone did something or something happened.

We form such a question as an ordinary question, only at the beginning of the question we put “how long“.

How long + have/has + Subject (I, you, they, John, friends, dog) + been + main verb with the -ing ending (running, watching, reading) + rest of the sentence.

How long have you been dressing like a clown?

How long have you been fighting him?

We use for to indicate how long an action takes.

I’ve been running for half an hour.

John has been reading for two hours.

We have been working on the project for two days.

Never forget to use for before specifying how long an action takes place.

Incorrect: John has been reading two hours.
Correct: John has been reading for two hours.

Adverbs of Time lately and recently

We use Adverbs of Time lately and recently to show the connection of the action described with the help of the Present Perfect Continuous with the present.

We use the Present Perfect Continuous when:

The action is connected with the moment of speaking so that we can see the result of this action.
The action still takes place at the moment of speaking.
The action ended before the moment of speaking.

Words such as lately and recently also associate events with the moment of speaking. Therefore, we can use these words to describe events that are not related to the moment of speaking by a visible result, do not occur at the moment of speaking, and did not end before the very moment of speaking.

She has been reading books recently.

Louise has been complaining a lot lately.

Present Perfect Continuous and Past Simple in complex sentences with since

We use the Present Perfect Continuous together with the Past Simple in complex sentences with the since.

We use the Past Simple in a relative clause that starts with since. In the main part, we use the Present Perfect Continuous.

The Past Simple part of the sentence serves as the point from which the action described in the Present Perfect Continuous takes place. We show that the action (the Present Perfect Continuous) lasted from the moment indicated with the Past Simple.

The Present Perfect Continuous + since + the Past Simple.

He has been feeling lots of pain since he got in the accident.

I have been running the entire bar by myself since I started the business.

Differents between Present Perfect Continuous and Present Perfect

Many English learners confuse the Present Perfect Continuous and the Present Perfect. Let’s see what is the difference between them.

We use the Present Perfect to express an action that happened in the past, but the result of this action is related to the present. Using the Present Perfect, we focus on the result.

John has done his homework.

The main thing in this sentence is the result that John has.

Now look at this sentence:

John has been doing his homework for 2 hours.

In this sentence, the main thing is no longer the result, but the fact that by now (by the moment of speaking), John has been doing his homework for 2 hours!

Perhaps John has already finished doing his homework, perhaps John is still sitting there doing his homework. It does not matter. Because when we use the Present Perfect Continuous we focus not on the result, but on the process of the action that happened.

In other words, if you want to focus on the result, on the fact that something has been done or already happened, then use the Present Perfect:

John has washed the car.

If you want to emphasize that the action was in progress, then use the Present Perfect Continuous. The Present Perfect Continuous has the -ing verb. The -ing verb puts the emphasis on duration:

John has been washing the car for two hours.

Example of a sentence in the Present Perfect Continuous, a hand of a man washing a car with a rag.

Example of the Present Perfect Continuous.

Difference between Present Perfect Continuous and Present Continuous

Now let’s take a look at the differences between
the Present Continuous and the Present Perfect Continuous.

The Present Continuous describes what is happening in the present. What happening right at the moment of speaking.

The dog is running around the yard.

This means that the dog is running right when we are talking about it. Of course, this dog may have been running before the moment of speaking and will run after. It does not matter.

The main thing is that when we use the Present Continuous we focus on exactly what is happening at the moment of speaking. Not what it was before or will be after that.

The Present Perfect Continuous describes an action that began in the past, lasted for some time and now it may have already ended, or it may still continue:

The dog has been running around the yard for half an hour.

We do not know if this dog is running right now and whether this dog will continue to run. Therefore, the Present Perfect Continuous focuses on the action that took place before the moment of speaking and lasted for some time.

To understand what tense to use, you need to understand exactly what you want to say.

If you want to say that the dog is running right now, and this is the most important thing you want to say, then use the Present Continuous:

The dog is running around the yard.

If you want to say that the dog has been running around the yard for 10 minutes, you want to focus on the duration of this action (for example, you are surprised that the dog has been running for that period of time) then use the Present Perfect Continuous.

The dog has been running around the yard for half an hour.

Difference between Present Perfect Continuous and Past Perfect Continuous

The Past Perfect Continuous is from the same group as the Present Perfect Continuous. This is its twin brother. But we use the Past Perfect Continuous to describe past actions. Therefore, English learners often confuse these two tenses.

We use the Present Perfect Continuous when we mean that an action that began in the past and lasted for some time is associated with the present. Maybe it ended just before the moment of speaking. Maybe it is still going on.

When we use the Past Perfect Continuous, we mean that the action began in the past, lasted for a while, and ended or continues at some other point in the PAST.

This is the main difference. The Past Perfect Continuous expresses what was in the past and related to the past. The Present Perfect Continuous expresses what began in the past and ended before the present or is still continuing at the present moment.

We use the Past Perfect Continuous when we have some other event in the past. Then we can show up to what moment the action took place.

We can use the Present Perfect Continuous without another event because such an event can be the moment of speaking itself.

I have been reading this book since the morning.

This is the Present Perfect Continuous. This sentence means that we are saying what happened before the moment of speaking (which is the present).

Before I went for a walk I had been reading this book for two hours.

This is the Past Perfect Continuous. This sentence means that two actions took place in the past. One of them, started earlier than the other, lasted for some time, and ended before the second action.

More examples:

Before they broke up Julia had been dating him for a couple of months.

Julia has been dating him for a couple of months.

Example of a sentence in present perfect continuous, a guy and a girl kiss in the river bank at sunset, text Julia has been dating him for a couple of months

Difference between Present Perfect Continuous and Past Continuous

Let’s take a look at the difference between the Present Perfect Continuous and the Past Continuous.

The Past Continuous describes an action that was in progress at a particular moment in the past.

When my mother came home I was reading a book.

The Present Perfect Continuous describes an action that began in the past, lasted for some time, and ended or did not end at the moment of speaking.

I have been reading a book since my mom came home.

Take a look at two examples:

John was driving at six yesterday.

John has been driving since six o’clock.

In the first sentence, we use the Past Continuous. The first sentence only means that John was driving at six o’clock yesterday evening. This sentence has nothing to do with the present time. We are just talking about what John did yesterday at the specified moment. He was driving.

In the second sentence, we use the Present Perfect Continuous. The second sentence is related to the present. The second sentence means that John has been driving since six o’clock. And maybe he is still on the way or has already arrived at the moment (which does not matter).

In the first example, there is no connection with the present. It’s just an event from the past.

In the second example, there is a connection with the present.

How to use Non-Continuous Verbs

English has a special group of verbs. These verbs are called Non-Continuous Verbs. These are the verbs that mean:

States.
Thought processes.
Feelings.

These verbs include:

to want
to wish
to see
to love
to remember

We almost never use such verbs with the Present Perfect Continuous. Because usually, we cannot add the -ing ending to such verbs. Because we cannot see or measure the duration of these verbs.

Let’s take a look at the sentence:

John has been running five kilometers.

Running is a process that we can emphasize with the -ing ending. We can see its duration. We can imagine such a process as RUNNING.

But we cannot imagine:

I have been willing …

John has been loving …

Jessica has been wishing …

Because these verbs express states, feelings, or thought processes. We cannot imagine these verbs in action. We either want something or we don’t. Love or not. Either we understand or we don’t.

John has been wanting to eat pizza for three hours.

See how ridiculous the sentence looks?

This is why we usually do not use the Present Perfect Continuous for such verbs. Instead, we use the Present Perfect or any other tenses that help to express the meaning of sentences correctly.

John has seen Jessica before.

I have remembered the man standing in front of me.

Sometimes we use Stative verbs (non-progressive) with the -ing ending in some expressions. In this case, we use the -ing ending because we want to specifically emphasize some feeling or state.

For example, when we want to emphasize an action emotionally. Most often, in such cases, we use verbs such as:

to wish
to want
to mean

I have been wishing for things all people wish for.

Infographic of sentences on how not to use non-continuous verbs as continuous verbs

Stative verbs

In English, there is a group of verbs that describe actions that usually are continuous (and usually take a long time). For example:

to study
to work
to live
Etc.

These verbs mean continuous actions themselves, so it doesn’t matter if we use them in the Present Perfect or the Present Perfect Continuous.

I have worked here for five years.
I have been working here for five years.

I have lived in this city since 1998.
I have been living in this city since 1998.

I have studied for two months in a new school.
I have been studying for two months in a new school.

These sentences mean the same. The meaning of the sentences does not change whether we use the Present Perfect or the Present Perfect Continuous with such verbs.

Because the verbs Study, Work, Live mean continuous action itself. We do not need to emphasize these processes additionally with the -ing ending.

But there is one interesting case when we prefer to use the Present Perfect Continuous instead of the Present Perfect!

When we want to emphasize that the situation we are describing is temporary. In this case, we can intentionally use the Present Perfect Continuous with Stative verbs.

In this case, the -ing ending emphasizes the duration of the verb. So we emphasize that the state that the verb expresses is temporary.

I have been working here for five years, but I was offered a new job.

I have been living in this city since 1998, but we are moving to Paris soon.

I have been studying for two months in a new school, but soon I will be back to my old school.

Infographic shows that we can use present perfect and present perfect continuous with the same meaning in some case

Use of “Yet”

Remember, when we use the Present Perfect Continuous, we most often mean that the action expressed has a connection with the present.

For example:

If the action completed in the recent past, but the result of the action is visible:

See how much the snow here! This is not surprising because it has been snowing for five hours.

If the action continues in the present:

I have already been running five kilometers and continue to run more!

Or the action ended just before the moment of speaking:

Huh, it’s time to stop the reading for today! I have been reading since morning.

If the result of the action is not visible, not clear, or the action ended long ago and has nothing to do with the moment of speaking, then it is better to use the Present Perfect instead of the Present Perfect Continuous.

Markers of Present Perfect Continuous

The Present Perfect Continuous markers are words and phrases that indicate when an action began or how long it lasted. These are words and phrases like:

for half an hour
for 2 hours
for 5 days
for 2 years
for 3 weeks
for 5 months
lately
recently
all day long
all morning
the whole morning
all evening
since 5 o’clock
since yesterday
since last month
since 2005
the whole evening
all night long

Present Perfect Continuous Markers

Examples of Present Perfect Continuous

Take a look at examples of the Present Perfect Continuous. Think about the rules we use in these examples:

Victor and I have been thinking to go to Paris.

She has been working for the company since 2005.

We have been speaking of your talents.

Tom has been reading a book all afternoon.

It has been raining for seven full days.

Those guys have been working together for a long time.

I have been looking for you forever.

So, tell me, what have you been working on?

You look weird. What have you been doing?

This guy has been speaking non-stop.

He has been working on a drawing all day.

How long have you been fighting him?

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