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fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M14.234 10.162L22.977 0h-2.072l-7.591 8.824L7.251 0H.258l9.168 13.343L.258 24H2.33l8.016-9.318L16.749 24h6.993zm-2.837 3.299l-.929-1.329L3.076 1.56h3.182l5.965 8.532l.929 1.329l7.754 11.09h-3.182z\"\u002F>",{"id":47,"title":48,"author":49,"body":50,"cefrLevel":770,"date":49,"description":771,"exercises":772,"extension":871,"faqs":872,"gcseTier":49,"intro":49,"language":885,"lastUpdated":49,"meta":886,"navigation":887,"path":888,"seo":889,"stem":890,"verbSlugs":49,"__hash__":891},"pages\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpresent-perfect-continuous.md","Present perfect continuous: have been doing, and how it differs from the present perfect",null,{"type":51,"value":52,"toc":753},"minimark",[53,72,75,80,83,89,150,183,205,209,212,217,226,230,233,253,260,264,273,277,280,300,303,309,333,340,345,397,400,406,410,413,433,436,463,485,496,500,507,525,540,544,635,639,642,706,710,713,747],[54,55,56,57,61,62,67,68,71],"p",{},"The present perfect continuous is the tense you use when the activity matters\nmore than the outcome. ",[58,59,60],"em",{},"I have been reading all afternoon"," does not tell you\nwhether the book is finished, and that is the point: it tells you what you have\nbeen doing with your afternoon. Compare it with\n",[63,64,66],"a",{"href":65},"\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpresent-perfect","the present perfect simple",", ",[58,69,70],{},"I have read the\nbook",", which reports a completed result and says nothing about how long it took.",[54,73,74],{},"Most guides present the split between the two as a tidy pair of rules. It is not\ntidy. In a large number of sentences the two forms are both correct and the\ndifference is one of emphasis, not fact. There are, however, three places where\nthe choice is genuinely forced, and those are worth learning properly. This\nguide separates the two.",[76,77,79],"h2",{"id":78},"how-to-form-the-present-perfect-continuous","How to form the present perfect continuous",[54,81,82],{},"Three parts, and only the first one changes:",[54,84,85],{},[86,87,88],"strong",{},"have \u002F has + been + verb-ing",[90,91,92,114],"table",{},[93,94,95],"thead",{},[96,97,98,102,105,108,111],"tr",{},[99,100,101],"th",{},"Subject",[99,103,104],{},"Auxiliary",[99,106,107],{},"been",[99,109,110],{},"-ing form",[99,112,113],{},"Example",[115,116,117,134],"tbody",{},[96,118,119,123,126,128,131],{},[120,121,122],"td",{},"I \u002F you \u002F we \u002F they",[120,124,125],{},"have",[120,127,107],{},[120,129,130],{},"waiting",[120,132,133],{},"I have been waiting.",[96,135,136,139,142,144,147],{},[120,137,138],{},"he \u002F she \u002F it",[120,140,141],{},"has",[120,143,107],{},[120,145,146],{},"working",[120,148,149],{},"She has been working.",[151,152,153,164,173],"ul",{},[154,155,156,159,160,163],"li",{},[86,157,158],{},"Negative:"," not goes after the auxiliary. ",[58,161,162],{},"I have not been sleeping well.\nHe has not been eating."," Short forms: haven't been, hasn't been.",[154,165,166,169,170],{},[86,167,168],{},"Question:"," the auxiliary moves to the front. ",[58,171,172],{},"Have you been waiting long?\nHas she been crying?",[154,174,175,178,179,182],{},[86,176,177],{},"Short answers:"," ",[58,180,181],{},"Yes, I have. No, she hasn't."," The been and the -ing drop\naway, exactly as they do with the simple.",[54,184,185,186,190,191,67,194,197,198,67,201,204],{},"The spelling of the -ing form follows the ordinary rules you already met in\n",[63,187,189],{"href":188},"\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpresent-continuous","the present continuous",": drop a silent -e\n(",[58,192,193],{},"write",[58,195,196],{},"writing","), double a final consonant after a short stressed vowel\n(",[58,199,200],{},"run",[58,202,203],{},"running",").",[76,206,208],{"id":207},"what-the-continuous-is-actually-doing","What the continuous is actually doing",[54,210,211],{},"Three jobs, and they overlap more than a textbook likes to admit.",[213,214,216],"h3",{"id":215},"_1-something-that-started-earlier-and-is-still-going","1. Something that started earlier and is still going",[54,218,219,178,222,225],{},[58,220,221],{},"I have been waiting since eight.",[58,223,224],{},"She has been living here for two years.","\nThe activity runs from a point in the past up to this moment, and it has not\nstopped.",[213,227,229],{"id":228},"_2-something-that-has-just-stopped-with-results-you-can-see","2. Something that has just stopped, with results you can see",[54,231,232],{},"This is the use that has no equivalent in the simple, and it is the one worth\ndrilling. The activity is over, but the evidence is in the room.",[151,234,235,241,247],{},[154,236,237,240],{},[58,238,239],{},"You have been crying."," (Your eyes are red.)",[154,242,243,246],{},[58,244,245],{},"He has been cooking."," (The kitchen smells of it.)",[154,248,249,252],{},[58,250,251],{},"They have been digging in the garden."," (Look at their hands.)",[54,254,255,256,259],{},"Nobody says ",[58,257,258],{},"you have cried"," in that situation. The simple would report a fact;\nthe continuous explains what you are looking at.",[213,261,263],{"id":262},"_3-a-repeated-activity-across-a-period","3. A repeated activity across a period",[54,265,266,178,269,272],{},[58,267,268],{},"I have been going to the same shop for years.",[58,270,271],{},"She has been calling him every\nnight."," The individual events are finished, but the pattern is not.",[76,274,276],{"id":275},"simple-vs-continuous-the-honest-version","Simple vs continuous: the honest version",[54,278,279],{},"Here is the part that most explanations get wrong, so read it slowly.",[54,281,282,178,285,288,289,292,293,288,296,299],{},[86,283,284],{},"With a duration verb, the two forms usually mean the same thing.",[58,286,287],{},"I have\nworked here for five years"," and ",[58,290,291],{},"I have been working here for five years"," carry\nthe same information. So do ",[58,294,295],{},"we have lived in this street since 2020",[58,297,298],{},"we\nhave been living in this street since 2020",". If a teacher marks one of those\nwrong, the teacher is wrong. The continuous leans very slightly towards effort,\nactivity and things that might change; the simple leans very slightly towards\nthe settled fact. That is a difference of flavour, and native speakers pick\nbetween them without noticing.",[54,301,302],{},"Now the three cases where the choice is not free.",[54,304,305,308],{},[86,306,307],{},"Numbers and amounts force the simple."," The continuous cannot count finished\nthings. Say how many or how much, and you must use the simple.",[151,310,311,320,328],{},[154,312,313,316,317],{},[58,314,315],{},"I have written three emails."," Not ",[58,318,319],{},"I have been writing three emails.",[154,321,322,316,325],{},[58,323,324],{},"She has read two chapters today.",[58,326,327],{},"she has been reading two chapters.",[154,329,330],{},[58,331,332],{},"We have made four calls this morning.",[54,334,335,336,339],{},"You can of course drop the number and go back to the continuous: ",[58,337,338],{},"I have been\nwriting emails all morning."," The activity is countless again, so the continuous\nreturns.",[54,341,342],{},[86,343,344],{},"A finished result wants the simple; an unfinished activity wants the\ncontinuous.",[90,346,347,357],{},[93,348,349],{},[96,350,351,354],{},[99,352,353],{},"Present perfect simple",[99,355,356],{},"Present perfect continuous",[115,358,359,373,385],{},[96,360,361,367],{},[120,362,363,366],{},[58,364,365],{},"I have painted the door."," (done)",[120,368,369,372],{},[58,370,371],{},"I have been painting the door."," (not necessarily)",[96,374,375,380],{},[120,376,377],{},[58,378,379],{},"She has read your letter.",[120,381,382],{},[58,383,384],{},"She has been reading your letter.",[96,386,387,392],{},[120,388,389],{},[58,390,391],{},"They have built a boat.",[120,393,394],{},[58,395,396],{},"They have been building a boat.",[54,398,399],{},"The left column reports an outcome. The right column reports how somebody has\nbeen spending their time, and leaves the outcome open.",[54,401,402,405],{},[86,403,404],{},"Stative verbs refuse the continuous altogether."," See the next section.",[76,407,409],{"id":408},"the-verbs-that-refuse-the-continuous","The verbs that refuse the continuous",[54,411,412],{},"Some verbs describe a state rather than an activity, and English will not put\nthem in any continuous form, present perfect included. The usual suspects:",[151,414,415,421,427],{},[154,416,417,420],{},[86,418,419],{},"thinking and believing:"," know, believe, understand, remember, forget, mean",[154,422,423,426],{},[86,424,425],{},"liking and wanting:"," like, love, hate, want, need, prefer",[154,428,429,432],{},[86,430,431],{},"having and being:"," be, own, belong, cost, seem, contain",[54,434,435],{},"So:",[151,437,438,447,455],{},[154,439,440,443,444],{},[58,441,442],{},"I have known her for ten years."," Never ",[58,445,446],{},"I have been knowing her.",[154,448,449,443,452],{},[58,450,451],{},"We have owned this house since 2015.",[58,453,454],{},"we have been owning it.",[154,456,457,443,460],{},[58,458,459],{},"He has always wanted a boat.",[58,461,462],{},"he has been wanting a boat.",[54,464,465,466,469,470,473,474,477,478,288,481,484],{},"A short list of verbs sits on the fence and takes either form with no change of\nmeaning: ",[86,467,468],{},"live, work, stay, feel, look"," (in the sense of appear), ",[86,471,472],{},"teach","\nand ",[86,475,476],{},"study",". ",[58,479,480],{},"I have felt tired all week",[58,482,483],{},"I have been feeling tired all\nweek"," are both good English.",[54,486,487,488,491,492,495],{},"Note the trap in the middle of the list: some verbs have a state meaning and an\naction meaning, and only the action meaning takes the continuous. ",[58,489,490],{},"I have been\nthinking about it"," (activity: turning it over) is fine, while ",[58,493,494],{},"I have been\nthinking it is a good plan"," (state: holding an opinion) is not.",[76,497,499],{"id":498},"where-for-since-and-how-long-sit","Where for, since and how long sit",[54,501,502,503,506],{},"The continuous is the tense that loves a duration, so it turns up constantly\nwith for and since, and with the question ",[86,504,505],{},"how long",".",[151,508,509,517],{},[154,510,511,178,514],{},[58,512,513],{},"How long have you been waiting?",[58,515,516],{},"For an hour.",[154,518,519,178,522],{},[58,520,521],{},"How long has she been working here?",[58,523,524],{},"Since March.",[54,526,527,528,531,532,535,536,506],{},"The rule is the one you already know from the present perfect: ",[86,529,530],{},"for"," takes a\nlength of time, ",[86,533,534],{},"since"," takes a starting point. The adverbs already, yet and\nstill also attach happily to this tense, and each has its own position in the\nsentence. That is a topic in itself, and it is covered in\n",[63,537,539],{"href":538},"\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Ffor-since-already-yet-still","for, since, already, yet and still",[76,541,543],{"id":542},"summary-table","Summary table",[90,545,546,558],{},[93,547,548],{},[96,549,550,553,556],{},[99,551,552],{},"Situation",[99,554,555],{},"Form",[99,557,113],{},[115,559,560,573,584,597,610,622],{},[96,561,562,565,568],{},[120,563,564],{},"Activity still going",[120,566,567],{},"continuous",[120,569,570],{},[58,571,572],{},"I have been reading all day.",[96,574,575,578,580],{},[120,576,577],{},"Activity just stopped, visible result",[120,579,567],{},[120,581,582],{},[58,583,239],{},[96,585,586,589,592],{},[120,587,588],{},"Finished result reported",[120,590,591],{},"simple",[120,593,594],{},[58,595,596],{},"I have read the book.",[96,598,599,602,605],{},[120,600,601],{},"A number or amount is given",[120,603,604],{},"simple only",[120,606,607],{},[58,608,609],{},"I have read three books.",[96,611,612,615,617],{},[120,613,614],{},"Stative verb",[120,616,604],{},[120,618,619],{},[58,620,621],{},"I have known her for years.",[96,623,624,627,630],{},[120,625,626],{},"Duration with an ordinary verb",[120,628,629],{},"either is fine",[120,631,632],{},[58,633,634],{},"I have (been) working here for years.",[76,636,638],{"id":637},"common-mistakes","Common mistakes",[54,640,641],{},"Ranked by how often they actually appear in learner writing.",[643,644,645,655,674,683,700],"ol",{},[154,646,647,178,650,652,653],{},[86,648,649],{},"Counting with the continuous.",[58,651,319],{}," The\nnumber kills it. Use the simple: ",[58,654,315],{},[154,656,657,178,660,473,663,666,667,670,671,506],{},[86,658,659],{},"Stative verbs in the continuous.",[58,661,662],{},"I have been knowing him since school",[58,664,665],{},"I have been wanting a new phone"," are both wrong. Use ",[58,668,669],{},"I have known"," and\n",[58,672,673],{},"I have wanted",[154,675,676,178,679,682],{},[86,677,678],{},"Dropping been.",[58,680,681],{},"I have working all day"," is a very common slip. All three\nparts have to be there: have + been + -ing.",[154,684,685,178,688,691,692,696,697],{},[86,686,687],{},"Using the continuous with a finished past time.",[58,689,690],{},"I have been working\nyesterday."," Yesterday is finished time, so it forces\n",[63,693,695],{"href":694},"\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpast-simple","the past simple",", or the past continuous:\n",[58,698,699],{},"I was working yesterday.",[154,701,702,705],{},[86,703,704],{},"Assuming the continuous is always more correct."," Some learners, once they\nmeet the form, use it everywhere. It is a tool for activity and duration, not\na general upgrade on the simple.",[76,707,709],{"id":708},"practice","Practice",[54,711,712],{},"Choose the better form. Answers are below.",[643,714,715,723,729,735,741],{},[154,716,717,718,722],{},"I ",[719,720,721],"code",{},"___"," (wait) here since two.",[154,724,725,726,728],{},"She ",[719,727,721],{}," (read) four books this month.",[154,730,731,732,734],{},"Look at your hands. You ",[719,733,721],{}," (work) in the garden.",[154,736,737,738,740],{},"We ",[719,739,721],{}," (know) each other for ten years.",[154,742,743,744,746],{},"He ",[719,745,721],{}," (build) that boat since 2015, and it is still not finished.",[54,748,749,752],{},[86,750,751],{},"Answers:"," 1. have been waiting 2. has read (a number, so the simple) 3. have\nbeen working (the state of the hands is the evidence) 4. have known (know is\nstative, so no continuous) 5. has been building (unfinished activity, and the\nsentence says so).",{"title":754,"searchDepth":755,"depth":755,"links":756},"",2,[757,758,764,765,766,767,768,769],{"id":78,"depth":755,"text":79},{"id":207,"depth":755,"text":208,"children":759},[760,762,763],{"id":215,"depth":761,"text":216},3,{"id":228,"depth":761,"text":229},{"id":262,"depth":761,"text":263},{"id":275,"depth":755,"text":276},{"id":408,"depth":755,"text":409},{"id":498,"depth":755,"text":499},{"id":542,"depth":755,"text":543},{"id":637,"depth":755,"text":638},{"id":708,"depth":755,"text":709},"B1-B2","How the English present perfect continuous works: the have\u002Fhas been plus -ing rule, what it emphasises, the cases where the simple form is the only option, and the verbs that refuse it.",[773,817,850],{"type":774,"instructions":775,"items":776},"which-one","Choose the present perfect simple or the present perfect continuous.",[777,782,787,792,797,802,807,812],{"prompt":778,"answer":779,"options":780},"I ___ for you for an hour!","have been waiting",[779,781],"have waited",{"prompt":783,"answer":784,"options":785},"She ___ three books this month.","has read",[784,786],"has been reading",{"prompt":788,"answer":789,"options":790},"It ___ since eight this morning.","has been raining",[789,791],"has rained",{"prompt":793,"answer":794,"options":795},"He ___ his leg, so he cannot play.","has hurt",[794,796],"has been hurting",{"prompt":798,"answer":799,"options":800},"They ___ in the garden all day.","have been working",[799,801],"have worked",{"prompt":803,"answer":804,"options":805},"I ___ her since school.","have known",[804,806],"have been knowing",{"prompt":808,"answer":809,"options":810},"We ___ four cups of tea today.","have drunk",[809,811],"have been drinking",{"prompt":813,"answer":814,"options":815},"You ___ to me. I can see it in your face.","have been lying",[814,816],"have lied",{"type":818,"instructions":819,"items":820},"fill-blank","Complete each sentence with the present perfect continuous of the verb given.",[821,824,828,832,835,839,842,846],{"prompt":822,"answer":779,"hint":823},"I ___ here for an hour.","wait",{"prompt":825,"answer":826,"hint":827},"She ___ all day.","has been working","work",{"prompt":829,"answer":830,"hint":831},"They ___ since lunch.","have been talking","talk",{"prompt":833,"answer":789,"hint":834},"It ___ all week.","rain",{"prompt":836,"answer":837,"hint":838},"We ___ here since last summer.","have been living","live",{"prompt":840,"answer":841,"hint":200},"He ___ , so he is hot.","has been running",{"prompt":843,"answer":844,"hint":845},"You ___ that book for months.","have been reading","read",{"prompt":847,"answer":848,"hint":849},"The children ___ in the street.","have been playing","play",{"type":851,"instructions":852,"pairs":853},"match","Match each sentence to the result you can see now.",[854,857,860,862,865,868],{"left":855,"right":856},"She has been running.","Her face is hot.",{"left":858,"right":859},"It has been raining.","The garden is full of water.",{"left":245,"right":861},"The kitchen smells good.",{"left":863,"right":864},"They have been walking for hours.","Their feet hurt.",{"left":866,"right":867},"She has been crying.","Her eyes are red.",{"left":869,"right":870},"He has been working outside.","His hands are dirty.","md",[873,876,879,882],{"q":874,"a":875},"What is the present perfect continuous?","It is the tense formed with have or has plus been plus the -ing form: I have been working, she has been waiting. It describes an activity that started in the past and has been going on up to now, either still running or only just stopped. Its focus is the activity itself, not the finished result.",{"q":877,"a":878},"What is the difference between I have worked here for five years and I have been working here for five years?","Almost nothing, in this case. Both are true, both are natural, and no fact separates them. The continuous puts a little more weight on the ongoing effort and can hint the situation is temporary; the simple sounds slightly more settled. Anyone who tells you there is a hard rule here is overselling it. The forms only truly diverge when you add a number or talk about a finished result.",{"q":880,"a":881},"When must I use the present perfect simple instead of the continuous?","Whenever you say how many or how much. I have written three emails, I have read two chapters, she has made four calls. The continuous cannot count completed things, so I have been writing three emails is wrong. You also need the simple with stative verbs like know, own, believe and understand.",{"q":883,"a":884},"Is it how long have you been waiting or how long have you waited?","Both are grammatical, but how long have you been waiting is the natural choice for an activity, and it is what a native speaker will almost always say. Use the simple with stative verbs: how long have you known him, not how long have you been knowing him.","english",{},true,"\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpresent-perfect-continuous",{"title":48,"description":771},"english\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpresent-perfect-continuous","HLcOE6DhZiZD4D7-50Gt_KLHfXahWSWOgCmWgq940qs",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":893},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M13 21h8M15 5l4 4m2.174-2.188a1 1 0 0 0-3.986-3.987L3.842 16.174a2 2 0 0 0-.5.83l-1.321 4.352a.5.5 0 0 0 .623.622l4.353-1.32a2 2 0 0 0 .83-.497z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":895},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M11 4.702a.705.705 0 0 0-1.203-.498L6.413 7.587A1.4 1.4 0 0 1 5.416 8H3a1 1 0 0 0-1 1v6a1 1 0 0 0 1 1h2.416a1.4 1.4 0 0 1 .997.413l3.383 3.384A.705.705 0 0 0 11 19.298zM16 9a5 5 0 0 1 0 6m3.364 3.364a9 9 0 0 0 0-12.728\"\u002F>"]