Present Perfect Continuous
B1 · IntermediatePresent TensesThe present perfect continuous emphasizes the duration or ongoing nature of an activity that connects the past to now.
What you'll learn
- Form: have/has been + verb-ing (I have been working, she has been working)
- Used for an action that started in the past and is still happening now
- Also used when recent, ongoing activity explains a present result
- Often used with how long, for, and since to ask/state duration
Emphasizing duration and ongoing activity
The present perfect continuous focuses on how long an activity has been going on, or on the activity itself as the explanation for something you can see or feel now.
Forming the present perfect continuous
Use have been or has been, followed by the main verb with -ing.
How long, for, and since
This tense pairs naturally with how long (in questions), for + a length of time, and since + a starting point, to talk about an unfinished period that continues into the present.
Present perfect continuous vs. present perfect simple
The continuous form emphasizes the activity and its duration; the simple form (have/has + past participle) tends to emphasize the result or completion. Compare: 'I've been reading this book' (still in progress, emphasis on the activity) vs. 'I've read this book' (finished, emphasis on the result). Stative verbs (know, have meaning 'possess', believe) still avoid the continuous form even here.
Real English
Watch out
For a duration that started in the past and continues now, use the present perfect continuous, not the present continuous.
Stative verbs like know don't take the continuous form — use the present perfect simple instead.
The present perfect continuous needs been between have/has and the -ing verb — it can't be skipped.
Real life — Explaining why you're exhausted
"You look exhausted. What have you been doing?"
"I've been packing all morning — we're moving next week."
"How long have you been living in that apartment?"
"About four years now. Time flies."
Practice
Exercise 1 · Choose the correct form
I ___ for two hours — I need a break.
Exercise 2 · Choose the correct forms
How long ___ you ___ English?
Exercise 3 · Choose the correct form
She's tired because she ___ all day.
Exercise 4 · Choose the correct sentence
Which sentence emphasizes the ongoing activity itself?
Exercise 5 · Choose the correct form
They ___ here since 2018.
Exercise 6 · Choose the correct form
Why are your hands so dirty? What ___?
Exercise 7 · Fix the mistake
Fix the mistake:
Exercise 8 · Complete the sentence
Complete: We ___ (wait) for over an hour.
Exercise 9 · Complete the sentence
Complete: He ___ (not/sleep) well lately.
Exercise 10 · Build the sentence
Exercise 11 · Choose the correct sentence
Which is correct?
Quick challenge
Five quick questions to check what stuck.
Question 1 / 5
Score: 0/0
I ___ this project for three months.
You learned
- Present perfect continuous: have/has been + verb-ing.
- Used for an action that started in the past and continues now, or explains a present result.
- Pairs naturally with how long, for, and since.
- Stative verbs (know, believe) still avoid the continuous form — use present perfect simple instead.
Related grammar lessons
Present Perfect
Learn how to form and use the present perfect (have/has + past participle) — connecting a past action to the present moment, without saying exactly when it happened.
Present Continuous
Learn how to form and use the present continuous (be + verb-ing) — for actions happening right now, temporary situations, and stative verbs that avoid it.
Present Simple
Learn how to form and use the present simple tense — for habits, routines, facts, and schedules — including the do/does questions and negatives.
Used To
Learn how to use used to for past habits and states that no longer happen — statements, negatives with didn't use to, and questions with did...use to.