Present perfect continuous tense

The present perfect continuous tense

(Also called the present perfect progressive)

(Learn about USING the present perfect continuous here)

How good are you at the Present Perfect Continuous tense? It's not a very common tense, and often it's not taught in classes, but we do use it sometimes and it's very good to know how to make it, and to recognise it when other people use it.

Luckily, it's very easy to make. Here's the positive (it's the present perfect of 'be' + verb -ing):

Positive	Positive Short Form
I have been walking	I've been walking
you have been running	you've been running
he has been cooking	he's been cooking
she has been swimming	she's been swimming
it has been raining	it's been raining
we have been studying	we've been studying
they have been sleeping	they've been sleeping

To make the negative, just add 'not':

Negative	Negative Short Form
I have not been walking	I haven't been walking
you have not been running	you haven't been running
he has not been cooking	he hasn't been cooking
she has not been swimming	she hasn't been swimming
it has not been raining	it hasn't been raining
we have not been studying	we haven't been studying
they have not been sleeping	they haven't been sleeping

Try making the positive and negative forms here

Can you guess how to make the question form of the present perfect continuous? It's not very difficult - just put 'have' or 'has' before the subject:

'Yes / No' Questions

Have I been walking?

Have you been running?

Has he been cooking?

Has she been swimming?

Has it been raining?

Have we been studying?

Have they been sleeping?

For 'wh' questions put the question word first:

'Yes / No' Questions

What have I been doing?

Where have you been running?

What has he been studying?

Why has she been working today?

How long has it been raining?

How long have we been watching this film?

How long have they been living here?

Using the present perfect continuous

(Also called the present perfect progressive)

Some people think the present perfect continuous is difficult to use, but really it's not very complicated, and it sounds very impressive when you use it correctly.
There are two main times we use this tense. Remember we can't use it with stative verbs.
1: To say how long for unfinished actions which started in the past and continue to the present? We often use this with for and since. (See the present perfect for the same use with stative verbs)

I’ve been living in London for two years.

She's been working here since 2004.

We've been waiting for the bus for hours.

2: Actions which have just stopped (though the whole action can be unfinished) and have a result, which we can often see, hear, or feel, in the present (focus on action). (See the present perfect for a similar use which focuses on the result of the action)

• I’m so tired, I’ve been studying.
• I've been running, so I'm really hot.
• It's been raining, the pavement is wet.
• I've been reading your book, it's very good.