Present
perfect
continuous
tense: how
to form it &
examples
Article by:
Nicolette Filson
Preply tutorContact Nicolette Filson
Have you ever heard someone say, “I have been waiting here for hours!” or “It’s
been raining all day!”? If so, you have heard someone speaking in the present
perfect continuous tense, also known as the present perfect progressive tense.
If you learn English online and this tense has been difficult for you to grasp in the
past, the following guidelines, explanations, and examples are sure to help you out.
How to use the present perfect continuous
tense
What is the present perfect continuous tense?
The present perfect continuous tense is generally used to describe actions or
conditions that began in the past but are still going on or have recently stopped.
In particular, there are several situations in which we must use the present perfect
continuous tense to communicate specific meanings:
Situation Example Explanation
Emphasizing “He has been The speaker wants to highlight that the
length of time sleeping for days!” person has been sleeping for a long time.
Conveying “I’ve been The speaker wants to share that they are
unfinished actions watching the currently watching the series and have not
series you finished it yet.
suggested.”
Explaining the “We have been The speaker wants to explain what the
evidence of the cooking, so the listener is seeing in the kitchen (the result)
result of an action kitchen is a wreck!” by sharing what they have been doing (the
action). The evidence of a result is often
something we can feel, smell, hear, or see.
Stressing that “She’s been eating The speaker wants to communicate that the
something Is a lot recently.” person doesn’t usually eat a lot but currently
temporary is.
Sharing length of “They have been The speaker wants to convey how long the
time in an ongoing building that house people have been building and that they are
process for five months not done yet.
now.”
How to form present perfect continuous statements and
questions
To construct positive and negative present perfect continuous statements and
questions, you simply need to follow a specific word order. Below are details about
how to structure each type of sentence or question in this tense:
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Positive & negative statements
Subject Have/Has (Not) Been Verb(ing)
have (not) been waiting.
I eating.
playing.
You
studying.
We
They
Positive statements: More informally, you can use a contraction with the subject
and have: I’ve, You’ve, We’ve, They’ve (e.g., “I’ve been running every morning”).
Negative statements: More informally, you can use a contraction
with have and not: haven’t (e.g., “You haven’t been going to class”).
He has (not) been watching TV.
She sleeping.
It cooking.
Positive statements: More informally, you can use a contraction with the subject
and has: He’s, She’s, It’s (e.g., “It’s been snowing since yesterday”).
Negative statements: More informally, you can use a contraction with
the has and not: hasn’t (e.g., “She hasn’t been sleeping well”).
Positive & negative questions
Have/Has Subject (Not) Been Verb(ing)
(not) been waiting?
Have I eating?
playing?
you
studying?
we
they
Positive statements: Contractions cannot be formed.
Negative statements: More informally, you can use a contraction
with have and not: haven’t (e.g., “Haven’t we been resting long enough?”).
Has he (not) been watching TV?
she sleeping?
it cooking?
Positive statements: Contractions cannot be formed.
Negative statements: More informally, you can use a contraction with
the has and not: hasn’t “Hasn’t he been working for hours?”
Spelling exceptions for -ing verbs
Most verbs can easily be converted to fit the present perfect continuous simply by
adding an “-ing” onto the end of the word (e.g., play = playing). But there are
several exceptions to this spelling formula you need to be aware of as outlined
below:
• When a verb ends with ONE final “E”, remove it and add “ing”
o Give = giving
o Live = living
o Save = saving
• When a verb ends with a consonant + a stressed vowel + a consonant, repeat
the final consonant and add “ing” (except if it ends in X, Y, or Z
o Stop = stopping (t = consonant, o = stressed vowel, p = consonant)
o Chat = chatting (h = consonant, a = stressed vowel, t = consonant)
o Swim = swimming (w = consonant, i = stressed vowel, m = consonant)
• When a verb ends with “IE”, change it to “Y” and add “ing”
o Lie = lying
o Die = dying
o Tie = tying
• When a verb ends with “IC”, add a “K” and then add “ing”
o Panic = panicking
o Frolic = frolicking
o Traffic = trafficking
• British English only: When a verb ends with a consonant + a vowel + an “L”,
add another “L” and then add “ing”
o Travel = travelling
o Cancel = cancelling
o Control = controlling
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Verb exceptions in the continuous form
Some verbs cannot be used with the present perfect continuous tense because they
describe conditions that last for an extended period of time. These are called stative
verbs.
For example, the verb “know” typically refers to being permanently aware of specific
information. Therefore, it does not make sense to say “I have been knowing that
Paris is the capital of France.” This is because it is not an ongoing process or action
but a permanent state.
Here are some more examples of verbs that are not usually used with the present
perfect continuous tense:
• Belong
o Incorrect = He has been belonging to the country club since 2005.
o Correct = He has belonged to the country club since 2005.
• Own
o Incorrect = I have been owning this house for years.
o Correct = I have owned this house for years.
• Exist
o Incorrect = It’s been existing for a century.
o Correct = It’s existed for a century.
• Be
o Incorrect = They’ve been being mean lately.
o Correct = They’ve been mean lately.
There are stative verbs that can function in both continuous tenses as well as non-
continuous tenses. So, one trick to figure out if a verb can be used in the present
perfect continuous tense is to put the verb in a common sentence structure, such
as “I have been ______ing (it) lately.”
If it makes sense to communicate this action as an ongoing activity (e.g, “I have
been cleaning a lot recently”), then you can use it in the present perfect continuous
tense.
However, if you fill the sentence with a verb that doesn’t make sense (e.g., “I have
been possessing it lately”), it is most likely a stative verb that should not be used in
the present perfect continuous.
Signal words and phrases to use with the present
perfect continuous
There are several words and expressions that often accompany the present perfect
continuous tense. These phrases are helpful for communicating the length of time an
action has taken place, how long ago an action has happened, whether an action is
temporary or repeated, and asking questions. Use these phrases to speak and write
in the present perfect continuous tense with clarity:
Signal Word/Phrase Explanation Example
“I have been reading for 30
minutes.”
for a period of time in the past
(minutes, days, months, years,
centuries, ages, etc.)
since a point in the past “You have been exercising
daily since March.”
(time, day, month, year,
century, etc.)
recently / lately temporary habits or situations “Has he been running
recently?”
all day / all night / etc. one period of time in the past “Hasn’t she been working
all day?”
every day / every repeated action in the past “We’ve been waking up
morning / etc. early every day.”
how long begin questions “How long have they been
standing there?”
The difference between present perfect and present
perfect continuous
Knowing when to use the present perfect tense versus the present perfect
continuous tense can be confusing.
Why? Because there are a few situations where there is no difference in meaning
when expressing the same sentence in both tenses. Here are some examples:
• Study
o Present Perfect: We’ve studied math all day.
o Present Perfect Continuous: We’ve been studying math all day.
• Work
o Present Perfect: You have worked in advertising since 2002.
o Present Perfect Continuous: You have been working in advertising since
2002.
• Live
o Present Perfect: I’ve lived in India for three years.
o Present Perfect Continuous: I’ve been living in India for three years.
Nevertheless, in most cases, each tense is used to communicate a different meaning
than the other. The following chart is a breakdown of the various uses of each tense:
Present Perfect Situations Present Perfect Continuous Situations
Emphasize the length of time of an action
Emphasize the results of an action “They have been baking a cake all day.”
The speaker is emphasizing that it has
“They have baked a cake.” taken them a long time to bake the cake,
regardless of whether they are done or
The speaker is emphasizing that the not.
cake is done.
Convey finished actions Convey unfinished actions
“He’s fixed the sink.” “He’s been fixing the sink since 2 PM.”
The speaker is sharing that the sink has The speaker is implying that the sink is still
been fixed and the job is completed. not fixed and he is still working on it.
Explain the result of finished actions Explain evidence of the result of actions
“She has eaten her vegetables, so she “She has been eating her vegetables,
can have dessert now.” which is why she’s still sitting at the table.
It takes her forever to eat them!”
The speaker is explaining that the
person can have dessert (the result) The speaker is explaining that the person
because she finished eating her who can be seen at the table (the result) is
vegetables (the action). there because she is eating vegetables
(the action), which takes her a long time to
do.
Stress something is permanent Stress something is temporary
“My gym shut down, so I’ve joined a new “My gym is closed this month, so I’ve been
one.” attending a new one.”
The speaker is highlighting that joining The speaker is highlighting that attending
the new gym is an action that will the new gym is only for the time being and
continue for the indefinite future. will end when the old gym opens back up.
Share how much/how many Share length of time in an ongoing process
“We have consumed 20 donuts and a “We have been consuming a lot of donuts
gallon of milk this morning.” and milk every morning.”
The speaker is describing how many The speaker is describing how they are
donuts they ate and how much milk they consuming a lot of food and drinks in the
drank in this single morning. The mornings in general. This suggests it is a
present perfect continuous tense cannot habit that will continue in the future.
do this.
Resources for practicing the present continuous tense
The following exercises can help you practice your use of the present perfect
continuous tense:
• Agendaweb exercises
• Perfect English grammar exercises
• English grammar online exercises
• Oxford University Press exercises
These exercises will allow you to practice determining whether to use the present
perfect or present perfect continuous tense:
• Perfect English grammar exercise 1
• Perfect English grammar exercise 2
• Test English exercises
• English grammar online exercises
