Present Perfect Continuous Tense
The Present Perfect Continuous tense is used to describe an action that started in the past and is still ongoing, or has just recently stopped.
It is used in many similar ways to Present Perfect, but Present Perfect Continuous is used to express when the action has gone on for a long time.
Present Perfect Continuous is formed by using the auxiliary verb have + been (perfect tense for be) and the present participle of the main verb (-ing form).
Forming the Present Perfect Continuous
The sentence construction is like this:
1st Person Singular: I have been walking for six hours.
2nd Person Singular: You have been reading that book for a long time.
3rd Person Singular: It has been snowing all day.
1st Person Plural: We have been playing football for three hours.
2nd Person Plural: You have been studying English since you were five.
3rd Person Plural: They have been preparing dinner all day.
You can shorten it by contracting the subject and auxiliary verb have.
1st Person Singular: I’ve been walking for six hours.
2nd Person Singular: You’ve been reading that book for a long time.
3rd Person Singular: It’s been snowing all day.
1st Person Plural: We’ve been playing football for three hours.
2nd Person Plural: You’ve been studying English since you were five.
3rd Person Plural: They’ve been preparing dinner all day.
Notice how the sentences express the actions have been going on for a long time.
When to use Present Perfect Continuous
Present Perfect Continuous isn’t a common tense, and for many use cases, people will use Present Perfect tense, but sometimes you should use this tense.
Unfinished Actions
An action that has been going on for a relatively long period of time and is still happening. We usually use for and since with these, but not always:
I have been living in Sydney since 2012
She‘s been driving for six hours.
They have been waiting for the bus for over 2 hours.
Finished Actions
We can use this to express actions that went on for a relatively long time but have recently finished. We also add another clause to express the result of the action, which will be in present tense:
I am so full, I have been eating too much cake.
She‘s been working out, so she’s exhausted.
It’s been snowing, so the roads are really bad.
Negative
To make a negative Present Perfect Continuous sentence, we add a not after the verb have and before been. You can shorten it but blending have and not: haven’t/hasn’t:
1st Person Singular: I have not been walking yet.
2nd Person Singular: You haven’t been sleeping well recently.
3rd Person Singular: It has not been raining for very long.
1st Person Plural: We haven’t been playing that long.
2nd Person Plural: You haven’t been studying enough.
3rd Person Plural: They have not been coming to school much.
Questions
We use Present Perfect questions to ask about actions that may have been going on for a relatively long time.
To make a Yes/No question: have/has + subject + been + verb-ing…?
To make information questions, it’s the same construction as Yes/No questions, but add the information word at the beginning: info + have/has + subject + been + verb-ing…?
1st Person Singular: Have I been working here that long?
2nd Person Singular: Why haven’t you been exercising much?
3rd Person Singular: Has Emma been driving too?
1st Person Plural: Who have we been studying with?
2nd Person Plural: Have you been keeping them entertained?
3rd Person Plural: What have they been learning?