Present perfect continuous
Emphasise how long an activity has been going on, or explain present evidence: I’ve been waiting for an hour. You’ve been crying.
In this lesson you will
- Form the present perfect continuous
- Use it for duration and recent activities with visible results
- Choose between simple and continuous
Learn
Form: have / has been + -ing: I’ve been studying. She hasn’t been sleeping well. How long have you been waiting?
Duration of an activity up to now: It’s been raining all day. We’ve been learning Spanish since January.
Recent activity with a present result: I’m tired — I’ve been running. Your hands are dirty — have you been gardening?
Simple vs continuous: simple = result/number completed (I’ve written three emails); continuous = activity/duration (I’ve been writing emails all morning). State verbs stay simple.
Examples
- How long have you been living here?
- She’s been working too hard lately.
- Sorry I’m late — have you been waiting long?
- I’ve read 50 pages. I’ve been reading all afternoon.
Vocabulary
all day
the whole day
lately
recently
exhausted
extremely tired
out of breath
breathing hard after exercise
in a while
for some time
“I haven’t seen her in a while.”
Practice
Complete the sentence.
Speaking
Talk about activities you’ve been doing lately: at work or school, hobbies, things you’ve been learning or watching. Say how long.
Writing
Write a message to a friend you haven’t seen in a while, saying what you’ve been doing (60–80 words).
Lesson quiz
She ___ the guitar since she was ten.
Review
Key points
- have/has been + -ing.
- Duration up to now; recent activity with visible results.
- Simple = result/quantity; continuous = activity.
What you learned
- ✓ I can use the present perfect continuous.
- ✓ I can explain present evidence.
- ✓ I can choose simple or continuous.
Grammar reference: Present perfect continuous