Present perfect continuous tense in English

In this chapter the present perfect continuous will be explained. This tense is used for actions that have started in the past, but continue in the present.

Structure and rules of the present perfect continuous

To form the present perfect continuous the auxiliary verb 'to have' is used, followed by the participle of the verb 'to be' plus the present participle of the main verb. 

Examples:

• We have been dating since 2015. 
• I have been preparing my wedding since last year. 
• My mom has been playing tennis since 1997. 

How the present perfect continuous is formed, depends on whether the sentence is:

1. Affirmative: expresses the truth of a certain assertion.
2. Negative: expresses the falsity of a certain assertion. 
3. Interrogative: expresses a question.

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1. Affirmatives 

Structure: subject / pronoun + form of the verb 'to have' + 'been' + present participle of the main verb + rest of the sentence

The table below shows the conjugation of the auxiliary verb 'to have' in combination with the participle of the verb 'to be'. 

Examples:

• I have been working on this assignment since last week.
• He has been planning his trip to Spain since last year. 

2. Negatives 

Structure: subject / pronoun + negative form of the verb 'to have' (have not/ has not) + 'been' + present participle of the main verb + rest of the sentence 

The table below shows the conjugation of the verb 'to have' in combination with the participle of the verb 'to be' in the negative form. 

Examples:

• I have not been waiting for you. I have just arrived.
• She has not been cooking all morning, I just saw her at the pool. 

3. Interrogatives

Structure: form of the verb 'to have' + subject / pronoun + 'been' + present participle of the main verb + rest of the sentence + question mark

Examples:

• Have you been crying? You look sad. 
• Have you been shopping all morning?

Usage of the present perfect continuous 

The present perfect continuous is used to refer to an event or action that happened in the past and is still going on in the present or recently stopped. The table below shows the different situations in which the present perfect continuous is used. 

Difference between since and for

The present perfect continuous refers to a non-specific time period, so it is usually accompanied by the following signal words:

• For: is used to define the duration of an action or event.
  Examples: for six years, for a week, for a month, for two hours.
   
• Since: is used to define the starting point of an action or event. 
  Examples: since this morning, since 2015, since yesterday. 

Test your knowledge of the present perfect continuous with the exercises below!