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:
Formation : Have/has + been + ing
keywords : since, already, still, yet, recently, after/before, during, while, at that time, at this moment, in that period
| Situation | Example | Explanation |
| Emphasizing length of time | “He has been sleeping for days!” | The speaker wants to highlight that the person has been sleeping for a long time. |
| Conveying unfinished actions | “I’ve been watching the series you suggested.” | The speaker wants to share that they are currently watching the series and have not finished it yet. |
| Explaining the evidence of the result of an action | “We have been cooking, so the kitchen is a wreck!” | The speaker wants to explain what the listener is seeing in the kitchen (the result) 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 something Is temporary | “She’s been eating a lot recently.” | The speaker wants to communicate that the person doesn’t usually eat a lot but currently is. |
| Sharing length of time in an ongoing process | “They have been building that house for five months now.” | The speaker wants to convey how long the people have been building and that they are not done yet. |
| Positive & negative statements | ||||
| Subject | Have/Has | (Not) | Been | Verb(ing) |
| I
You We They |
have | (not) | been | waiting.
eating. playing. studying. |
| 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”). |
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| He
She It |
has | (not) | been | watching TV.
sleeping. 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”). |
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| Positive & negative questions | ||||
| Have/Has | Subject | (Not) | Been | Verb(ing) |
| Have | I
you we they |
(not) | been | waiting?
eating? playing? studying? |
| 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?”). |
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| Has | he
she it |
(not) | been | watching TV?
sleeping? 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?” |
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