Present Perfect Continuous Tense

What is the present perfect continuous tense?

The present perfect continuous tense is formed by using the present tense form of the auxiliary verb “have” (or “has” for third-person singular pronouns) followed by “been” (the past participle of the auxiliary verb “be”) and the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb. For example:

• “I have been living in Oakland.”

The present perfect continuous is similar in meaning to the present perfect tense but with some key differences. It is used to describe an action that started in the past and is still continuing in the present. The focus is on the duration and continuity of the action rather than its completion. It can also be used to emphasize the length of time that has passed while something is happening or to indicate that something is temporary. It is also used to describe something that has been happening recently or has just finished.

That which began in the past and continues in the present

The present perfect continuous is commonly used to describe an action that started in the past and is still ongoing in the present. The duration of the action is often specified using prepositions such as “for” or “since”, but it is not always necessary to specify the duration. The adverbials can also used to indicate the duration of the action. For example:

• “I have been living in Oakland.”
• “I have been living in Oakland for three years.”
• “I have been living in Oakland since I was 18.”
• “I have been living in Oakland all my life.”

In the examples given, it is assumed that the speaker still resides in Oakland; the only difference is the length of time. In this context, the present perfect continuous and the present perfect tense have a similar meaning and can be used interchangeably in most cases.:

• “I have lived in Oakland for three years.”
• “I have lived in Oakland since I was 18.”
• “I have lived in Oakland all my life.”

The meaning of the sentence “I have lived in Oakland” changes depending on whether or not the speaker currently lives there. Without any further context, it implies that the speaker used to live there but no longer does.
This distinction between completed and ongoing actions is important when choosing between the present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous. For example, using the adverbial “I have been living in Oakland for five years” implies that the speaker still lives there and has been doing so for a period of five years.

• “I have been living in Oakland while I finish my Ph.D.” (correct)
• “I have lived in Oakland while I finish my Ph.D.” (incorrect)

It is clear that the sentence “I have been living in Oakland while I finish my Ph.D.” does not make sense in the present perfect simple tense, as the adverbial “while I finish my Ph.D.” implies that the action is still ongoing. In situations like this, the present perfect continuous tense must be used to convey the meaning accurately.

This distinction can also be particularly useful when we are giving a response to someone:

• Person A: “Let’s take the longer trail when we’re hiking back down.”
• Person B: “But we have walked for three hours!” (present perfect)
• Person B: “But we have been walking for three hours!” (present perfect continuous)

The present perfect continuous is more suitable for the response as it emphasizes the ongoing nature of the walking and the duration of the action.

Emphasizing length of time

The present perfect continuous is particularly useful for emphasizing the duration of an ongoing action. This is particularly true when the meaning of the sentence can also be expressed using the present perfect simple, but the present perfect continuous adds the emphasis on the length of time that has passed while the action has been happening. Here are some examples:

• “They have studied for three weeks for this exam.” (present perfect)
• “They have been studying for three weeks for this exam.” (present perfect continuous)

• “The girl has worked for five hours.” (present perfect)
• “The girl has been working for five hours.” (present perfect continuous)

The present perfect continuous emphasizes the duration and continuation of an action, while the present perfect simple focuses on the completed result of an action and how long it took. For example, if someone says “I have been running for an hour,” the focus is on the fact that the person has been running for an hour and that they may still be running at the moment of speaking. On the other hand, if someone says “I have run 10 miles,” the focus is on the fact that the person has completed running 10 miles. In addition to emphasizing the duration of an action, the present perfect continuous can also be used to indicate that the action is temporary or that it has only recently finished. For example, “I have been living in this city for a year”(present perfect continuous) implies that the speaker is still living in the city, and that the action of living there is temporary. On the other hand “I have lived in this city for a year” implies that the speaker used to live in the city, but no longer does.

It’s important to note that the present perfect simple and present perfect continuous can be used interchangeably in some cases, but the choice of tense will depend on the specific context, and what you want to emphasize.

That which is happening temporarily

Another subtle difference between the two tenses is that the present perfect simple is better at indicating that something is permanent, while the present perfect continuous is better at suggesting that something is temporary.

For example, “I have worked in the shop for three years” implies that the speaker has been working there for a period of three years, and it does not suggest that he or she intends to stop working there at any point.

On the other hand, “I have been working in the shop for three years” implies that the situation is less permanent, and it’s temporary. This can be seen more clearly when we add more information, such as “I have been working in the shop for three years, but I hope to find something else soon.” The use of the present perfect continuous in this sentence emphasizes that the speaker’s current job is temporary, and he is actively looking for something else.

In conclusion, the choice between the present perfect simple and present perfect continuous can depend on what you want to emphasize in the sentence, whether it’s the duration of an action or the permanency or temporariness of it.

That which has been happening lately or finished very recently

The present perfect continuous can also be used to express that something has been happening recently, but not necessarily at the present moment in time. For example “Bill has been coming into work late a lot,” implies that Bill has been coming late to work frequently recently but it doesn’t indicate if he is coming late at that exact moment or not.
“Don’t you think Mary has been spending too much time on the computer lately?” this sentence implies that Mary has been spending too much time on the computer recently, but it doesn’t indicate if she is still doing it or not.
The present perfect continuous can also be used without an adverbial to indicate that something was happening until only recently. For example, “My neighbors are angry because my dog has been barking,” implies that the dog has been barking recently and it might have stopped now, and “Sorry I’m so sweaty! I’ve been exercising,” this sentence implies that the speaker was exercising until recently but it’s not clear if he is still exercising at the moment of speech or not.
In these examples, the focus is on the recentness of the action and not on its continuity at the present moment.
It’s important to note that the use of the present perfect continuous implies that the action is recent and it might have stopped recently, but it does not necessarily indicate the exact moment when the action stopped.

Negative sentences

Present perfect continuous sentences can be made negative by using the word not. It appears after have/has, and the two can be (and very often are) contracted.

• “I have not been writing much recently.”
• “She hasn’t been trying to find work since her divorce.”
• “I need to get up earlier, because I haven’t been making it to work on time lately.”

We generally do not use never with the present perfect continuous.

Interrogative sentences

Like the present perfect tense, an interrogative (question) sentence in the present perfect continuous has the subject and the auxiliary verb have inverted. For example:

• “Where have you been living lately?”
• “Has she been feeling OK?”
• “Why have you been lying to me?”

We can also make negative interrogative sentences in the present perfect continuous by adding not between the subject and been. We can also contract have/has and not:

• “Haven’t you been writing a new book?”
• “Has she not been feeling well?”
• “Why haven’t they been working on their homework?”

As we see in the first example, the meaning of the question can become rhetorical, implying that the speaker expected the answer to be “yes.”