Examples in the present perfect continuous. Present perfect continuous tense. Present Perfect Continuous (Present Perfect Progressive)

On the one side, Present Perfect Continuous Tense very simple tense as it is easy to understand. On the other hand, this is one of the most difficult times in terms of construction.

Usually the group of these tenses (complete continuous) is studied on high levels English language. But I hasten to please you.

I have prepared a very detailed article where I will not only tell and show how this time is built, but also compare it with other times so that everything is clear to you.

In the article, I will explain to you:

The difference between the Present Perfect Continuous and other tenses in English

Rules for using the Present Perfect Continuous in English

Present Perfect Continuous Tense is translated as “present perfect continuous tense.”

We use this tense when we talk about an action (process) that began sometime in the past and lasted for some time until the present moment or continues to last at the present moment.

Let's consider both cases in more detail:

1. The action is currently ongoing

That is, the action began sometime in the past, lasted for some time and is still ongoing at the present moment.

We started building a house 2 years ago, have been building it all this time and are currently (today) still building it.

Let's look at some more examples:

She has been working in this company for 6 years.

She started working there 6 years ago, has worked there all that time and is currently still working there.

We stand in line for 2 hours.

We joined the queue 2 hours ago, stood there all this time and are currently still standing there.

He has been watching this series since last year.

He started watching the series last year, has been watching it all this time and is currently still watching it.

2. The action has now ended

That is, the action began sometime in the past, lasted for some time and ended recently or just now. Moreover, despite the fact that the action has ended, we can see result this action.

We started building a house 2 years ago, we have been building all this time, and by now we have a completed house.

Let's look at a few more examples:

It snowed all night.

The snow started in the evening, fell at night, and has now stopped, but we see the result - snowdrifts.

She had been cleaning since the morning.

She started cleaning in the morning, did it all day, and has now finished cleaning, but the result is visible - a clean apartment.

I spent an hour looking for the keys to the apartment.

I started looking for the keys, did this for an hour, by now I had found them, but, as a result, I was late for the meeting.

As you can see, remembering when to use the Present Perfect Continuous is not difficult. But to understand it better, let's look at how it differs from other tenses in English.

The difference between the Present Perfect Continuous and other tenses in English

Now let's look at the difference between the Present Perfect Continuous and tenses similar to it.

1. BhowdifferencebetweenPresent Perfect ContinuousAndPresent Perfect?

Present Perfect translated as “present perfect (completed)” tense. We use it when we talk about an action that happened in the past, but we see the result of this action now.

Let's look at an example:

I have cooked dinner.
I cooked dinner.

In this sentence you do focus on results- you have dinner ready. At the same time, it doesn’t matter to us how long you prepared it, only the result is important.

Now let's see how the sentence in the Present Perfect Continuous will differ in meaning.

I have been cooking dinner for two hours.
I cooked dinner for 2 hours.

As you can see, in this sentence we focus on the result and duration of action. That is, we are talking not only about the result of the action (ready dinner), but also about how long this action took place before the result was obtained.

2. BhowdifferencebetweenPresent Perfect ContinuousAndPresent Continuous?

Present Continuous translated as “present continuous” tense. We use it when we say that an action started some time ago and is still going on. At the same time, we emphasize that something is currently in process.

Let's look at an example:

I am reading a book.
I'm reading a book.

You say that you are currently in the process of reading, that is, you sat down to read some time ago and are still reading now. At the same time, it doesn’t matter to us how long you’ve been reading, but what’s important is that you’re doing it at the moment.

Compare with the sentence in the Present Perfect Continuous:

I have been reading a book since morning.
I read a book in the morning.

In this sentence, we focus not so much on the fact that we are currently sitting and reading a book, but on the fact that what did it take us certain time . That is why such sentences always contain time indicators (in the morning, within an hour, all evening, etc.).

3. BhowdifferencebetweenPresent Perfect ContinuousAndPast Continuous?

Past Continuous translated as “past continuous” tense. We use this tense when we talk about an action in the past that lasted for some time. You can read about this time in this article.

Let's look at an example:

He was driving a car all night.
He drove the car all night.

In this sentence we are talking about a process in the past that lasted for some time. But please note this process has nothing to do with the present. For example, last week he went to visit his parents and drove all night.

Now let's see how the meaning of the sentence changes if we construct it in the Present Perfect Continuous:

He has been driving a car all night.
He drove the car all night.

As I already said, the Present Perfect Continuous shows that the action has recently or has just completed, and we can see its result at the present moment. For example, he now looks tired (result) because he stayed up all night driving.

Let's take another look at the table comparing all these times:

Time	Example	What do we focus on?
Present Perfect	I have cleaned my room. I cleaned my room.	We focus on the result - the room is now clean. We are not interested in how long the cleaning took.
Past Continuous	I was cleaning my room. I was cleaning my room.	Expresses a long-term action in the past. But this action has nothing to do with the present. I cleaned it a long time ago (yesterday, last week), but now the room may be dirty.
Present Continuous	I am cleaning my room. I'm cleaning my room.	I'm currently doing this. It doesn’t matter when exactly I started.
Present Perfect Continuous	1. I have been cleaning my room for two hours. I clean my room for 2 hours. 2. I have been cleaning my room for two hours. I cleaned my room for 2 hours.	1. I'm currently doing this. In this case, the emphasis is on how long it has been it took until now. 2. Expresses not only a connection with the present, result - room now clean. But for how long this action took place until you get the result.

Now that we've figured out how to use this tense, let's look at how to construct sentences using it.

The rule for constructing sentences in the Present Perfect Continuous in English

The present perfect continuous tense is formed using:

Auxiliary verb have/has
The verb to be in the 3rd form - been
Adding an -ing ending to a verb (the action itself)

The outline of such a proposal would be as follows:

Actor + have/has + been + action ending -ing

When we talk about someone in the singular (he - he, she - she, it - it), we use has. In all other cases - have.

I
You
We	have		cooking
They		been	sleeping
She			cleaning
He	has
It

They have been do ing their homework for two hours.
They do homework two hours.

She has been work ing since morning.
She has been working since the morning.

Abbreviations

We can shorten have and has as follows

has = 's
have = 've

The rule for adding the ending -ing

There are several features when adding -ing endings to verbs:

If the verb ends in -e, then we remove the letter e and add -ing to the verb

dance - dancing - dance
move - moving - move

If the verb is short, we double the last consonant:

sit - sitting - sit
ban - banning - prohibit

Exceptions: verbs ending in -x and -w:

mix - mixing - mix
flow - flowing - to flow

If the verb ends in -ie, then we replace this ending with -y

lie - lying - lie
tie - tying - tie

Tense indicators Present Perfect Continuous

IN English There are 2 words that are very often used in the Present Perfect Continuous. This:

for- Vflow

for an hour/two hours/a month/a year/a long time - for an hour/two hours/month/year/long time

since - since

since morning/yesterday/6 o’clock/1956 - since morning/yesterday/6 o’clock/1956

The following expressions are also used at this time:

all my life - all my life
all this day/week/year - all this day/week/year
these two/three/four day/week/month - these two/three/four days/weeks/months

For example:

We have been living in this house all our lives.
We have lived in this house all our lives.

He has been writing this book for a year.
He writes this book over the course of a year.

Verbs that are not used in the Present Perfect Continuous

As I already said, the Present Perfect Continuous is used when we talk about a process. That is, the action began, lasted for some time, recently ended, or is still ongoing.

To be used in our continuous tense, a verb must be able to last. For example: sleep - you fell asleep once, slept for some time, just woke up or are still sleeping.

Exception verbs cannot last, so we cannot use them in this tense. We cannot begin to know or understand and end this process after some time.

The following verbs cannot be processes:

1. Verbs expressing feelings

hear - to hear,
smell - smell,
feel - feel, etc.

2. Verbs expressing mental state

forget - forget,
know - to know
understand - to understand, etc.

3. Verbs expressing emotions and desires

love - to love,
want - want,
like - like, etc.

4. Verbs expressing possession of something

have - to have,
possess - to possess, etc.

All these verbs cannot be processes. That is why we do not use such verbs in the Present Perfect Continuous. In this case, the Present Perfect tense is used instead.

Wrong:

I have been knowing him for a month.
I've known him for a month.

Right:

I have known him for a month.
I've known him for a month.

Formation of negative sentences in Present Perfect Continuous

Negative sentences are constructed in the same way as affirmative ones. Only after the auxiliary verb do we put the negative particle not.

The outline of such a proposal:

Actor + have/has + not + been + action ending -ing

I
You
We	have			cooking
They		not	been	sleeping
She				cleaning
He	has
It

I have not been study ing for two days.
I haven't worked out for two days.

He has not been clean ing his room.
He doesn't clean his room.

Reduction

We can shorten have/has and the particle not like this:

have + not = haven’t
has + not = hasn’t

Formation of questions in Present Perfect Continuous

To ask a question, we need to put have/has in the first place in the sentence. The outline of such a proposal looks like this:

Have/has + character+ been + action ending -ing?

	I
	you
Have	we		cooking?
	they	been	sleeping?
	she		cleaning?
Has	he
	it

Have have you been crying?
Did you cry?

Has has he been running?
Was he running?

Let me note that you must always remember that actions are related to the present time. If we ask a person a question at this time, it means we are now seeing something that may indicate the action we are asking about.

For example, you meet a friend, her eyes are red and her makeup is smeared. Seeing this, you ask: “Did you cry?”

Answer the question in the Present Perfect Continuous

The answer to such a question can be “yes” or “no”. We can give it:

in short form
in full form

A short positive answer contains the word yes, an agent and an auxiliary verb:

Have have.
Were they asleep? Yes.

Has has he been training? Yes, he has.
Was he training? Yes.

A short negative answer begins with no, and we add the particle not to the auxiliary verb.

Have have not.
Were they asleep? No.

Has has he been training? No, he has not.
Was he training? No.

A complete positive answer looks like an affirmative sentence, only at the very beginning we put yes.

Have have they been sleeping? Yes, they have been sleeping.
Were they asleep? Yes, they were sleeping.

Has has he been training? Yes, he has been training.
Was he training? Yes, he trained.

A complete negative answer looks like a negative sentence, only we put no at the very beginning.

Have have they been sleeping? No, they have not been sleeping.
Were they asleep? No, they weren't sleeping.

Has has he been training? No, he has not been training.
Was he training? No, he didn't train.

So, we've sorted out the theory. Now let's put it into practice.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English. Leave your answers in the comments below the article.

1. He waited here for 4 hours.
2. Do they play since the morning?
3. She has been living in Moscow for two years.
4. We have known each other all our lives.
5. I haven't slept since yesterday.
6. He has been working here for 10 years.

Not long ago we looked at the Present Perfect Simple, but, as you already know, every Simple has a Continuous. First of all, the word “continuous” denotes the duration of an action, and “Present Perfect” hints at the result and unfinished time.

If we sum up it together, it turns out that Present Perfect Continuous Tense is a long action with a result, and the time is unfinished.

I’ve been reading an interesting book this week (and I’m still reading). - This week I am reading an interesting book (and I am still reading it).

Let's take a closer look at how the Present Perfect Progressive is formed. C"mon.

Education Present Perfect Continuous

Affirmative form formed using the auxiliary verb " be" in Present Perfect or " have been” (“has been” for pronouns “he”, “she”, “it” and singular nouns). The semantic verb is the present participle or Participle I (verb + ending “-ing”).

I have been reading.- I'm reading.
We have been running.- We're running.
You have been playing.- You are playing.
They have been working.- They are working.
She has been eating.- She's eating.
It has not been running.- He's running.
It has been working.- It works.

Negative form is formed if we put the particle “ not" between " have» (« has") And " been».

I have not been reading.- I don't read.
We have not been running.- We don't run.
You have not been playing.- You're not playing.
They have not been working.- They don't work.
She has not been eating.- She doesn't eat.
It has not been working. - It doesn't work.
He has not been smoking.- He doesn't smoke.

IN interrogative sentences auxiliary verb " have" or " has» taken out to the beginning of the sentence, followed by the subject, then “ been" + Participle I.

Have I been reading?- Am I reading?
Have we been running?- Are we running?
Have you been playing?-Are you playing?
Have they been working?-Are they working?
Has she been eating?- Does she eat?
Has he been running?- Is he running?
Has it been working?- It works?

And of course, don’t forget about abbreviations (“ contractions»):

I have been V+ing = I've been V+ing.
You have been V+ing = You've been V+ing (they've, we've).
He / she / it / John has been V+ing = He’s / she’s / it’s / John’s been V+ing.
Has not been V+ing = hasn’t been V+ing.
Have not been V+ing = haven’t been V-ing.

Using the Present Perfect Continuous

We use this time if:

the action began in the past, lasted for some time and is still ongoing in the present. This function shows a long-term action; it comes from the Continuous aspect.

She has been talking for more than an hour, my ears hurt!“She’s been chatting for over an hour, my ears hurt!”
I’ve been trying to call you all day!- I've been trying to reach you all day!
He’s been waiting for you for six hours.- He has been waiting for you for 6 hours (he started waiting 6 hours ago, and is still waiting).

Since this function shows the duration of an action, a question in the Present Perfect Continuous usually begins with the expressions “ how long"(how long, what time) and " since when"(since when, starting from what moment).

How long have you been learning English?- How long have you been learning English?
I have been learning English for four years.- I have been studying English for 4 years.
Since when have you been learning English?- Since when have you been studying English?
I’ve been learning English since I was 10.- I have been studying English since I was 10 years old.

Nota Bene: if we are talking about an action that continues in the present time, then the translation into Russian will be in the present.

The action ended recently, and now its result is visible. The influence of Perfect Simple is immediately apparent. But, using the Perfect Continuous, we emphasize that the action lasted for some time in the past.

You look so tired. What have you been doing?-You look so tired. What were you doing?
Why is the pavement wet? Because it's been raining.- Why is the sidewalk wet? Because it was raining.
I have been smoking for 2 weeks, that’s why I’m so green.- I smoked for two weeks, that's why I'm so green.

Nota bene: if we are talking about completed long-term action with results in the present, then we translate into Russian in the past time.

When using verbs " work», « teach», « learn», « live» used as Present Perfect Simple(emphasizes the fact of the action), and Present Perfect Continuous(emphasizes the duration of action).

He has been living in London for 5 years. = He has lived in London for 5 years.- He has lived in London (for) 5 years.
She has been teaching English since 2010. = She has taught English since 2010.- She has been teaching English since 2010.
They have been working in this company since they moved here. = They have worked in this company since they moved here.- They have been working for this company since they moved here.

There are verbs of state (“state verbs” - “be”, “have”, “know”, “love”, etc.), instead of the Present Perfect Continuous we use the Present Perfect Simple.

She has been in London for 2 years.- She has been in London for 2 years.
How long have you known him?- How long have you known him?
I’ve known him for 10 years.- I've known him for 10 years.

Although in colloquial speech You may often hear the following phrases:

I"ve been having problems with the car recently.- I recently had problems with my car.
I"ve been wanting to talk to you.- I want to talk to you.

If we talk about Passive Voice (passive voice), then time Present Perfect Continuous Passive in English not used. Instead we use the usual one Present Perfect Simple Passive.

The author has been writing this book for 3 years.- The author wrote this book for 3 years.
This book has been written for 3 years.- This book took 3 years to write.

Differences of times

As you have already noticed, when translating from Russian into English the question always arises: “What tense should I use?” Let's figure it out.

Present Perfect Continuous vs Present Perfect.

Present Perfect translated as “present perfect (completed) tense.” We use it when we talk about an action that happened in the past, but we see the result of this action now.

I have just cooked a cake.- I just made a cake.

In this sentence, you focus on the result - you have a finished cake. It doesn’t matter at all how much time you spent preparing it - only the result is important.

Now let's see how the meaning of the sentence in Present Perfect Continuous. I have been cooking a cake for three hours already. I've been preparing the cake for 3 hours already. As you can see, in this sentence we focus on the result and duration of the action. That is, we are talking not only about the result of the action (the finished cake), but also about how long this action took place before the result was obtained.

Present Perfect Continuous vs Present Continuous.

Present Continuous translated as "present continuous tense". We use it when we say that an action started some time ago and is still going on. At the same time, we emphasize that it (the action) is still in process.

I am cooking a cake.- I'm making a cake.

You say that you are currently in the process of cooking, that is, you started cooking some time ago and are still cooking now. At the same time, it doesn’t matter to us how long you’ve been cooking, what’s important is that you’re doing it at the moment.

Compare with the sentence in the Present Perfect Continuous:

I have been smoking since morning.- I smoke in the morning.

In this sentence, we focus not so much on the fact that we are currently smoking, but on the fact that it took us a certain amount of time. That is why such sentences always contain time indicators (“ in the morning», « within an hour», « all evening", etc.).

Present Perfect Continuous vs Past Continuous.

Past Continuous is translated as “past continuous” tense. We use this tense when we talk about an action in the past that lasted for some time.

He was reading a book all night.- He read a book all night.

In this sentence we are talking about a process in the past that lasted for some time. But note that this process has nothing to do with the present. For example, last week he had an exam and he spent the whole night studying for it. Now let's compare with the Present Perfect Continuous:

He has been reading a book all night.- He read a book all night.

As we have already said, the Present Perfect Continuous shows that an action has recently or has just completed, and we can see its result at the present moment. For example, he now looks tired (result) because he stayed up all night reading a book.

Conclusion

Today we learned about Present Perfect Continuous (Progressive) Tense. We learned how to properly form and use this time. We made sure that it still exists big difference in what tense to use, although in the Russian version everything sounds almost the same. You may have thought that this topic was very complicated and incomprehensible, but now you are definitely aware.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with other tenses of the English language

Keep studying grammar and use your skills!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

There are difficult points in English grammar. Time Present Perfect Continuous tense(Present Perfect Continuous) refers to just such. But don’t panic and be disappointed in advance; it’s better to figure it out together.

The main question

If not all, then many have heard about the main difficulty of the English language - tenses. Therefore, in the first lessons of language learning, the question about the number of tenses is asked. But, as they say, the devil is not so black as it is painted (the devil is not as terrible as he is painted). There are only three tenses in English - Present, Past and Future. However, depending on what action is in front of us, four aspects are distinguished in each time - Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous.

Today we are talking about how the Present Perfect Continuous is formed and when to use it.

Education formula

The Present Perfect Progressive tense refers to unusual tenses. It combines the “incompatible” - the Perfect aspect with the Continuous aspect in the Present. This leads to the “double” formula of education: (have/has + 3rd form of the verb) + (to be + verb + -ing) = have/has + been (3rd form of the verb to be) + verb + -ing . In other words, this tense form is formed using a “double” auxiliary verb have/has been (not translated, but changed according to persons and numbers) and the main verb with the ending - ing (translated, but not changed).

How this “works” in practice can be seen in the table:

Verb form in Present Perfect Continuous Passive voice(Present Continuous Perfect in the passive voice) is built according to the formula “subjects + have/has + been + being + main verb in the 3rd form”, but is used in oral speech and texts are extremely rare (This monument has been being built for 50 years - This monument was built over 50 years)

Negation

Negative sentences in the Present Perfect Progressive are built according to the same formula, but with the addition negative particle not (not) between two auxiliary verbs: subjects + have/has + not + been + main verb + -ing .

Question

Interrogative sentences are different in English in reverse order words The formation of a question in the Present Perfect Continuous also follows this rule: Have/has + subjects + been + main verb + -ing?

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As a rule, special questions in the Present Perfect Continuous begin with question words How long? (how long?) and Since when? (from when?). They are, one might say, time markers (How long has it been snowing? - How long has it been snowing?)

Use

The aspects Perfect (Perfect) and Continuous (Continuous) affect not only the formula for the formation of the Present Perfect Continuous tense, but also the cases of its use. On the one hand, it describes an action with a result. On the other hand, it emphasizes its duration in time. So, despite the long and slightly scary name, it does not have many functions and they are easy to remember:

To describe events that begin in the past and continue up to the present:

Alice has been swimming since morning - Alice has been swimming since morning (Alice started swimming in the morning and still continues to do this)

My grandfather likes news. He has been watching news on TV for two hours - My grandfather loves the news. He watches the news on TV for two hours.

To describe events that have recently begun, have been going on for some time, have just ended and have a visible result in the present:

This time is characterized by indicator words that emphasize the duration of the action: recently (recently, the other day), lately (lately, recently), all day (all day), since (starting with), for (during).

A famous scientist has been recently developing new research programs - A famous scientist has recently developed new scientific research programs.

What have we learned?

The discussed rules and examples of the Present Perfect Continuous prove that appearances can be deceiving. The long formula of formation and the confusing name of this temporary form are only an outer frightening shell. In fact, everything is much simpler: it has only two functions. The first is to indicate the completion of the action and its result in the present. The second is to emphasize the duration.

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If you carefully study, you will notice that the main meaning of this time is to convey the connection of a certain process with the present moment. To put it simply, a couple present perfect & present perfect continuous very similar to present simple & present continuous. One tense in each pair serves to convey facts (results in the case of perfect simple), and the other indicates a process. But these “processes” are not alike.

present perfect continuous rules and examples

So let's consider present perfect continuous rules and examples. There are 3 main cases when you can (and even need) to use present perfect continuous .

rule	example	translation
To express a process that lasted for a period of time but has just ended. It is connected with the present, a certain result is visible.	I have been tidy ing up the house for three hours so I look tired.	I cleaned the house for three hours, so I look tired.
To express an action that began some time ago and is still ongoing at the time of speech.	Look! She has been read ing that book since yesterday.	Look! She has been reading that book since yesterday.
To convey an action that has occurred regularly over a long period of time and is still occurring.	Every morning he drinks the same coffee. He has been do ing this for five years.	Every morning he drinks the same coffee. He has been doing this for five years.

Features of using the present perfect continuous. Questions and denials

U consumption present perfect continuous very similar to the ordinary perfect tense. Just for present perfect continuous It is not the 3rd form of the semantic verb that is used, but the ing form. You probably noticed the ending –ing in each example. If you need to form a negative, use 'haven't been' And 'hasn't been'. Using the present perfect continuous in questions it is limited by the need to place the auxiliary verb before the subject. Please note the following examples.

(-) She hasn't been ask ing any questions for three days. – She doesn’t ask anything for 3 days.

(?) Has it been rain ing here? - Was it raining here?

How to train the difference between the present perfect and the present perfect continuous?

We hope this article is on the topic “ present perfect continuous rules and examples"helped you figure it out. We wish you success in conquering the heights of the English language and will be happy to provide assistance in learning it!

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Present Perfect Continuous (Present Perfect Progressive) – present continuous perfect tense. Present Perfect Continuous is not very popular in English for three reasons:

Long form.
Narrow aspect of use.
Interchangeability. In some cases Present Perfect Continuous can be easily replaced with Present Perfect without changing the meaning of the sentence.

But this does not mean that our article should be closed and forgotten about its existence Present Perfect Continuous. Scope of use Present Perfect Continuous quite narrow, but this tense has its place in the English language, and it is sometimes impossible to replace it with another. Moreover, in speech Present Perfect Continuous sounds very impressive if you use it correctly.

How is the Present Perfect Continuous formed?

Statement

The peculiarity of this time is that it combines two aspects - Perfect And Continuous. Present Perfect Continuous formed with an auxiliary verb to be V Present Perfect – have been(or has been for pronouns he, she, it and singular nouns). The main verb is verb + ending -ing.

I/We/You/They + have been + verb- ing

He/She/It + has been + verb- ing

I have been read ing . - I'm reading.

We have been wait ing . - We are waiting.

You have been play ing . - You are playing.

They have been work ing . - They are working.

He has been runn ing . - He's running.

She has been laugh ing . - She laughs.

It has been work ing . - It works.

Negation

A particle appears in negation not, which must be placed between have (has) And been.

I/We/You/They + have not been + verb- ing

He/She/It + has not been + verb- ing

I have not been read ing . - I don't read.

We have not been wait ing . - We don't expect it.

You have not been play ing . -You're not playing.

They have not been work ing . - They don't work.

He has not been runn ing . - He doesn't run.

She has not been laugh ing . - She doesn't laugh.

It has not been work ing . - It doesn't work.

We can use shortened forms for the verb have (has). IN affirmative sentence have/has combined with the pronoun:

You've been playing.
She's been laughing.

In a negative sentence have/has merges with not:

We haven't been waiting.
Hasn't been running.

Question

IN interrogative sentence have/has comes first, and been remains with the main verb. Thus, it turns out that in first place we have have (has), after it the subject, then been and closes this long chain main verb.

Have + I/we/you/they + been verb- ing

Has + he/she/it + been verb- ing

Have I been read ing ? - Am I reading?

Have we been wait ing ? -Are we expecting?

Have you been play ing ? -Are you playing?

Have they been work ing ? -Are they working?

Has he been runn ing ? - Is he running?

Has she been laugh ing ? – Is she laughing?

Has it been work ing ? - It works?

To make it convenient for you to study this time, we have divided all its functions into three blocks: green (for entry level), yellow (for medium), red (for high).

Using the Present Perfect Continuous

Entry level

Time Present Perfect Continuous looks like it at the same time Present Perfect, and on Present Continuous. This time has two main functions: one contains the meaning of the aspect Continuous, the second – aspect Perfect.

We use Present Perfect Continuous, if the action began in the past, lasted for some time and is still ongoing in the present. This function shows a long-term effect; it comes from the aspect Continuous.
As a rule, the proposal indicates the duration of the action, but without clear time boundaries. That is, we can know when the action began and how long it lasted, but we do not know when it will end. To show time we use the following words and expressions: lately(lately, recently) recently(recently, the other day), quite a while(quite a long time) all day(all day), as well as prepositions for(during) and since(starting from).

Tom has been watching TV all day. - Volume looks TV all day. (Tom started watching TV in the morning, watched it all day and is still watching it now)

It has been raining for 3 hours. - Rain goes within three hours. (the rain started three hours ago, continued for three hours and is still raining now)

Since this function shows the duration, then the question is Present Perfect Continuous usually starts with expressions how long(how long, what time) and since when(since when, starting from what moment).

– How long has she been learning French? – How long she teaches French?
– She has been learning French for seven years - She teaches French for seven years old

– Since when have you been learning German? – Since when You you teach German?
–I have been learning German since yesterday. - I I teach German with yesterday.

Pay attention to the translation. We are talking about an action that continues to last in the present, so when translated into Russian the verb will be in the present tense.
We use Present Perfect Continuous, if the action ended recently and its result is now visible. This function comes from the aspect Perfect. But using Perfect Continuous, we emphasize that the action lasted for some time in the past.
Your clothes are dirty. What have you been doing? -Your clothes are dirty. What you did? (now it’s dirty, which means before that he did something where he could get dirty)

I 've been talking to Sandy about the problem and she agrees with me. - I talked with Sandy about this issue and she agrees with me. (in the present Sandy agrees with me because we discussed this issue in the past)

In this function, the duration may or may not be specified.

We are very tired. We have been walking in the mountains. - We are very tired. We walked in the mountains.

We are very tired. We have been walking in the mountains since early morning. - We are very tired. We walked in the mountains c early morning.

Pay attention to the translation. In this function we are talking about an action that has already ended, so when translated into Russian the verb will be in the past tense.

Where else is the Present Perfect Continuous found?

Intermediate level

With verbs like work, live, feel, teach, are used as Present Perfect, so Present Perfect Continuous no difference in meaning. These verbs imply that the action takes a long period of time, that is, it becomes a permanent state.
I 've worked here for 20 years. = I 've been working here for 20 years. - I Working here for 20 years.

Her family has lived in Moscow since 1781. = Her family has been living in Moscow since 1781. – Her family lives in Moscow since 1781.

If you want to emphasize that the situation is temporary, use Present Perfect Continuous.
(state verbs) are most often not used in Present Perfect Continuous. But, as is often the case in English, there are exceptions. If we want to emotionally highlight some action, we can use Present Perfect Continuous. Very often verbs are used in this function mean(to gather, to intend), want(want), wish(to wish), other stative verbs are less common.
We 've been wishing to visit India for ages. - We we want have been visiting India for many years now.

He 's been thinking it's over. - He is ponders. = He's been working on it for a long time ponders.

Complex cases of using the Present Perfect Continuous

High level

Present Perfect Continuous used together with Past Simple V complex sentences with the union since. In a subordinate clause that begins with since, we use Past Simple, it is the starting point for the action in the main clause. And in the main sentence it will be Present Perfect Continuous.

Silvia has been playing tennis since she was ten. – Sylvia plays tennis since then, How to her turned ten. (she has been playing tennis since she was ten)
We use Present Perfect Continuous when we draw a conclusion from what we saw or heard, in most cases with a tinge of dissatisfaction or criticism.
Who has been messing around with my papers?! How should I work now?! - Who rummaged in my papers?! How can I work now?!

He has been eating chocolate though he knows that he is allergic to it! - He ate chocolate, although he knows he is allergic!

Present Perfect Continuous shows outrage over an action that happened once, while Present Continuous implies dissatisfaction with an action that is constantly repeated.

Present Perfect Continuous- a time with a terrifying name and a long form of formation. But appearances are deceiving; it has only 2 main functions in language: to show a long-term action and an action with a result. The remaining functions can be considered derivatives. If you suddenly forget how it is formed Present Perfect Continuous, you can always look in the table. And in order not to forget anything, take the test.

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Present Perfect Continuous - present continuous perfect tense in English