Practice
Present perfect continuous exercise: duration and recent activity
Your colleague arrives with paint on her hands and says, "I have been decorating the meeting room." She is describing a recent activity and its visible result. She is not simply reporting that the room is decorated.
Use has or have been with an -ing form when an activity began before now and its duration or recent activity matters now.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
I have been waiting since six; she has been working all morning /aɪ həv bɪn ˈweɪ.tɪŋ sɪns sɪks/; /ʃiː hæz bɪn ˈwɜː.kɪŋ ɔːl ˈmɔː.nɪŋ/
The short answer
Use the present perfect continuous to show an activity continuing up to now, or a recent activity whose result matters now. Choose have with I, you, we, and they; choose has with he, she, it, and singular nouns.
Mina has been learning Italian for eight months.
Why it works: The learning began eight months ago and continues now, so has been learning makes the duration clear.
4 more examples
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We have been waiting since half past six.
Since half past six gives the point when the waiting started, and the activity continues to the present.
Not this:We
have waitedfor the manager before. What changes: Have waited reports an experience. Have been waiting describes the current stretch of waiting. -
The children have been playing in the garden, so their boots are muddy.
Mud on the boots is present evidence of the recent activity.
Not this:The children
have playedthree games this afternoon. What changes: Have played counts completed games. Have been playing points to the activity and its present evidence. -
I have not been sleeping well this week.
Have not comes before been to make a negative about a continuing situation this week.
Not this:I
have not slepton the train today. What changes: Have not slept refers to one completed opportunity to sleep. Have not been sleeping describes a repeated or continuing problem. -
How long has the technician been checking the printer?
The question asks for the duration of an activity that began before now.
Not this:
Has the technician checkedthe printer? What changes: Has checked asks whether the task is complete. Has been checking asks about the activity and its duration.
Read the full guide
Start with the time relationship. Did the activity begin before now? Does it still continue, or does a recent result explain the present situation? If either idea is important, use have or has been and the -ing form. Then check whether for names a period and since names a starting point.
Find the link between the past and now
Use this tense when an activity started before now and extends to the present, or when a recent activity explains a present result. The question How long? is a useful clue, but a visible result can also lead to this form.
I have been sorting the receipts for an hour.
I have sorted the receipts tells the listener that the task is complete. I have been sorting the receipts puts attention on the activity and the time spent.
Build the form in four parts
Use have with I, you, we, and they. Use has with he, she, it, and a singular noun. Follow it with been and the -ing form: I have been writing; the editor has been reading. Do not omit been, because has writing and have working are incomplete forms.
Our neighbours have been repairing their fence.
Choose the missing words: The dog ___ ___ barking since dawn.
Use has been: The dog has been barking since dawn. Dog is singular, so the helping verb is has.
Use for and since accurately
For introduces a length of time: for ten minutes, for several years, or for a long time. Since introduces the moment an activity began: since Monday, since 2022, or since I moved here. Both phrases can appear with the present perfect continuous when the duration matters.
They have been renovating the flat since January.
They have been renovating the flat for three months names the length. They have been renovating the flat since January names the starting point.
Make questions and negatives with have or has
Move have or has before the subject to ask a question. Put not after have or has to make a negative. Been and the -ing form stay together after that change. This pattern works with every subject.
Have you been preparing for the interview? She has not been answering her phone.
Has she been answering her phone? asks about a continuing recent activity. Has she answered her phone? asks whether an answer has happened.
Choose continuous or simple from the meaning
Use the continuous form when the process, effort, or time spent is important. Use the present perfect simple when you are counting finished items, naming an achievement, or reporting a completed result. Both forms can describe past-to-present time, so the intended focus matters.
She has been writing reports all morning. She has written four reports this morning.
Has been writing describes the ongoing work. Has written gives the completed number of reports.
Keep state verbs in their usual form
Verbs such as know, believe, own, and understand usually describe states instead of activities. They normally use the present perfect simple: I have known her since college. Check whether the verb names an action that can continue over time or a state that simply exists.
We have known this route for years.
We have been driving on this route for two hours describes an activity. We have known this route for years describes a state.
Before you go
Remember this
Use have or has been plus an -ing form for an activity that reaches the present, especially when its duration or current evidence matters. Use for with a period, since with a starting point, and the present perfect simple when you need to stress a completed result or amount.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Present perfect continuous exercise: duration and recent activity"
When do I use the present perfect continuous?
Use it for an activity that began before now and continues to now, or for a recent activity with a present result. Mina has been learning Italian for eight months shows duration, while the muddy boots in the garden example show present evidence.
Mina has been learning Italian for eight months.
How do I form the present perfect continuous?
Use have or has, then been, then an -ing form. Use have with plural subjects, as in We have been waiting since half past six. Use has with a singular subject, as in Mina has been learning Italian for eight months.
Mina has learned ten Italian songs.
What is the difference between for and since?
Use for before a period of time and since before a starting point. Mina has been learning Italian for eight months names a period. We have been waiting since half past six names the point when the waiting began.
We have been waiting since half past six.
When should I use present perfect simple instead?
Use the simple form when the result, number, or completion is the focus. Mina has learned ten Italian songs counts completed songs. Mina has been learning Italian for eight months focuses on the continuing activity.
We have waited for the manager before.
Can I use state verbs in the present perfect continuous?
State verbs usually stay in the present perfect simple. Say We have known this route for years because know describes a state. Use the continuous form for an activity, as in The children have been playing in the garden.
The children have been playing in the garden, so their boots are muddy.
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