Present Perfect
Continuous

The answer to “how long have you been doing it?” It describes an activity that is still going on, or has just stopped, and it parts company with the present perfect in one place: here the activity matters, not the result.

B18 mistakes46 questions5 levels

Explanationhave been + -ing: when to use it and how it differs from the present perfect Common Mistakes8 mistakes and who tends to make them Exercises46 questions, 5 levels

For teachers

Bring the evidence into the room. Send a student out to run in the corridor for two minutes. When they come back ask Why is he out of breath? The answer is He has been running. Red eyes, dirty hands and wet hair do the same job. This is how the second use of the continuous sticks.
Make “activity or result?” a habit. Write I've been painting the room. (the paint is still wet, the job may not be finished) next to I've painted the room. (the job is done) and have the students say what they notice.
The “how long” and “how many” pair. Put two questions with the same verb on the board: How long have you been reading? / How many pages have you read? Which is the activity, which is the number? A number question always takes the present perfect.
List the state verbs. know, like, love, want, need, own, belong, understand, believe. Let the class build the list together and write a have + V3 sentence for each one. Keep the list on the wall.
Don't mix it with a finished time. Put I've been playing tennis yesterday in front of the class. “Yesterday is a closed time. What should it be?” Remind them of the three questions from topic 2.
Do the “Type it” level with books closed. Students choose between two forms themselves. With live, study, play both forms are accepted, with state verbs only the present perfect is. Then ask “why isn't the other one right?”

Topic order

What it's for

The form: have / has been + verb-ing. I have been waiting. She has been working. Negatives and questions work like the present perfect, with have: I haven't been sleeping. Have you been crying?

First use: an activity still going on. It started in the past, reaches up to now, and may carry on. I have been waiting for an hour. It usually comes with for or since, and the question is How long…?: How long have you been waiting?

Second use: an activity that has just stopped, with a visible trace. It ended a moment ago but the evidence is there. Your hands are dirty. — I've been working in the garden. You don't have to say how long. The evidence is in front of you: wet streets, red eyes, someone out of breath.

The main contrast: activity or result? I've been reading this book says I'm busy with the book, not that I've finished. I've read this book states the finished result. So How long…? mostly takes the continuous, while how many / how much…? and completed jobs take the present perfect: She has written five emails.

State verbs don't take the continuous. know, like, love, want, need, believe, understand, own, belong describe a state, not an activity: I have known her for years. (~~I have been knowing~~). With these verbs use the present perfect even with for / since.

Many languages say “since 2019” in the present. Spanish vivo aquí desde 2019, French j'habite ici depuis 2019, German ich wohne seit 2019 hier, Turkish and Russian do the same. English doesn't: as soon as you see since / for, leave the present behind and use have been -ing (or have + V3 with a state verb).

Three patterns side by side

Present perfect continuous	have / has been + V-ing	I have been waiting. Have you been waiting?
Negative	haven't / hasn't been + V-ing	I haven't been sleeping well.
Present perfect	have / has + V3	I have waited. I have known him.
Short answer	Yes, I have. · No, I haven't.	Have you been running? Yes, I have.
How long…?	Activity → been -ing · State → V3	How long have you been learning? How long have you known him?
How many…?	Counted, finished work → V3	How many pages have you read?

Signals: which tense?

for + length, since + startContinuous — the activity is still going onI have been working here since 2019.

How long…?Continuous — the length of an activityHow long have you been waiting?

all day, all morning, all weekContinuous — carried on throughoutIt has been raining all day.

lately, recently, these daysContinuous — an activity going on in recent timeI have been feeling tired lately.

How many…? three times, twicePresent perfect — counted, finished workShe has written five emails.

know, like, own, belong + for / sincePresent perfect — state verbI have known him for years.

yesterday, last week, ago, in 2019Past simple — neither of the twoI played tennis yesterday.

just, already, yet + one finished jobPresent perfect — the result mattersShe has just finished.

Note: with live, work, study, teach and for / since both forms are correct (I have lived / have been living here for years). The difference is small: the continuous feels more temporary and ongoing, the present perfect more permanent. A test shouldn't offer both as options.

Common mistakes

and who tends to make them

These eight mistakes turn up in classrooms everywhere. Two sources explain most of them: saying in the present what the learner's language says in the present, and thinking “there's a length of time, so it must be continuous”. Under each one you'll see who tends to make it.

Most common worldwideI am living here since 2019.I have been living here since 2019.

Why: Since / for describes a period reaching from a starting point up to now, so it's have been living, not am living.

Who makes it: Speakers of languages that use the present here: Spanish vivo aquí desde 2019, French j'habite ici depuis 2019, German ich wohne seit 2019 hier, Italian, Russian, Turkish, Arabic.

State verbI have been knowing her for years.I have known her for years.

Why: Know is a state, not an activity. A length of time doesn't make it continuous. The same goes for like, love, want, need, own, belong: with state verbs it's have + V3.

Who makes it: Learners who have just been taught “for and since go with the continuous” and apply it to every verb.

When there's a numberShe has been writing five emails this morning.She has written five emails this morning.

Why: Counting five emails means naming five finished jobs. When the work is counted and complete, the result matters, and that's the present perfect. The continuous describes the activity; it doesn't answer “how many?”

Who makes it: Learners at B1 who treat the continuous as “the more advanced form” and use it everywhere.

I have been playing tennis yesterday.I played tennis yesterday.

Why: When a finished time such as yesterday, last week or ago is there, it's the past simple. The present perfect continuous can't sit with a finished time.

Who makes it: Speakers of languages with a compound past (French, German, Italian), and learners who see an activity and forget the time word.

One finished jobLook! I have been finishing my homework.Look! I have finished my homework.

Why: Finish happens at a point: there is no “being busy finishing”. The result is the point here: the homework is done → present perfect.

Who makes it: Learners who think the continuous sounds “more natural” for anything that has just happened.

Small but frequentI have waiting for you for an hour.I have been waiting for you for an hour.

Why: Been goes missing, or the -ing does. The pattern has three parts: have + been + verb-ing. Count all three.

Who makes it: Learners at every level, especially in speech, where I've been waiting shrinks to “I've waiting”.

How long are you waiting?How long have you been waiting?

Why: How long asks about a period reaching up to now: have you been + -ing (or have you + V3 with a state verb).

Who makes it: Speakers of Spanish ¿cuánto tiempo llevas esperando?, French ça fait combien de temps que tu attends ?, German wie lange wartest du schon?, and many other languages that ask this in the present.

ExperienceI have never been eating sushi.I have never eaten sushi.

Why: “Never eaten” reports an experience, not an ongoing activity. When experience or number is the point (ever, never, twice), it's the present perfect.

Who makes it: Learners who have just met the continuous and use it as a general “more advanced” form.

Exercises

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I ___ for the bus since eight o'clock. (have been waiting / am waiting / waited)

She ___ English since 2020. (has been learning / is learning / learned)

Look outside! It ___ for hours and it hasn't stopped. (has been raining / rained / rains)

How long ___ you been waiting here? (have / did / are)

My brother ___ the guitar since 2019. (has been playing / have been playing / has been play)

We ___ been studying since seven. (have / has / are)

___ you been running? You look tired. (Have / Did / Are)

I'm tired because I ___ all morning. (have been cleaning / am cleaning / clean)

I ___ this book for two weeks. I'm nearly finished. (have been reading / have read / read)

I ___ ten pages of this book today. (have read / have been reading / am reading)

She has been ___ here since 2018. (working / worked / work)

It ___ since this morning. We can't go out. (has been snowing / is snowing / snowed)

How long have you ___ for me? (been waiting / waiting / wait)

We ___ in this flat since 2021. (have been living / are living / lived)

She is out of breath because she ___ . (has been running / have been running / has been run)

I ___ this phone for three years. It still works well. (have had / have been having / am having)

I ___ Tom for ten years. He is my best friend. (have known / have been knowing / am knowing)

She ___ three cakes this afternoon. They look delicious. (has baked / has been baking / bakes)

“Why are you so dirty?” “I ___ the car.” (have been washing / have been wash / has been washing)

She ___ the report. It's on your desk. (has finished / has been finishing / is finishing)

He ___ a new phone. Look, he has it in his hand. (has bought / has been buying / is buying)

I ___ for an hour and I still can't find my keys. (have been looking / looked / look)

This is the third time he ___ me this week. (has called / has been calling / is calling)

“You look exhausted.” “Yes, I ___ since six o'clock.” (have been working / work / worked)

I ___ this song since I was a child. (have liked / have been liking / am liking)

Mum ___ dinner for two hours, and it still isn't ready. (has been cooking / has cooked / cooks)

He has been working here since he ___ university. (left / has left / had left)

I ___ for the exam all week. I'm exhausted. (have been studying / have been study / has been studying)

I ___ what you mean now. (understand / have been understanding / have been understand)

She ___ seven emails since lunch. (has written / has been writing / is writing)

Who ___ my sandwich? There's nothing left! (has eaten / has been eating / is eating)

I ___ tennis yesterday afternoon. (played / have been playing / have played)

How long have you ___ Mr Brown? (known / been knowing / knew)

I ___ much better lately because I sleep earlier. (have been feeling / felt / feel)

I'm sorry. I ___ your message until now. (haven't seen / haven't been seeing / don't see)

We ___ this house since 1990 and we love it. (have owned / have been owning / are owning)

I ___ her for ten years. (know)

It ___ all day. Take an umbrella. (rain)

How long ___ here? (you / wait)

How long ___ in Berlin? (she / live)

I ___ him since Monday. (not / see)

He ___ for hours, so he's tired. (study)

My parents ___ this shop since 1995. (own)

I ___ three chapters so far. (read)

The children ___ outside all afternoon. (play)

___ ? Your eyes are red. (you / cry)

Present Perfect Continuous