Present Perfect Continuous

(I have been doing)

 Have/has been -ing
 Have/has been –ing is the present perfect continuous:

I/we/they/you have (= I’ve, etc.)

doing, waiting,
been
he/she/it has (= he’s, etc.) playing, etc.
 Present perfect continuous
 The present continuous describes what a person
is doing.
 The present perfect continuous tells how long a
person has been doing that action.

Ex. Katie is delivering mail.

She has been delivering mail for two hours.
she has been working for the post office since 1997.
Present perfect continuous
 The present perfect continuous talks
about an action that started in the past and
continues in the present. The action is not
yet complete. It tells how long the action
has been in progress.
 He has been washing windows since 8:00.

They have been waiting for the bus for twenty minutes.
Present perfect continuous

I
You
have
We since 8:00.
They been working
He for two hours.
She has
It
Since & For
You can use the present perfect continuous for
actions that are repeated over a period of time:

 Debbie is a very good tennis player. She’s been

playing since she was eight.
 Every morning they meet in the same café.
They’ve been going there for years.
For and since
 For shows an amount of time.
for three hours
for ten days

 Since tells when an action started

since 2:00
since he came to the United States
 For and since

For Since
For shows an amount of time: Since tells when an action started:

for a few minutes since 2:00

for three weeks since 1998

for two years since Sunday

since she began her new job

SINCE
FOR
 I am doing vs. I have been doing
 Compare I am doing and I have been doing:

∣ ∣
I am doing I have been doing
present continuous present perfect continuous
↓ ↓
now now
 Don’t bother me now. I’m working.  I’ve been working hard, so now
I’m going to take a break.
 We need an umbrella. It’s raining.  The ground is wet. It’s been
raining.
 Hurry up! We’re waiting.  We’ve been waiting for an hour.
How long questions

How long has she been looking for a job?

How long have they been living in the city?

How long have you (been)…?
 We use the present perfect (especially with how long, for, and
since) to talk about something that began in the past and still
continues now. Compare the present and the present perfect:

 We know each other very well.

but We’ve known each other since we were in high school.
(not We know)
 Do you have a pain in your stomach?
but How long have you had the pain?
(not How long do you have)
 I’m learning English.
but I’ve been learning English for six months.
(not I am learning)
 He’s waiting for somebody.
but He’s been waiting all morning.
How long have you (been)…?
 I have known/had/lived, etc., is the
present perfect simple.
 I have been learning/been waiting/been
doing, etc., is the present perfect continuous.
In most situations with how long, since, and
for, the continuous is more usual:

 I’ve been studying English for six months.

(more usual than I’ve studied)
 It’s been raining since lunchtime.
 Richard has been doing the same job for
20 years.
 “How long have you been driving?”
“Since I was 17.”
But some verbs (for example, know/like/believe) are not normally
used in the continuous:
 How long have you known Jane?
(not have you been knowing)

You can use either the present perfect continuous or present perfect
simple with live and work:
 John has been living / has lived in Denver for a long time.
 How long have you been working / have you worked here?

But we use the simple (I’ve done / I’ve lived, etc.) with always:
 John has always lived in Denver. (not has always been living)

We use the present perfect simple in negative sentences like these:

 I haven’t seen Tom since Monday.
(= Monday was the last time I saw him)
 Jane hasn’t called me for two weeks.
(= the last time she called was two weeks ago)