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Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

1. Formation

The Present Perfect Continuous tense is formed using:

Subject + have/has + been + present participle (-ing form)

Examples:

I have been studying all day.
She has been working at the company for five years.
They have been waiting for the bus.

2. Uses of the Present Perfect Continuous

A. Actions that started in the past and are still continuing

I have been learning Spanish for two years.
She has been living in Paris since 2018.
They have been working on this project for months.

B. Recent actions that have visible results now

I am tired because I have been running.
She has been crying; her eyes are red.
They have been painting the house.

C. Temporary actions

I have been staying at a hotel this week.
She has been using my laptop while hers is being repaired.
They have been working extra hours recently.

3. Common Time Expressions

For – I have been studying for three hours.
Since – She has been working here since 2020.
Lately – They have been exercising a lot lately.
Recently – I have been feeling tired recently.

4. Differences Between Present Perfect Continuous and Present Perfect Simple

Present Perfect Continuous	Present Perfect Simple
I have been reading for two hours. (Emphasizes duration)	I have read three books. (Focuses on result)
She has been working all day. (Ongoing action)	She has worked here for five years. (General fact)

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