Present Perfect Continuous: Rules, Examples and Exercises

What is the present perfect continuous?

The present perfect continuous tense connects an activity in the past with the present.

It often describes something that started earlier and is still happening:

We have been waiting for thirty minutes.

The waiting began thirty minutes ago and continues now.

It can also describe a recently finished activity when we can see its present result:

Your clothes are wet. Have you been walking in the rain?

The walking may have stopped, but the wet clothes provide evidence of the recent activity.

Another common use is repeated activity during a period leading up to now:

She has been calling me all day.

I have been going to the gym regularly this month.

The exact number of actions is not important. The emphasis is on the repeated activity.

How to form it

The basic structure is:

subject + have/has + been + verb-ing

Use have with I, you, we and they:

I have been working.

They have been travelling.

Use has with he, she and it:

She has been studying.

It has been raining.

The contracted forms are common in spoken and informal written English:

I have → I’ve
you have → you’ve
he has → he’s
she has → she’s
we have → we’ve
they have → they’ve

I’ve been waiting since nine.

She’s been learning Japanese.

Negative form

Place not after have or has:

I have not been sleeping well.

He has not been attending classes.

The contracted forms are:

haven’t been
hasn’t been

We haven’t been using the car recently.

Questions

Move have or has before the subject:

Have you been working today?

Has she been waiting long?

For information questions:

How long have you been living here?

What have they been doing?

A useful reference table is appropriate here:

When to use it

Actions that started in the past and continue now

This is one of the most common uses.

I have been teaching English for seven years.

They have been living here since 2022.

He has been studying for his exam all afternoon.

The activity began earlier and is still happening.

Recently finished activities with a present result

The action may have stopped, but its effect is visible now.

You look tired. Have you been running?

The kitchen smells amazing. What have you been cooking?

The ground is wet because it has been raining.

This use often appears when we observe evidence and want to explain it.

Temporary situations

The present perfect continuous is useful for activities that are temporary rather than permanent.

I have been working from home this month.

She has been staying with her parents while her flat is repaired.

The temporary period includes the present.

Repeated activities

Use the tense when an action has happened repeatedly over a period leading up to now.

He has been sending me messages all morning.

We have been meeting every Friday.

I have been practising my pronunciation regularly.

The emphasis is on the pattern or activity, not the exact number of repetitions.

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For and since

For and since are frequently used with the present perfect continuous.

For

Use for with a length of time:

for ten minutes
for two weeks
for several years
for a long time

I have been waiting for an hour.

She has been learning English for six months.

Since

Use since with the starting point:

since Monday
since 2021
since lunchtime
since I moved here

We have been working on the project since January.

He has been feeling tired since he returned from his trip.

Compare:

I have been living here for five years.

I have been living here since 2021.

Both describe the same type of continuing situation, but for gives the duration while since gives the starting point.

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Present perfect simple versus continuous

The difference between the present perfect simple vs continuous often depends on whether we emphasise the result or the activity. If your difficulty is deciding between present-perfect forms and a finished past action, also review present perfect vs past simple.

Result versus activity

I have cleaned the kitchen.

The kitchen is now clean. The result matters.

I have been cleaning the kitchen.

The activity matters. The job may or may not be finished.

Number versus duration

She has written six reports.

The number of completed reports is important.

She has been writing reports for six hours.

The duration is important.

Completed versus continuing

We have painted the bedroom.

The painting is complete.

We have been painting the bedroom.

The activity has been happening recently and may still be unfinished.

Some verbs can naturally use either tense with only a small difference:

I have lived here for five years.

I have been living here for five years.

Both can describe a situation that continues now. The continuous form places slightly more emphasis on the ongoing activity or duration.

Stative verbs and exceptions

Some verbs describe states rather than actions. These are known as stative verbs and are not normally used in continuous forms.

Common examples include:

• believe
• know
• understand
• like
• love
• hate
• want
• need
• own
• belong

Incorrect:

I have been knowing him for ten years.

Correct:

I have known him for ten years.

Incorrect:

She has been wanting a new laptop for months.

More natural:

She has wanted a new laptop for months.

Use the present perfect simple with these stative meanings.

However, some verbs can be stative in one meaning and dynamic in another.

Compare:

I have had this laptop for three years.

Here, have means possession, so the simple form is used.

I have been having problems with my laptop.

Here, have means experiencing, so the continuous form is possible.

Similarly:

I have thought about the problem.

This can emphasise the completed thinking.

I have been thinking about the problem.

This emphasises an ongoing mental activity.

The meaning of the verb determines whether a continuous form is appropriate.

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Common mistakes

Forgetting been

Incorrect:

I have working all day.

Correct:

I have been working all day.

The structure requires have/has + been + -ing.

Using the past participle instead of -ing

Incorrect:

She has been worked here for months.

Correct:

She has been working here for months.

Confusing for and since

Incorrect:

I have been studying since three hours.

Correct:

I have been studying for three hours.

Use since with the starting point:

I have been studying since 2 p.m.

Using a stative verb in the continuous

Incorrect:

I have been understanding the lesson better.

Correct:

I have understood the lesson better.

Or, depending on the intended meaning:

My understanding has been improving.

Verbs such as know, believe, want and own are normally stative rather than continuous. See our complete non-action verbs list for more examples.

Using the continuous when a completed number matters

Less appropriate:

I have been reading three books this month.

If all three books are complete:

I have read three books this month.

Use the simple form when the number of completed results is the focus.

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Exercises and answers

Complete each sentence using the most suitable present perfect simple or present perfect continuous form.

1. I __________ English for five years. (study)
2. She __________ three emails this morning. (write)
3. It __________ all afternoon. (rain)
4. How long __________ you __________ for this company? (work)
5. We __________ the kitchen, so you can use it now. (clean)
6. We __________ the kitchen for two hours and we still have not finished. (clean)
7. He __________ her since university. (know)
8. They __________ us several times today. (call)
9. Your hands are covered in paint. What __________ you __________? (do)
10. I __________ two cups of coffee today. (drink)
11. She __________ for the bus since eight o’clock. (wait)
12. My English __________ a lot this year. (improve)
13. He __________ about changing jobs recently. (think)
14. I __________ this phone since 2024. (have)
15. The children __________ outside all morning. (play)

Answers and explanations

1. have been studying
   The activity started in the past and continues now, with emphasis on duration.
2. has written
   The number of completed emails is important.
3. has been raining
   The sentence emphasises an activity continuing over a period.
4. have, been working
   How long often asks about the duration of a continuing activity.
5. have cleaned
   The result is important: the kitchen is now ready.
6. have been cleaning
   The activity has continued for two hours and remains unfinished.
7. has known
   Know is a stative verb and normally takes the present perfect simple.
8. have called
   The completed number of calls is emphasised.
9. have, been doing
   The visible evidence suggests a recent activity.
10. have drunk
    The number of completed drinks is the focus.
11. has been waiting
    The waiting began at eight and continues now.
12. has improved
    The sentence focuses on the resulting change.
13. has been thinking
    Think can describe an ongoing mental activity in this meaning.
14. have had
    Have describes possession, so use the simple form.
15. have been playing
    The activity has continued throughout the morning.

The present perfect continuous is most useful when you want to emphasise an activity, its duration or evidence of something that has been happening recently. Use have or has + been + verb-ing, and compare it carefully with the present perfect simple, which more often focuses on completed results, quantities and stative meanings.

Related grammar lessons

• Present Perfect Tense: Rules and Exercises
• Present Perfect vs Past Simple
• Non-Action Verbs List with Examples