📝 Student Instruction: Present Perfect Continuous Tense

1. When do we use it?

• To talk about an action that started in the past and is still continuing now.
  • She has been studying English for 2 years.
• To talk about an action that just stopped but we can still see the result.
  • He is tired because he has been running.

2. Form

• Affirmative (+): Subject + have/has + been + verb+ing
  • I have been reading for one hour.
  • She has been cooking since 5 p.m.
• Negative (–): Subject + have/has + not + been + verb+ing
  • I haven’t been sleeping well.
  • He hasn’t been working today.
• Question (?): Have/Has + subject + been + verb+ing
  • Have you been waiting long?
  • Has she been studying?

3. Key words / Time expressions

• for (a period of time) → for two hours, for three days
• since (a starting point) → since Monday, since 2010
• how long …? → How long have you been living here?

4. Examples

• I have been learning English for five years.
• She has been waiting for the bus since 8 o’clock.
• Have they been playing football all day?

👉 Practice Example:
Change the verb into Present Perfect Continuous.

1. I (work) here since 2020. → I have been working here since 2020.
2. She (not sleep) well lately. → She hasn’t been sleeping well lately.
3. (you / study) for the exam? → Have you been studying for the exam?