Present Perfect Progressive - Present perfect long time. Present Perfect Continuous (present perfect long time in English): education, use, example sentences

Learning English can take a long time for learners to understand at times Perfect and Continuous in order to learn how to use them automatically. Therefore, you can imagine their feelings when they come to such a terrible topic as Perfect continuous... These are two times at once, and even such not simple ones! However, these fears are completely in vain, and now we will be convinced of this using the example of Present Perfect Continuous time (pronounced as [present perfect continius]).

Present Perfect Continuous Tense (also known as Present Perfect Progressive Tense) or present perfect continuous tense - time in English language, used to express actions that began and either lasted until a certain point in the past, or continue to continue to this day.

This time is used relatively rarely, since it is often replaced by Present Perfect time, but it is still necessary to know it, because in certain situations it will not be possible to do without it. Moreover, correct use proposals in Present Perfect Continuous will only confirm your high level knowledge of the language, and therefore will attract the praise of native speakers. Let's take a look at how this time is formed and used.

Present Perfect Continuous education is similar to Present Perfect and. To form this tense, two verbs are needed: auxiliary and semantic. The auxiliary verb is to be in the Present Perfect form. It has 2 forms of perfect, depending on the person and number:

I	have been
He	has been

Semantic verbs are formed using Participle I or the present participle. To form it, add the ending –ing to the verb.

Infinitive	V + -ing
(to) blink	blinking
(to) strike	striking
(to) pressure	pressuring
(to) blossom	blossoming
(to) heal	healing
(to) give	giving
(to) mumble	mumbling
(to) walk	walking
(to) compensate	compensating

Actually, that's all. By attaching both parts, you get a verb in Present Perfect Continuous Tense:

Present Perfect Continuous: sentence forms

We figured out the formation of verbs, now let's see how to make sentences with them in various forms.

Affirmative Sentences with Present Perfect Continuous

The affirmative form Present Perfect Continuous, as always, is standard: first, the subject is used, after the predicate, expressed by auxiliary and semantic verbs. Any minor member can complete the sentence. Table for clarity:

This example is used in Active Voice or active voice. If you want to use Passive Voice ( passive voice), you may have difficulties.

• Firstly, in order to form Passive Voice in Present Perfect Continuous, you still need to try, because you will need to use 4 verbs in a row.
• Secondly, even if you can easily cope with the first task, you will agree that the phrases in Passive Voice a la "have been being understood" sound at least unusual.
• Thirdly, the carriers do not use Passive Voice with this time, so even they will not be able to appreciate your efforts.

Yes, it is theoretically possible to build a Continuous Passive, but in practice no one needs such proposals. In general, do not complicate the English language for yourself or others, and do not use Continuous Passive. If you need to show that the action was not performed by a person / object, but was directed at him, use not Continuous Passive, but Passive Voice in Present Perfect time.

Negative Sentences with Present Perfect Continuous

The negative form in Present Perfect Continuous Tense is formed by adding the negative particle not between have (has) and been:

Abbreviations are possible in both positive and negative forms:

	Full form	Abbreviated form
+ statement	I have been calculating. She has been studying. He has been faking. It has been blowing.	I've been calculating. She’s been studying. He's been faking. It's been blowing.
— negation	We have not been skating. You have not been judging. They have not been watching. She has not been cleaning.	We haven’t been skating. You haven’t been judging. They haven't been watching. She hasn't been cleaning.

You may have noticed that the has in the affirmative clause is abbreviated as is is. To understand what time is used, remember the rules of education. The present perfect long tense in English always requires the verb after has. If both of these verbs are in the sentence, then the speaker is using this particular tense.

Interrogative sentences with Present Perfect Continuous

The interrogative form is built based on the type of question:

• For a general question, you need to move the auxiliaries have and has to the beginning of the sentence. Been remains in its original location:

• The alternate question adds a second member of the clause for the choice, which is supported by the conjunction or (or):

• Special questions are identical to general ones, only they use a question word before have (has):

• In the separation question, you need to use an affirmative or negative sentence, after which a short question is asked:

Present Perfect Continuous: use

Present Perfect Continuous Tense or present perfect for a long time is used in the following situations:

1. To express an action that began in the past and is still ongoing. In this case, the speaker knows when the action began and how long it will last. He cannot say when the action is over.
   Typically, such sentences contain indicator words: recently (the other day), lately (recently), quite a while ( long time/ a long time ago), these ... weeks (some weeks), all my life (all my life), all day (long) / this month / this year (all day, month, year); as well as time markers for (during) and since (since), which are used as hints for using this time:

In this case, the time can be used to ask a special question. Such a question usually starts with the words: how long (how long) or since when (from what moment):

1. Present Perfect Continuous Tense is also used in cases where the action began in the past, lasted for a certain time and ended recently. This option emphasizes the duration of the action that led to some kind of result in the present. Markers in such sentences can be omitted:

1. Present Perfect Continuous time is also used in cases where we mean that some action happened earlier. This conclusion is drawn from what he heard / seen. More often this option is used in a negative context:

1. The present perfectly long tense is also used in a complex sentence that has a subordinate tense. Temporary markers for entering subordinate clauses here are limited to one word since (since). it subordinate clause used in Past Simple, and most importantly it is built in Present Perfect Continuous:

1. Do not forget that Continuous tenses are not used with state verbs or state verbs that express feelings, perception, mental activity, possession of something. In this case, instead of Continuous time, Present Perfect is used:

However, there are some exceptions. The use of Present Perfect Continuous time is possible, if it is necessary to highlight the action, to give it a more pronounced shade. So, for example, in Present Perfect Continuous you can find the verbs wish (to wish), want (to want) and mean (to collect):

1. Also pay attention to those verbs that are used in both Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous. These verbs include words that in themselves imply a continuous action. For example: live, sleep, study, teach, work, run:

If the situation continues to last for a certain period, but is temporary or will soon change, use Present Perfect Continuous:

I’ve been studying here for 2 years but I’m going to transfer to another university soon.

I have been studying here for 2 years, but I am going to transfer to another university soon.

It is worth noting that, despite the similarity of signs not only with Present Perfect time, but also, in some way, with Present Continuous, sentences cannot be used, replacing Present Continuous with Present Perfect Continuous and vice versa. These times have different meaning and cannot be interchangeable.

Present Perfect Continuous translation into Russian

It is worth paying special attention to the Russian translation of Present Perfect Continuous. As you already know, this time either indicates an action that lasted and ended, or an action that began and is still ongoing. Accordingly, based on the choice of one of the two mentioned cases, the translation is constructed. So, if we want to show that the action has already ended, when translating into Russian we use the verbs imperfect in the past time:

If the action is still ongoing, then the translation is carried out with verbs used in the same form, but in the present tense:

You can understand what time is meant based on the context.

The present completed long time, as you can see, is not as difficult as it looks at first glance. Since this time is limited to certain situations, accordingly, it does not have a great variety of uses. It is also quite simple to build, especially if you are already familiar with other times. Therefore, do not avoid Present Perfect Continuous, use it correctly, and if you need to repeat some of the rules that are associated with it, return to this page and re-read the examples. And you can also consolidate your knowledge by going to the page

Present perfect continuous (Present Perfect Progressive) - present long perfect time. Present perfect continuous is not very popular in English for three reasons:

1. Long form.
2. Narrow aspect of use.
3. Interchangeability. In some cases Present perfect continuous can be easily replaced with Present perfect without changing the meaning of the sentence.

But this does not mean that our article should be closed and forgotten about the existence Present perfect continuous... Scope of use Present perfect continuous rather narrow, but this time takes its place in the English language, and sometimes it is impossible to replace it with another. Moreover, in speech Present perfect continuous sounds very impressive if you use it correctly.

How Present Perfect Continuous is formed

Statement

The peculiarity of this time is that it combines two aspects - Perfect and Continuous. Present perfect continuous formed with an auxiliary verb to be v Present perfect – have been(or has been for pronouns he, she, it and nouns in singular). The main verb is the verb + ending -ing.

I/We/You/They + have been + verb- ing	He/She/It + has been + verb- ing
I have been read ing ... - I am reading. We have been wait ing ... - We expect. You have been play ing ... - You're playing. They have been work ing ... - They work.	He has been runn ing ... - He runs. She has been laugh ing ... - She is laughing. It has been work ing ... - It is working.

Negation

A particle appears in negation not which must be placed between have (has) and been.

I/We/You/They + have not been + verb- ing	He/She/It + has not been + verb- ing
I have not been read ing ... - I do not read. We have not been wait ing ... - We do not expect. You have not been play ing ... - You are not playing. They have not been work ing ... - They do not work.	He has not been runn ing ... - He doesn't run. She has not been laugh ing ... - She's not laughing. It has not been work ing ... - It doesn't work.

We can use abbreviated forms for the verb have (has). In an affirmative sentence have/has combines with the pronoun:

• You’ve been playing.
• She's been laughing.

In a negative sentence have/has merges with not:

• We haven’t been waiting.
• He hasn’t been running.

Question

In an interrogative sentence have/has is put in first place, and been remains with the main verb. Thus, it turns out that in the first place we have have (has), after it the subject, then been and the main verb closes this long chain.

Have + I/we/you/they + been verb- ing	Has + he/she/it + been verb- ing
Have I been read ing ? - I am reading? Have we been wait ing ? - We expect? Have you been play ing ? - You're playing? Have they been work ing ? - They work?	Has he been runn ing ? - He runs? Has she been laugh ing ? - She is laughing? Has it been work ing ? - It is working?

To make it convenient for you to study this time, we divided all its functions into three blocks: green (for entry level), yellow (for medium), red (for high).

Using Present Perfect Continuous

First level

Time Present perfect continuous looks like at the same time Present perfect, and on Present continuous... This time has two main functions: one contains the meaning of the aspect Continuous, the second - aspect Perfect.

1. We use Present perfect continuous, if the action began in the past, lasted for some time and still continues in the present. This function shows a long-term action, it got from the aspect Continuous.

   As a rule, the proposal indicates the duration of the action, but without clear time boundaries. That is, we can know when the action began, how long it lasted, but we do not know when it will end. To show the time, we use the following words and expressions: lately(v recent times, recently), recently(recently, recently), quite a while(pretty long), all day(all day) as well as prepositions for(during) and since(beginning with).

   Tom has been watching TV all day... - Volume looks television all day. (Tom started watching TV in the morning, watched it all day and is still watching now)

   It has been raining for 3 hours. - Rain goes for three hours. (it started raining three hours ago, lasted for three hours and is still falling now)

   Since this function shows the duration, then the question in Present perfect continuous usually starts with expressions how long(how long, how long) and since when(since when, since when).

   – How long has she been learning French? - How long she teaches French?
   - She has been learning French for seven years. - She teaches French during seven years old.

   – Since when have you been learning German? - Since when you teach German?
   - I have been learning German since yesterday. - I AM teach German with yesterday.

   Pay attention to the translation. We are talking about an action that continues to last in the present, therefore, translated into Russian, the verb will be in the present tense.

2. We use Present perfect continuous if the action ended recently and its result is now visible. This function is inherited from aspect Perfect... But using Perfect continuous, we emphasize that the action in the past lasted for some time.
   

   Your clothes are dirty. What have you been doing? - Your clothes are dirty. What you did? (now she is dirty, which means that before that he was doing something where he could get dirty)

   I ’Ve been talking to Sandy about the problem and she agrees with me. - I AM talked with Sandy about this issue and she agrees with me. (in the present, Sandy agrees with me because we have discussed this issue in the past)

   In this function, the duration may or may not be specified.

   We are very tired. We have been walking in the mountains. - We are very tired. We walked in the mountains.

   We are very tired. We have been walking in the mountains since early morning. - We are very tired. We walked in the mountains c early morning.

   Pay attention to the translation. In this function, we are talking about an action that has already ended, therefore, in translation into Russian, the verb will be in the past tense.

Where else does Present Perfect Continuous occur?

Average level

1. With verbs like work, live, feel, teach are used like Present perfect and Present perfect continuous no difference in meaning. These verbs imply that the action takes a long period of time, that is, it already becomes a permanent state.
   

   I ’Ve worked here for 20 years. = I ’Ve been working here for 20 years. - I AM working here for 20 years.

   Her family has lived in Moscow since 1781. = Her family has been living in Moscow since 1781. - Her family lives in Moscow since 1781.

   If you want to emphasize that the situation is temporary, use Present perfect continuous.

2. (state verbs) are most often not used in Present perfect continuous... But, as is often the case in English, there are exceptions. If we want to emotionally highlight some action, then we can use Present perfect continuous... Very often verbs are used in this function. mean(gather, intend), want(to want), wish(to wish), other state verbs are less common.
   

   We ’Ve been wishing to visit India for ages. - We want have been visiting India for many years.

   He ’S been thinking it over. - He is ponders... = He's been over it for a long time ponders.

Difficult Use Cases Present Perfect Continuous

High level

1. Present perfect continuous used in conjunction with Past simple v complex sentences with the union since... In a clause that starts with since, we use Past simple, it is the starting point for the action in the main sentence. And in the main sentence there will be Present perfect continuous.
   

   Silvia has been playing tennis since she was ten. - Sylvia plays tennis since, how her turned ten. (she has been playing tennis since she was ten)

2. We use Present perfect continuous when we conclude from what we saw or heard, in most cases with a tinge of discontent or criticism.
   

   Who has been messing around with my papers ?! How should I work now ?! - Who rummaged in my papers ?! How can I work now ?!

   He has been eating chocolate though he knows that he is allergic to it! - He ate chocolate even though he knows he's allergic!

   Present perfect continuous shows indignation at an action that happened once, while Present continuous presupposes dissatisfaction with an action that is constantly repeated.

Present perfect continuous- a time with a frightening name and a long form of education. But appearance is deceiving, it has only 2 main functions in the language: to show long-term action and action with a result. The rest of the functions can be considered as derivatives. If you suddenly forget how Present perfect continuous, you can always look at the table. And in order not to forget anything, take the test.

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Test

Present Perfect Continuous - present long perfect tense in English

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Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5

If you study it carefully, you will notice that the main meaning of this time is to transfer the connection of a certain process with the present moment. If it's simpler, then a couple present perfect & present perfect continuous very similar to present simple & present continuous. One time in each pair serves for the transmission of facts (results in the case of perfect simple) and the other indicates a process. But these "processes" are not alike.

present perfect continuous rules and examples

So let's consider present perfect continuous rules and examples... There are 3 main cases when it is possible (and even necessary) to use present perfect continuous .

the rule	example	translation
To express a process that has been going on for a period of time but has just ended. It is connected with the present, a certain result is visible.	I have been tidy ing up the house for three hours so I look tired.	I cleaned the house for three hours, so I look tired.
To express an action that began some time ago and still lasts at the moment of speech.	Look! She has been read ing that book since yesterday.	Look! She has been reading that book since yesterday.
To convey an action that has occurred regularly over a long period of time and is still happening.	Every morning he drinks the same coffee. He has been do ing this for five years.	He drinks the same coffee every morning. He has been doing this for five years.

Peculiarities of using present perfect continuous. Questions and denials

Have consumption present perfect continuous very similar to normal perfect time. Just for present perfect continuous not the 3rd form of the semantic verb is used, but the ingo one. You must have noticed the ending –Ing in each example. If you need to form a negation, use ‘Haven’t been’ and ‘Hasn’t been’. Use present perfect continuous in questions, it is limited to the need to make an auxiliary verb in front of the subject. Take a look at the following examples.

(-) She hasn’t been ask ing any questions for three days. - She doesn't ask anything for 3 days.

(?) Has it been rain ing here? - Was it raining here?

How to train the difference between the present perfect and the present perfect continuous?

We hope this article on the topic “ present perfect continuous rules and examples”Helped you figure it out. We wish you success in conquering the heights of the English language and will be happy to help you in learning it!

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>> The present Perfect Progressive Tense

Use of Present Perfect Progressive

Present Perfect Progressive is used to express an ongoing action that began in the past, is still ongoing in the present, and sums up the duration of this action in a certain way.

Jeff and Emily haven "t been playing golf for three hours.

General question(OB)

HasJeff been playing tennis for two hours? - Yes, he has.

Alternative Question (AB)

AB= ОВ + or + ОВ?

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Present Perfect Continuous Education
(have / has been +… -ing)

Present Perfect Continuous (Present Perfect Progressive) formed by to be in the shape of ( have been, has been) and the forms of the present participle of the semantic verb: I have been working.
When adding endings to verbs -ing sometimes there are changes in their spelling, for example have / hav ing... Additionally about.

Affirmative form		negative form		Interrogative form
I	have been working	I	have not been working	Have	I	been working?
he she it	has been working	he she it	has not been working	Has	he she it
we you they	have been working	we you they	have not been working	Have	we you they

Abbreviated forms:

'Ve= have
’S= has
haven’t= have not
hasn’t= has not

Using Present Perfect Continuous

1. An action that began in the past has continued for some period up to the present, and which is still ongoing at the present time. The period of time during which the action lasted is always indicated or implied: marker words ( for… hours / weeks / years - for… hours / weeks / years, since 10 o'clock - from 10 o'clock, since morning - in the morning, since 2005 - from 2005). Often Present Perfect Continuous is translated with an adverb already.

Examples: I have been working since 9 o'clock in the morning... - I have been working since 9 o'clock in the morning.
She has been living in Venice for 2 years... - She has been living in Venice (already) for 2 years.

2. The action is usual, constant, i.e. what happens in general, but with an indication of how long the action takes (used with marker words). If it is not indicated how long the action takes, then instead of Present Perfect Continuous, (action that took place at the time of speech) or (ordinary, constant action) is used.

Examples: It has been snowing for 2 days... - It's been snowing (already) 2 days. (indicating how long the action takes - within 2 days)
It is snowing... - Snowing. (without specifying how long the action takes)
She has been studying French for 10 years... - She teaches French(10 years already. (indicating how long the action takes place - within 10 years)
She is studying French. - She is learning French. (without specifying how long the action takes)

3. Sometimes, instead of Present Perfect Continuous, Present Perfect can be used. If the speaker wants to emphasize the duration of the action, the Present Perfect Continuous is used, and if the fact of the action is being emphasized, the Present Perfect is used.

Examples: I have been working there since 1997... - I've been working here since 1997. (the goal is to emphasize the duration of the action)
I have worked there since 1997... - I have been working here since 1997. (the goal is to emphasize the fact of the action)

4. Used in interrogative sentences with interrogative words ( since when - since what time, since when, how long - how long, how long), if it comes about the period that precedes the moment of speech.

Examples:How long have you been sitting here? - How long have you been sitting here?

5. Not used with verbs that do not have the Continuous form ( to be, to have, to love, to hate). Instead of Present Perfect Continuous, Present Perfect is used. Additionally about.

Examples: How long have you known her? - How long have you known her?