Summary
In-depth Explanation
How to Form the Present Perfect Continuous
The present perfect continuous tense is formed with the auxiliary verb “have” (for the subjects “I,” “you,” “we” and “they”) or “has” (for the subjects “he,” “she” and “it”) followed by “been” and the present participle verb form (the base form of a verb plus -ing). This structure is:
[Subject] + have / has been + [present participle]
Here is an example:
Bella has been working since noon.
In this example, we find out that:
Bella started work at noon
Bella is still working
Bella may continue working
The subject is often contracted with the verb “have” or “has.” For example:
Bella’s been working since noon.
They’ve been swimming for an hour.
Here are some more examples of the present perfect continuous tense:
She‘s been studying for two days.
She started studying in the past, continues to study now and could still be studying.
They’ve been working on the project for weeks.
They began working on the project in the past, they are still working on it now and they may continue working on it into the future.
He’s been playing soccer since he was a kid.
He started playing soccer in his childhood, he continues to play soccer now and he could continue playing in the future.
When to Use the Present Perfect Continuous
The present perfect continuous is used in a few key situations:
To show that actions started in the past and are still ongoing in the present (and may continue on into the future). For example:
I have been studying English for two years.
It has been raining all day.
To describe actions that have recently finished and have present results:
She has been running, and now she’s tired.
They have been cooking all morning, so the meal should be ready.
To focus on the duration of the action, rather than the result:
We have been waiting for the bus for 20 minutes.
I have been reading this book for weeks, and I’m still not finished.