Present Perfect Continuous Tense: Definition, Structure and Uses

"You have been preparing for upcoming English proficiency exams " that will assess your skills to speak, read, write and listen to the English language. The first sentence mentioned is an example of the Present Perfect Continuous Tense which is used to explain an incident that started in past and is still ongoing.

If you are going to appear in upcoming English proficiency exams like IELTS Exam, PTE, TOEFL and Duolingo English Test then this article will be helpful for you. Present Perfect Continuous Tense is a verb tense that is commonly used to explain an action that started at a certain point of time in the past and is still ongoing. Here, we have mentioned some examples to help you understand this form of tense.

Sentence Forms	Present Perfect Continuous Tense Examples
Positive	Sita has been cooking dinner for two hours
Negative	My laptop has not been working since morning.
Interrogative	Have you been enjoying the whole day?
Interrogative Negative	Has Raj not been sleeping for 5 hours?

Learn about the tenses in English grammar with examples here.

Table of Content

• What is Present Perfect Continuous Tense?
• Present Perfect Continuous Structure
• Use of Present Perfect Continuous Tense
• Common Mistakes Students Should Avoid
• How to Practice for Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Having a good knowledge of all these topics will help you to improve your English proficiency. So let’s start!

What is Present Perfect Continuous Tense?

We use the Present Perfect Continuous tense to denote the actions that started in the past and are STILL GOING ON in the present. It is defined as one of the forms of Present tense. In simple words, if you want to explain that you are in the middle of something (you are doing something that you have started earlier).

Definition of Present Perfect Continuous Tense

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “We use the present perfect continuous to talk about ongoing events or activities which started at a time in the past and are still continuing up until now.”

Present Perfect Continuous Tense examples Examples

Here we have mentioned some examples below:

1. They have been playing outside for hours.
2. We have been learning new languages.
3. She has been playing cricket all night.
4. We have not been waiting here for 10 hours.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense Structure

Now, that you have understood the definition, it’s time to understand the Present Perfect Continuous Tense structure.

	Present Perfect Continuous Structure	Examples
Positive	Subject + has/have been + present participle (verb ending in -ing) + rest of the sentence	She/He (S) has been learning the Japanese language since last week.
Negative	Subject + has/have + Not+ been + present participle (verb ending in -ing) + rest of the sentence	I/We/You (S) have not been learning the French language since last week.
Interrogative	Has/Have +Subject + been + present participle (verb ending in -ing) + rest of the sentence	Has Ram been learning the German language for five hours?
Interrogative Negative	Has/Have +Subject + not + been + present participle (verb ending in -ing) + rest of the sentence	Has she not been learning the Korean language since last week?

Use of Has and Have in Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Here we have mentioned a table that will help you understand the use of Has and Have with different subjects.

Subject (S)	Helping Verb	Verb (ing) Form
I	Have been	sleeping
You	Have been	sleeping
She	Has been	sleeping
He	Has been	sleeping
They	Have been	sleeping
It	Has been	sleeping
We	Have been	sleeping

Fill in the Blanks (Has/Have)

1. They ______ been working on this project for the past two weeks.
2. She ______ been studying French since last year.
3. We ______ been waiting for the bus for an hour.
4. He ______ been playing video games all day.
5. You ______ been eating too much junk food lately.
6. It ______ been raining heavily since morning.
7. They ______ been arguing about the same thing for hours.
8. She ______ been trying to call you all day.
9. We ______ been planning our vacation for months.
10. I ______ been feeling sick since yesterday.

Answers:

1. Have	2. Has	3. Have	4. Has	5. Have
6. Has	7. Have	8. Has	9. Have	10. Have

Also Read:

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Use of Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Now, let’s understand how to use the present perfect continuous tense formula in different situations. Below, we have mentioned a table that will simplify the uses of this tense. We have added a few example sentences to help you.

Situations	Use of Perfect Continuous Tense
Focuses Ongoing action	I have been preparing for the IELTS exam. (Preparation is still going on.) You have not been teaching me properly since last week. (Teaching technique isn’t proper).
Action Repeating	You have been applying to get admission to top universities in the world for years. (You are still applying). It has been raining since last week. (The rain started last week. )
Action Finished in Recent Time and effecting present.	I am so tired, we have been playing all day. (The game is stopped and players are tired)

Some More Examples

• I have been eating too much pasta.
• Dhoni has been playing cricket since 2005.
• IPL has been gaining
• We have been planning to buy a car.
• You have been planning to go on a vacation.

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Use of Since and For

We use since and for with Present Perfect Continuous Tense, so you must understand the differences.

Use “For” With	Use “Since” With
Hours	11:00 AM (Specific Time)
Days	Monday (Day of Weeks)
Weeks	March (Date of Month)
Months	2010 (Year)
Years	-
Ever	-

Examples of Use of Since and For

• She has been working on the article since this morning.
• I have been working on this article for weeks.
• We have been playing football since 5:00 PM.
• You have been trying to get admission to Oxford University for years.
• India has been losing World Cup tournaments for years.

Fill in The Blanks: Use of Since and For

• I have been living in Delhi_____ 2010.
• She has been working at this company _____ five years.
• They have known each other _______ childhood.
• He has been studying French ______ two months.
• We have been waiting _____ morning.

Answers:

1. Since	2. For	3. Since
4. For	5. Since

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Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using Present Perfect Continuous Tense

You must understand common mistakes that most students make while using the Present Perfect Continuous Tense. Here is the list of mistakes that you should avoid.

1. Not using Has/Have accurately-

• Incorrect- We has been playing games for weeks.
• Correct- We have been playing games for weeks.

2. Not Using For/Since accurately-

• Incorrect- Dhoni has been playing cricket for 2005.
• Correct- Dhoni has been playing cricket since 2005.

3. Not using the correct form of the verb

• Incorrect- I have been applied to get the best education loan in India.
• Correct- I have been applying to get an education loan in India.

4. Not adding “Been” in Sentence

• Incorrect- You have working on this article since last Monday.
• Correct- You have been working on this article since last Monday.

Avoiding these common mistakes will help you to improve your knowledge of grammar and tense. This will be helpful for you to prepare for upcoming English proficiency exams.

Also check out:

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How to Practice for Present Perfect Continuous Tense?

It is always said that keep practicing and this will help you improve your knowledge. Below, we have added a few sentences to practice and do self-evaluation real quickly.

Beginner Level Examples

• They have been eating for hours.
• Have you been feeling well?
• I have been working on this project for two hours.
• My mom has been baking cookies all afternoon.
• It has been raining all day.
• We have been learning a new song.

Fill in the Blanks- Beginner-Level

1. Ram ________ (think) about his new house.
2. Rohan _________ (Plan) to get a new car.
3. We_______ (discuss) the plan of action for the next meeting.
4. Kanishk ______ (prepare) for his wedding for years.
5. He _________ (read) newspaper since morning.
6. She _________ (present) her new project.
7. They _________ (listen) to the music.
8. Chandra_________ (read) the new research paper.
9. Students __________ (wait) for teachers since 2023.
10. She _________ (cook) delicious for years.

Answers:

1. Has Been, Thinking	2.Has Been, Planning	3. Have Been, discussing	4. Has Been, Preparing	5. Has Been, Reading
6. Has Been, Presenting	7. Have Been, Listening	8. Have Been, reading	9. Have Been, waiting	10. Has Been, Cooking

Intermediate Level Examples

1. The government has been working for the betterment of people since 2019.
2. Scientists have been exploring Mars since 2008.
3. People have been facing the effects of global warming for years.
4. The author has been revising his manuscript for weeks.
5. India has been developing since 1947.

Fill in the Blanks

1. We _________ (Plan) to get a new car ____ 2019.
2. We_______ (discuss) the plan of action for the next meeting _____ last Monday.
3. Rohit ______ (practice)  to play the next match _____ hours.
4. He _________ (design) a newspaper _____ morning.
5. The team of scientists _________ (work) to find a new vaccine _____ months.
6. Racers ________ (tune) their cars _______ weeks.
7. Students __________ (wait) for teachers ______  2023.
8. She _________ (cook) delicious _____ years.

Answers:

1. Have Been, Planning, Since	2. Have Been, Discussing, Since	3. Has Been, Practicing, For	4. Has Been, Designing, Since
5. Have Been, Working, For	6. Have Been, Tunning, For	7. Have Been, Waiting, Since	8. Have Been, Cooking, For

That’s all about this topic. Now, you have knowledge about the Present Perfect Continuous Tense. You know the definition, structure as well as uses. This knowledge will be especially helpful as you improve your speaking and writing skills, which are both assessed in the upcoming IELTS exam. Keep practicing.

Related Reads:

1. Simple Present Tense
2. Present Continuous Tense
3. Present Perfect Tense
4. Future Plans