How to Use the Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Continuous
Hi, I’m Kasia. Welcome to Oxford
Online English! In this lesson,
you can learn about the present perfect simple
and present perfect continuous verb forms.
What’s the difference between ‘I have done’
and ‘I have been doing?’ When should you
use the present perfect continuous? You’ll see
the answers to these questions in this lesson.
Before we start, do you find it difficult
to listen to English for long periods?
No problem – use the English subtitles to
help yourself understand! Turn them on now;
just click the ‘CC’ button in the
bottom right of your video player,
or, if you’re watching on a
smartphone, tap the settings button.
But now, let’s start with a basic point: what
is the present perfect continuous verb tense?
Hey! Sorry I’m late…
Where have you been? I’ve been
trying to call you all morning!
Have you been waiting long?
Not so long. I just didn’t know where you were.
I’ve been preparing for this lesson for the
last few hours. I just lost track of time!
So, let’s start!
Look at three sentences you heard in the dialogue.
Do you know how to complete them?
Look at the full sentences.
These all use the same verb form –
the present perfect continuous. Some
questions. One: how do you make positive
and negative sentences, and questions?
Two: what does this verb form mean?
We’ll spend the rest of this
lesson answering question two,
but let’s look at the first question now.
Form the present perfect continuous with
three things. Firstly, ‘have’ or ‘has’.
Then, add ‘been’.
Then, add an -ing verb.
Let’s try it now. Look at three
sentences. Can you make them
present perfect continuous? Pause the
video and say the sentences out loud,
using the present perfect continuous verb form.
Could you do it? Let’s check the answers.
Did you get them right?
Next, to make a negative,
just add ‘not’ after ‘have’ or ‘has’. For
example: I have been working all morning;
I have not been working all morning.
She has been waiting there for hours;
she has not been waiting there for hours.
Actually, we’re emphasising the word ‘not’ so you
can hear it, but in natural speech, you should
use contractions, like ‘haven’t’ or ‘hasn’t’.
‘I haven’t been working all morning.’
‘She hasn’t been waiting there for hours.’
What about the last sentence?
Can you make it negative? Make
the negative form and say it
out loud. Use a contraction.
The answer is ‘it hasn’t been
raining.’ Did you get it?
Finally, make questions in the present
perfect continuous by moving ‘have’ or
‘has’ before the subject.
For example: ‘Has she been
waiting there for hours?’
‘Has it been raining?’
These rules will help you to form the
present perfect continuous verb tense. But,
how do you use it? What does it mean?
Let’s start to answer that question.
How long have you been doing this?
This? You mean, making this video?
I mean teaching. How long have you been teaching?
Ooh… For over ten years now.
Should we take a break?
We’ve been working for hours.
Sure. Want to get a doughnut
or something from the bakery?
Hmmm… Better not. I’ve been trying
to cut down on how much sugar I eat.
Well, how about a coffee, instead?
Good idea!
Look at four examples of the
present perfect continuous which you heard.
Can you see what connects them?
In all four sentences, you’re talking
about something which started in the past,
and continues in the present.
This can be a continuous action;
something which started before now, and
continued without a break until now.
For example, if you say ‘We’ve been
working for hours’, you mean that
we started working several hours ago, and
we’ve continued working from then until now.
You can also use the present perfect continuous
for repeated or regular actions. For example,
if I say ‘I’ve been teaching for over ten
years now’, I mean that this is something
I’ve been doing regularly, starting
over ten years ago and continuing now.
So, to use the present perfect continuous
in this way, three things need to be true.
One: the action must have started in the past.
Two: the action must be something
continuous, or repeated regularly.
Three: you must still be doing
this thing now, in the present.
Let’s practise! Look at three questions.
Pause the video and try to answer the questions,
using the present perfect continuous. Say
your answers out loud. If it’s difficult,
repeat your answers until you can
produce them fluently. Try it now!
Could you do it? Was it easy or difficult?
Of course, there are many possibilities,
but let’s look at three sample answers.
For question one, you could say
‘I’ve been cleaning my room and
doing a little bit of English study.’
For question two, you could say ‘I’ve
been watching a show called Dark on Netflix.’
For question three, you could say ‘So far this
week, I’ve mostly been hanging out at home and
reading. I have a good book I want to finish!’
This is the most basic way to use
the present perfect continuous. But,
there’s another important use of
this verb tense – let’s look now.
What happened to your hands? They’re filthy!
I’ve been working on my bike.
Well, go and wash them! I don’t
want you getting everything dirty.
Why are you in such a bad mood?
I’ve been working on my website…
Not going well?
No!
Look at the first two lines from the dialogue.
A question: is she working on her bike now?
The answer is ‘no’. So, why use the
present perfect continuous here? The
action has finished; it’s in the past.
Shouldn’t we use a past verb tense?
You use the present perfect continuous here for
a continuous action which finished recently and
which has visible results now.
Or, more simply: use the present
perfect continuous to explain why
things look they way they look now.
For example: ‘Why are you so sweaty?
I’ve been jogging.’
‘Why is the kitchen in such a mess?
I’ve been cooking all afternoon.’
‘You look tired. Yeah, I’ve been
working too much this week.’
OK, now you know the two basic ways to
use the present perfect continuous. Next,
another important question: how do you know
when to use the present perfect continuous,
and when to use the simple form?
Did you hear? Jen’s getting married!
Really? That’s good news, I guess.
‘I guess’?
Well, how long have they been together?
I last saw her three months ago,
and she didn’t say anything
about being in a relationship.
I think they’ve been going
out for a couple of months.
That’s not long…
Maybe not, but I think they’ve known each
other for longer. Anyway, she seems really
happy. She’s so excited about the wedding –
she’s been talking about it non-stop for weeks.
I bet.
Let’s look at two sentences you heard.
These are describing similar
situations. So, why use different verb forms?
The verb in the first sentence – ‘go out’ – is
an action. But, in the second sentence, the verb
– know – describes a state, not an action.
What does this mean? ‘Knowing’ someone is a state.
It’s not something you do. If you know someone,
then you know them. You know them today,
and you’ll know them tomorrow, too.
State verbs include ‘be’, ‘like’,
‘believe’, ‘understand’ or ‘seem’.
Many verbs which relate to feelings
or mental states are state verbs.
State verbs aren’t generally used in continuous
forms. If you’re using a state verb, like ‘be’,
you should use the present perfect
simple tense, not the continuous.
Let’s test this quickly. Look at two
more sentences from the dialogue.
Do these verbs refer to states, or actions? Should
they be present perfect simple, or continuous? Try
to remember, or work out the answers! Pause
the video if you need more time to think.
Let’s check.
‘Be’ is a state verb, so it
should be present perfect simple.
‘Talk’ is an action – it’s something you do. So,
it should be present perfect continuous here.
There’s one exception to this rule: ‘want’ is
a state verb, but you can use it in the present
perfect continuous. For example: ‘I’ve
been wanting to see this film for ages!’
‘Actually, I’ve been wanting to talk
to you about this for some time.’
You could also use the simple form here –
I’ve wanted – it doesn’t matter which you use.
In this section, you’ve learned a basic way to
tell the difference between the simple
and continuous present perfect forms.
In our final section, you’ll see
one more important difference
between these two verb tenses.
Haven’t you started cooking yet? Everyone
will be here in less than an hour!
I have started… I mean, I’ve
chopped all the vegetables.
But, the stew will take at least two hours to
cook. There’s no way it’ll be ready in time!
Well, you could have helped me… I’ve been doing
everything myself, and it’s a lot of work.
Yeah, you know what else is a lot of work?
Cleaning the whole house! I’ve been vacuuming,
mopping, dusting… I’ve cleaned both bathrooms.
I haven’t just been sitting around all day.
OK, well, have you finished?
Can you give me a hand now?
Sure, I’m free now. What needs doing?
Actually, you know what? We’ve run out
of milk. Could you pop out and get some?
Yeah, OK.
Look at a sentence you heard.
Let’s add another one.
These are both possible,
but they have slightly different
meanings. Can you explain the difference?
The first sentence, with the present
perfect simple, focuses on the result
of the action. Using the simple form shows
that you have finished this and there is
a result – in this case, the vegetables
are chopped and ready to go in the stew.
The second sentence, with the present perfect
continuous, focuses on the process. If
you say ‘I’ve been chopping the vegetables’,
there’s no clear result. Using the continuous
form simply shows that you’ve spent time on
this thing, and you’re probably not finished.
Let’s practise this point. Look at four sentences.
Here’s a task for you: in these sentences, can you
use the present perfect simple, or the continuous,
or both? If both are possible, is
the meaning the same, or different?
Pause the video and think about your ideas.
Take your time! Start again when you’re ready.
OK? Let’s look together.
In number one, only the simple form is possible.
This is because there’s a number – you’ve called
five times – which shows a clear result.
In sentence two, both are possible,
but the continuous is more likely.
There’s no difference in meaning.
This is because you still haven’t arrived,
so there’s no result. Probably,
you want to focus on the process,
meaning how much time you’ve spent driving.
In sentence three, both are possible,
with little difference in meaning.
This is because you can focus on the
result – you’ve finished watching
many documentaries – or you can
focus on the process – you’ve spent
time watching nature documentaries.
Confusing? Don’t worry about it. Here, the basic
meaning is the same whichever form you use.
In sentence four, both are possible,
but here the meaning would be different.
If you say ‘I’ve made a
soup for lunch’, then you’ve
finished cooking, and the soup is ready to eat.
If you use the continuous form, then you probably
haven’t finished. I’ve spent some time cooking,
but there’s probably no result – meaning no soup.
Maybe you’re thinking: why
‘probably?’ It’s a good question!
It’s because the sentence just doesn’t
contain that information. If you say
‘I’ve been making a soup for lunch,’ there’s no
information about whether you’ve finished or not.
But, if you had finished, you’d almost certainly
use the present perfect simple – ‘I’ve made a
soup.’ So, using the continuous strongly
suggests that you haven’t finished.
That’s all. Thanks for watching!
See you next time!