Table IX

Perfect Continuous Tenses

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

It expresses an action that has recently stopped or just stopped or it is still happening.

I have been waiting for you for 4 hours

PastPerfectContinuousTense

It expresses continuous action that had been happening for a period of time before something else happened.

When I came into the ward the X-ray consultant had already been examining images for half an hour

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

It expresses continuous action in future. Itwillhavestartedbeforethedefinitemomentinfutureandwillcontinueлось до определенного момента в будущем и будет продолжаться до этого момента, о котором идет речь

By next week you will have been studying in this class for 4 months

Future Perfect Continuous Tense in the Past

It is used in subordinate

clause if the verb of the main sentence is in the past.

She said that by the next month her mother would have been working in the hospital for 2 years

Affirmative Form

Interrogative Form

Negative Form

I have been living

Have I been living?

I have not been living

You have been living

Have you been living?

You have not been living

He (she, it) has been living

Has he (she, it) been living?

He (she, it) has not been living

We have been living

Have we been living?

We have not been living

They have been living

Have they been living?

They have not been living

Affirmative Form

Interrogative Form

Negative Form

I had been working

Had I been working?

I had not been working

You had been working

Had you been working?

You had not been working

He (she, it) had been working

Had he (she, it) been working?

He (she, it) had not been working

We had been working

Had we been working?

We had not been working

They had been working

Had they been working?

They had not been working