The present perfect continuous

The Present Perfect Continuous is formed by means of the Present Perfect of the auxiliary verb “to be” (have/has been) and Participle I of the notional verb. In the interrogative form the first auxiliary verb is placed before the subject. In the negative form the negative particle “not” is placed after the first auxiliary verb.

I have been working. She has been working.

I have not been working. She has not been working.

Have you been working? Has she been working?

The contracted forms are:

I’ve been working. She’s been working.

I haven’t been working. She hasn’t been working.

The negative-interrogative forms are:

Have you not been working? = Haven’t you been working?

Has she not been working? = Hasn’t she been working?

The use of the present perfect continuous

1.We use the Present Perfect Continuous to denote an action which began before the moment of speaking and continuous into it or up to it:

I’ve been making excuses for him all my life.

2.We use the Present Perfect Continuous when we talk about an action which began in the past and has recently or just stopped (there is a connection with now):

You are out of breath. Have you been running? (You are out of breath now.)

3.We also use this tense with “How long, for… and since….” to denote an action which is still happening or has just stopped:

How long have you been learning English. (You are still learning English.)

It has been raining for two hours. (It is still raining)

4.The Present Perfect Continuous is used in negative sentences, but in this case the negation does not refer to the action itself but to the circumstances attending the action:

I’m sorry I’m late. I hope you have not been waiting for me. (i.e. that I know you have been waiting, but I hope that it is not for me)

5.This tense is sometimes found with stative verbs:

“Do you know Mr. Smith?” “Oh, yes. We have been seeing him every day.” ()

There’s one thing I’ve been meaning to ask you.

6.The action of the subordinate clauses parallel to that of the principal clause as they both began at the same time in the past and continue up to the moment of speaking:

He has been reading since he has been working in the library.

Note! We do not usually use the Present Perfect Continuous in the Passive.

The patient’s heart rate has been being monitored continuously

The nurses have been monitoring the patient’s heart rate continuously.

The Present Perfect	The Present Perfect Continuous
Completion (how much, how many, how many times): This country has welcomed several hundred refugees from Kosovo in the last few weeks.	Continuation (how long): This country has been welcoming political refugees for many years.
Repeated action: She has played with the symphony orchestra three times this season	Duration of action: She has been playing with the symphony orchestra all season.
Permanent situation: People have eaten a lot less meat over the last twenty years or so.	Temporary situation: People have been eating less meat recently because of the crisis.
Focus on present result: I’ve done the accounts – here they are.	Focus on the activity: I’ve been doing my accounts all afternoon.