3. Paco has been thinking about his travelling adventures

Icono de iDevice Present Perfect Continuous

Let's revise the structure of Present Perfect Continuous first. As you can see, it is very simple and literal translation into Spanish is normally possible.

  PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
AFFIRMATIVE Subject + have/has + been + ing form
NEGATIVE
 Subject + haven't/hasn't + been + ing form
INTERROGATIVE
 Have/Has + subject + been + ing form?

All continuous tenses express an action in progress, so they always take an -ing form.

In fact, the Present Perfect Simple and the Present Perfect Continuous are very similar. However, if the verb expresses no action (a state or condition), then the Present Perfect Continuous is NOT used. For example, the verbs 'to know' or 'to be'.

 

Click on the following video and listen to the different actions. Also write the answers to the questions.

1- How long has he been reading the paper? 

2- How long has he been talking on the phone? 

3- How long has he been using the computer?

4- How long has she been crying?

5- How long has he been looking out the window? 


Pregunta Verdadero-Falso
Read the following sentences in the Present Perfect Simple or Continuous, and decide if they are correct (true) or incorrect (false).


1. I have been knowing my best friend for two years.
By tricky, C. Commons

Verdadero Falso


2. I 've known Marta for a long time.

Verdadero Falso


3. Has Paco been reading about Sierra Leone? Yes, he is.

Verdadero Falso


4. He hasn't been reading anything about this country.

Verdadero Falso


5. Have you arrived yet?

Verdadero Falso
Icono IDevice Important

Remember the rules when adding -ing and -ed to a verb:

-ING  -ED
  • Normally just add -ing: work - working.
  • If the verb ends in -e, eliminate it before adding -ing: live - living.
  • If the verb ends in consonant + vowel + consonant, double the consonant: stop - stopping.
  • If the verb ends in -y, DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING!: study - studying.
  • The general rule is: add -ed to the infinitive form (work-worked).
  • If the verb ends in 'e': just add -d (live-lived).
  • If the verb ends in consonant+vowel+consonant: double the consonant before -ed (stop-stopped).
  • If the verb ends in consonant + y: change 'y' to 'i' and add -ed (study-studied).

Icono IDevice Further knowledge
You should practice the Present Perfect Continuous form by doing this exercise. There are examples in the affirmative, negative and interrogative forms. You should also do another exercise comparing the Present Perfect Simple with the Present Perfect Continuous by clicking here.

Icono de iDevice Actividad de Espacios en Blanco

Complete the following sentences with the appropriate form of the verbs in brackets. You can use any of the past tenses we have seen in this topic. Remember:

PAST SIMPLE for completed actions in the past
PAST PERFECT
earlier action than the past simple
PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE

experiences, connection with the present and with the past;

the results are more important

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
 the activity is more important

1. I (call) you for an hour. Where (be)?

2. I my homework yet (not do) because I (talk) on the phone.

3. I (phone) my cousin a minute ago because he earlier (phone).

4. They just (arrive) from Canada.

5. Mike (not go) to the cinema last night, he (stay) at home.

  

With this section, we finish the past tenses revision. Now we are going to have a look at modal verbs and collocations in the next section. Let's go!
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