Level Four
Lesson 46
present perfect continuous tense
The best time to learn about the present perfect continuous tense is after you study the present perfect tenses, which you did in Lessons 43 to 45.
Use this verb tense for a continuous activity that started in the past and continues to the present.
- I have been working on my website.
- You have been coming here to study English.
- It has been raining here a lot lately.
- We’ve been having a good summer.
- The people who live across the street have been doing some landscaping work.
- My son has been helping with the work.
- I’ve been enjoying my summer. How about you?
Notice that in this verb tense, you always use “been” after “has” or “have.”
I have been teaching for over 30 years.
- subject = I
- helping verbs = have been
- main verb = teaching (teach)
- preposition = for
- time expression = over 30 years
46a. present perfect continuous tense 
have or has + been + _____ing
The helping verb, “have,” must match the subject, singular or plural. Then you always use “been” followed by the main verb. The main verb must have an “ing” ending.
singular
I have been baking.
You have been baking.
He has been baking.
She has been baking.
It has been baking.
plural
We have been baking.
You have been baking.
They have been baking.
bake / baked / baked / baking
It’s important to remember that this verb tense is for activity that began in the past and still ongoing.
46a. Examples
- Olivia has been baking.
- She’s been making cookies. (She’s = She has)
- Everyone has been eating her delicious cookies.
Complete the exercise below. You may also print this out and use it for your class whether you are a teacher or a student.
present perfect continuous tense (PDF)
Directions: Write the main verb in the present perfect continuous tense.
1. She _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for her exams all week. (study)
2. They _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ on this project since Monday. (work)
3. I _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for you for over two hours. (wait)
4. He _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the guitar since he was five years old. (play)
5. We _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ across the U.S. this summer. (travel)
6. Your brother _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to contact you. (try)
7. The children _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ outside all afternoon. (play)
8. He _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Spanish in school. (learn)
9. I _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ about moving to a new city. (think)
10. The girls _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ their dance routine for hours. (practice)
11. She _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ about Roman history. (read)
12. We _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ about getting a cat. (talk)
13. He _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ his skills thanks to his teacher. (improve)
14. The team _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for the Olympics. (get ready)
15. I _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the house all day. (clean)
16. She _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ a lot lately. (paint)
17. The city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the event since last year. (plan)
18. Bill _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ every morning for the past few months. (jog)
19. We _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for a solution to the problem. (search)
20. Barb _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for the wedding since last December. (prepare)
46b. present perfect continuous tense
negative
To make the negative, add “not” to the verb “have.”
singular
I have not been been studying.
You have not been studying.
He has not been studying.
She has not been studying.
It has not been studying.
plural
We have not been studying.
You have not been studying.
They have not been studying.
Contractions are common:
- She hasn’t been studying. (hasn’t = has not)
- We haven’t been studying. (haven’t = have not)
46b. Examples
- Irma has not been feeling well.
- She hasn’t been eating very much lately. (hasn’t = has not)
- They have not been using their cars much lately.
- They city has been making it easier for people to get around by bike.
46c. present perfect continuous tense
questions
When putting a question together, the verb “have” goes before the subject.
singular
Have I been sleeping?
Have you been sleeping?
Has he been sleeping?
She has not been studying.
It has not been studying.
plural
We have not been studying.
You have not been studying.
They have not been studying.
- Have you been getting enough sleep lately?
- Have you been going to sleep late?
- Has he been exercising?
- Has she been feeling better lately?
- Has it been raining a lot here?
46c. Example
- Has she been sleeping?
- Have you been feeding her?
- Has she been playing a lot?
46d. present perfect continuous tense
information questions
Information questions begin with words such as what, who, why, where, how much, how many, etc.
- What have you been doing lately?
- How have you been feeling?
- Why has it been taking so long to finish this?
- Where has Victor been living these days?
- Who has been eating all the candy? (Notice the subject in this question is “who.”)
46d. Examples
- What has she been doing with her time lately?
- Why has she been baking so much?
- Where has she been keeping the cookies?
- What have they been talking about?
- How much time have they been spending together these days?
Complete the exercise below. You may also print this out and use it for your class whether you are a teacher or a student.
present perfect continuous tense questions (PDF)
Present Perfect Continuous Tense – Questions
Directions: Form information questions in the present perfect continuous tense.
1. How long _ _ _ _ _ _ _ you _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ there? (work)
2. Why _ _ _ _ _ _ _ he _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ so much trouble? (have)
3. What _ _ _ _ _ _ _ she _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ with her life? (do)
4. What kind of fruit _ _ _ _ _ _ _ you _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ this summer? (get)
5. What _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ wrong? (do)
6. Why _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Edgar _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ so much? (cough)
7. How much _ _ _ _ _ _ _ they _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for rent? (paying)
8. How long _ _ _ _ _ _ _ we _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in this apartment? (live)
9. Where _ _ _ _ _ _ _ your mother _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ her money? (put)
10. Who (or Whom) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Tom _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to? (talk)
11. Who _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ our mail? (deliver)
12. What time _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Pam _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in the morning? (wake up)
13. How long _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the company_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ on this? (work)
14. How much time _ _ _ _ _ _ _ they _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ together? (spend)
15. Why _ _ _ _ _ _ _ you _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ such long hours? (work)
16. What kind of noises _ _ _ _ _ _ _ your car _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ? (make)
17. Which doctor _ _ _ _ _ _ _ she _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ? (see)
18. How long _ _ _ _ _ _ _ it _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ there? (sit)
19. How much attention _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Ed _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for his work? (get)
20 Why _ _ _ _ _ _ _ we _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ money to them? (give)
Go to the next lesson to learn about how adverbs are used in English.