Present Perfect Progressive
We use the present perfect progressive tense (also called the present perfect continuous tense) to express an action or event that started in the past and is still in progress.
- I have been learning English since I was 10.
- She has been playing tennis for over 20 years.
- They have been waiting for a very long time.
Form: subject + have been/has been + verb-ing
| Positive | Negative | Question |
| I have been watching. | I haven’t been watching. | Have I been watching? |
| You have been working. | You haven’t been working. | Have you been working? |
| She has been waiting. | She hasn’t been waiting. | Has she been waiting? |
We can use the words “who, what, when, where, why, how” before “have” or “has” in interrogative sentences.
- What have I been watching?
- Why have you been working?
- How long has she been waiting?
Contractions in the present perfect progressive tenses.
| Long form | Short form |
| I have been waiting. | I‘ve been waiting. |
| I have not been waiting. | I haven’t been waiting. |
| You have been waiting. | You‘ve been waiting. |
| You have not been waiting. | You haven’t been waiting. |
| She has been waiting. | She‘s been waiting. |
| She has not been waiting. | She hasn’t been waiting. |
| It has been waiting. | It‘s been waiting. |
| They have been waiting. | They‘ve been waiting. |
Short answers in present perfect progressive tenses
- Have you been learning English for a long time? — Yes, I have [we cannot use any contraction in positive answers]; – No. I haven’t.
- Has she been playing tennis? — Yes, she has. – No, she hasn’t.
We don’t use “for” with phrases like “all day, all night, all week, etc.”
- ꭗ It has been raining for all week. ✓ It has been raining all week.
- ꭗ He has been coughing for all night. ✓ He has been coughing all night.
We cannot use stative verbs in the present perfect continuous tense in English.
- ꭗ I have been knowing Jane for a long time. ✓ I have known Jane for a long time.
- ꭗ She has been wanting to visit Canada for years. ✓ She has wanted to visit Canada for years.
Present Perfect Progressive, envocabulary.com
