
Look at these examples to see how the present perfect simple and continuous are used.
We've painted the bathroom.
She's been training for a half-marathon.
I've had three coffees already today!
They've been waiting for hours.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
We use both the present perfect simple (have or has + past participle) and the present perfect continuous (have or has + been + -ing form) to talk about past actions or states which are still connected to the present.
Focusing on result or activity
The present perfect simple usually focuses on the result of the activity in some way, and the present perfect continuous usually focuses on the activity itself in some way.
Present perfect simple | Present perfect continuous |
Focuses on the result | Focuses on the activity |
You've cleaned the bathroom! It looks lovely! | I've been gardening. It's so nice out there. |
Says 'how many' | Says 'how long' |
She's read ten books this summer. | She's been reading that book all day. |
Describes a completed action | Describes an activity which may continue |
I've written you an email. | I've been writing emails. |
When we can see evidence of recent activity | |
The grass looks wet. Has it been raining? I know, I'm really red. I've been running! |
Ongoing states and actions
We often use for, since and how long with the present perfect simple to talk about ongoing states.
How long have you known each other?
We've known each other since we were at school.
We often use for, since and how long with the present perfect continuous to talk about ongoing single or repeated actions.
How long have they been playing tennis?
They've been playing tennis for an hour.
They've been playing tennis every Sunday for years.
Sometimes the present perfect continuous can emphasise that a situation is temporary.
I usually go to the gym on the High Street, but it's closed for repairs at the moment so I've been going to the one in the shopping centre.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
Hello Ahmed Imam,
I think both are possible and there's really little difference in meaning as both are asking about an open time period.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Ahmed Imam,
The difference here is one of emphasis. The simple form emphasises the result of a particular action - my eyes are tired, I'm bored with TV etc. The continuous form emphasises the effort or duration of an activity - this is too much TV, the evening was a waste of time etc. Both are possible; the choice is up to the speaker and what they want to communicate.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
No is not
Hello Maahir,
'hate' is a stative verb and is generally not used in continuous forms. It's an ongoing state.
For 2, we can see that only a little bit of bread is left. We are seeing the evidence of recent activity and so the continuous form is best here.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Timothy555,
Yes, that's right. It means ongoing single actions or ongoing repeated actions.
For repeated actions, 'ongoing' refers to the repetition of the action - that is, the repetition is ongoing, and has not ceased yet (as opposed to a repeated action that is no longer ongoing, e.g., I used to play tennis every Sunday for years, but I don't anymore).
I hope that helps.
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello tami,
If you see evidence of someone recently using your mobile, then you should use the present perfect continuous: 'Who has been using my mobile?'
I'm not sure if you'd be familiar with the story of Goldilocks and the three bears, but this reminds me of the father bear, who says 'Someone has been eating my porridge' when he sees that part of his food has been eaten.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello wasan0909,
The first one is correct and the fourth one is correct in a certain situation, for example when you're talking about your life experience. It means that you had a panic attack at one point in your life.
Hope this helps.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi vanshh03,
The first one is correct. :)
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Nik,
I think there are several ways to say this:
I think the simple form (I've eaten) rather than the continuous form (I've been eating) is better here as we are talking about the action as a whole rather than the process of eating.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Fr,
In terms of the table above, I'd say it says 'how long'.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello merkaz,
Neither form is incorrect but I would say that the second example is better. The present perfect continuous emphasises that the action (working) is not complete, which is appropriate in this context.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Stellaaa,
The difference is primarily one of emphasis. The simple form (had waited) focuses on the action as a single unit, while the continuous form (had been waiting) emphasises the process or activity.
In practical terms, this generally means that the simple form describes a completed action: I had waited for over two months, but the waiting was over. The continuous form suggests that the waiting was not finished: I had been waiting for over two months, and may be waiting a little longer.
Note that these are questions of perspective rather than fact: we are talking about how the speaker sees the situation, not how the situation really is. Thus, when the speaker uses the continuous form (in the past - had been waiting - or the present - have been waiting) they are signalling that they were/are still in the mental state of waiting. That is to say that they are still irritated or frustrated, for example. When the speaker uses the simple form they are signalling that they consider the waiting to be complete and, probably, behind them; they can look back on the waiting as something prior.
Incidentally, this page is about the present perfect simple and continuous rather than the past perfect. The forms work in the same way with a simple time shift (now > then), but you may find it useful to look at this page and some of the questions and answers in the comments:
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar-reference/past-perfect
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Yigitcan,
Both the simple and continuous forms are possible here. It really depends on the speaker. If you want to focus on the ongoing situation (no rain) then the continuous is more likely. If you want to focus on the result (a drought) then the simple is more likely.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Maya.micheal,
You're right! Although all three examples start with the result of the action, the second sentence in each example focuses on the activity. The speaker is interested in what activity has caused the result that he/she can see. So, the present perfect continuous is the best choice here.
Best wishes,
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello DaniWeebKage,
I'd encourage you to ask your teacher about that. There is probably some context (that I can't think of right now) in which present perfect simple would make sense there, but in general I think the continuous form is best.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello DaniWeebKage,
It is possible to use the present simple tense to tell a story about the past -- if you follow the link and look at the 'Advanced' section on the page, you'll see some examples of this. I'm not sure if that's what you meant with your sentences about Jonas.
This use of the present simple is a little unusual -- people would normally use the past simple in these sentences (assuming that Jonas is now older): 'Jonas didn't write until he was 18'.
Hope this helps.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Khaled hasan,
Generally, the present perfect continuous is used in a context like this, but the present perfect simple is possible too. It really depends on what the speaker wants to emphasise and upon the broader context in which the sentence is used.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Khaled hasan,
Yes, your sentences are tricky!
In sentence 1, I'd say he's been staying (present perfect continuous). The continuous tense emphasises the duration of the activity (for too long).
In sentence 2, I'd say has been using (present perfect continuous). Again, this emphasises that the activity went on a long time, and somebody didn't just use the phone for a moment. That fits the situation, since the battery is nearly dead.
But, I would also say that in real life usage, different answers are acceptable. For example, in sentence 1 we could say he's stayed (present perfect simple) if we want to give a sense that the situation (staying with friends) has reached a point where it must end and cannot continue. We might emphasise different things in different contexts of speaking.
Best wishes,
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Malika_Meg,
Good question! I'll try to explain.
If we say Has someone eaten my bread?, it suggests that the person has eaten all the bread (present perfect simple describing a completed action).
Instead, Has someone been eating my bread? is the better option. We can see the little bit of bread left as evidence of the recent activity.
Does that make sense?
Best wishes,
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Ahmed Imam,
I'll try to explain. The verb reopen is an action that takes place at a single point in time. For example, we can say The Canal reopened in 1976 or The shop reopened last week. ('1976' and 'last week' are points in time.)
But we can't say reopened since 1976, because since indicates a period of time. Since means 'from then until now' (e.g. since 1976 means 'from 1976 until now'). So, it doesn't fit with reopened, which is an action at a single point in time.
Here's another way to think about it. The verb reopen means to 'become open' or 'start to be open'. If we substitute reopened for started to be open, we get: started to be open since 1976. But this doesn't make sense, because since 1976 is a period of time, but started is only a single moment. It doesn't have a duration.
So, we need to make one of these corrections.
Does that make sense?
Best wishes,
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Karan Narang,
I'm afraid we can't do this. There are simply too many possible meanings here depending on the situations in which these were uttered. If you'd like to explain what you understand each sentence means and ask us to confirm your understanding, we can try to do that, but what you are asking here would take more time than we have for responding to comments.
Thanks in advance for your understanding.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Chubbaka,
You could use the present perfect continuous here, but the simple form is better, in my view.
The difference is really one of emphasis. The simple form presents a summary of the activity, while the continuous form emphasises its repeated nature. If the speaker wants to summarise the week to show how worrying the situation is, then the simple is probably best. If the speaker wants to draw attention to the repeated nature of the activity then the continuous is more appropriate.
In your example, the phrase this week suggests that the speaker is summarising the week, so the simple is more likely in my view. Without this phrase, the focus is only on the activity itself, so the continuous would be better.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello asiamotylek92,
The continuous form (has been driving) is the best option here. When we are describing the present result (being an experienced driver) of a repeated activity (driving) over a period of time, then the continuous is generally preferred.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team