Perfect continuous tenses

The perfect continuous tenses describe an action that goes on for a period of time up to a certain point: now (present perfect continuous) or a moment in the past (past perfect continuous).

Key facts

  • Present perfect continuous: ⟦have⟧ / ⟦has⟧ + ⟦been⟧ + verb-⟦ing⟧: ⟦I have been waiting for an hour.⟧ ⟦She has been studying all morning.⟧
  • Use it for an action that started in the past and is still going on, or has only just stopped: ⟦You're out of breath. Have you been running?⟧
  • Past perfect continuous: ⟦had⟧ + ⟦been⟧ + verb-⟦ing⟧: ⟦They had been playing for two hours when it started to rain.⟧
  • ⟦for⟧ + a length of time (⟦for ten minutes⟧, ⟦for ages⟧); ⟦since⟧ + the moment it started (⟦since Monday⟧, ⟦since 2020⟧).
  • Verbs for states (⟦know⟧, ⟦like⟧, ⟦own⟧, ⟦believe⟧) are not usually used in the continuous: ⟦I have known her for years⟧, not ⟦I have been knowing her⟧.

Worked examples

Example 1

Complete with the present perfect continuous: ⟦She ___ (learn) Arabic since January.⟧

  1. ⟦She⟧ takes ⟦has⟧.
  2. ⟦has⟧ + ⟦been⟧ + ⟦learning⟧.

Answer: ⟦has been learning⟧

Example 2

Choose ⟦for⟧ or ⟦since⟧: ⟦We have been waiting ___ twenty minutes.⟧

  1. ⟦twenty minutes⟧ is a length of time.
  2. A length of time takes ⟦for⟧.

Answer: ⟦for⟧

Example 3

Complete with the past perfect continuous: ⟦He was tired because he ___ (run).⟧

  1. The running went on up to a moment in the past (when he was tired).
  2. ⟦had⟧ + ⟦been⟧ + ⟦running⟧.

Answer: ⟦had been running⟧