Present Perfect Continuous: Still Going
have/has been + -ing: the action started in the past and is still running — or just finished with the wet paint still visible.
Present Perfect Continuous
The action that will not stop
The present perfect continuous shows an action that started in the past and is either still going, or just stopped with the evidence still fresh. It is the present perfect with the camera running.
Still going
started then, continues nowI have been waiting for an hour
Wet paint
just finished, result visibleYou have been crying
How long...?
the favourite questionHow long have you been learning English?
since / for partners
same words as the present perfectShe has been working here since March
⚠️ have/has + been + verb-ing. The continuous twin of the present perfect.
The Formula
have/has + been + verb-ing
Three parts, one machine: the helper have or has, the middle piece been, and the -ing verb that never disappears.
Ihave been workingall day
Shehas been sleepingfor two hours
Ithasn't been rainingmuch
How long have youbeen learningEnglish?
Common Mistakes
Four still-going slips
The engine stalls when the -ing is dropped, when has chases the wrong subject, or when this tense tries to drive into a finished past moment.
I have been work all day.
I have been working all day.
💡 The -ing is the engine of this tense.
She have been sleeping for two hours.
She has been sleeping for two hours.
💡 has goes with she.
I am working here since 2020.
I have been working here since 2020.
💡 Since + a starting point needs the present perfect continuous for ongoing actions.
I have been going to London yesterday.
I went to London yesterday.
💡 A finished moment in the past takes the past simple.
Quick Quiz
Test what you just learned
Three minutes, five questions — check what stuck. No essay questions, we promise.
I have been ___ English for three years.
💡 Extra info2 sections
Continuous or Simple?
One question picks the twin
The present perfect and its continuous twin look at the same bridge — one films the road, the other takes a photo.
Since & For, One More Time
Start with since, stretch with for
This tense lives with since and for. A one-glance reminder of the pair.
Since + a point
the starting linesince Monday · since 9 a.m.
For + a period
the stretchfor two weeks · for ages
⚠️ Point → since. Stretch → for.