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2.2.2: Present Perfect Progressive Tense

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    359490
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    Present Perfect Progressive Tense

    Sentence Structure Breakdown
    Subject Have/Has Been Verb + -ing Rest of Sentence
    I have been studying English for two years.
    You have been working here since Monday.
    We have been waiting for the bus for an hour.
    They have been living in Tokyo since 2020.
    The children have been playing soccer since 3 PM.
    Mei-Hui has been painting landscapes all morning.
    Aleksandr has been learning guitar for six months.
    Maria has been cooking dinner for the past hour.
    Aspect Details
    Form
    have/has + been + verb-ing
    Carlos has been studying Russian literature for three hours.
    Mei-Hui and Yuki have been practicing calligraphy since morning.
    Positive Liheng has been working at the tech company since 2020.
    Rosa and Sadaf have been volunteering at the hospital all week.
    Elvira has been teaching piano lessons for five years.
    Negative Shoko hasn't been feeling well lately.
    Ahmed and Li haven't been attending the cooking classes recently.
    Keiko hasn't been practicing her violin since the concert.
    Question Has Dmitri been learning Ukrainian folk dances?
    Have you been waiting for the bus long?
    How long has Lina been living in Brazil?
    Uses 1. Actions that started in the past and continue to now:
    Hiroshi has been studying medicine for four years. (He still studies medicine)

    2. Recent activities with present results:
    Sarah has been baking cookies. (The kitchen smells wonderful now)

    3. Repeated actions over a period of time:
    The students have been taking practice tests every week.
    Time Expressions
    Duration: for + period of time
    for two hours, for several months, for ages
     
    Starting Point: since + specific time
    since Monday, since 2019, since childhood
     
    Recent Time:
    lately, recently, all morning, all day, this week
    Signal Words Common indicators: How long...?, all day/week/month, lately, recently, for, since, still, just
    "How long have you been waiting?" "I've been waiting for twenty minutes."
    vs. Present Perfect Present Perfect Progressive: Emphasizes duration and ongoing nature
    Pablo has been reading that novel. (Still reading, focus on duration)

    Present Perfect: Emphasizes completion or result
    Pablo has read that novel. (Finished reading, focus on accomplishment)
    Important Note: Some verbs (state verbs) are rarely used in progressive forms: know, believe, love, hate, own, belong, seem, understand. Instead of "I have been knowing him for years," say "I have known him for years."

    2.2.2: Present Perfect Progressive Tense is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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