2.2.2: Present Perfect Progressive Tense
- Page ID
- 359490
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Present Perfect Progressive Tense
| 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) |

