students talking in a class

A: How long have you been studying in this class?

B: I started in January, so I've been here for two months.

Present Perfect Continuous

have or has + been + verb ~ing

Positive & Negative Sentences

I
You
We
They
have
have not / haven't
been customizing
waiting
wearing
cars for many years
here for a long time.
glasses since elementary school.
He
She
It
has
has not / hasn't

Questions

Have I
You
We
They
been customizing
waiting
wearing
cars for many years?
here for a long time?
glasses since elementary school?
Has He
She
It

Use

How Long?

Another way to use the Present Perfect is to describe actions or situations that started in the past but are not finished. When we do this, we are often describing an action's duration: how long it has been happening. English speakers usually do this in the Present Perfect Continuous tense:

  • Mary has been working here since she was 22.
  • They have been studying English for two months.
  • I have been learning to play the piano for a while.

Simple or Continuous?


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