A: How long have you been waiting?
B: I've been waiting for three hours.
Present Perfect Continuous
have or has + been + verb ~ing
Positive & Negative Sentences
| I You We They |
have 've have not haven't |
been | raining waiting working |
for a few hours. in line for twenty minutes. today since 8 AM. |
| He She It |
has 's has not hasn't |
Questions
| Have | I you we they |
been | raining waiting working |
for a few hours? in line for twenty minutes? today since 8 AM? |
| Has | he she it |
Use
How Long?
We can use the Present Perfect to describe things that started in the past and continue now:
Example #1
- I came to work at 8 AM this morning.
- Now, it is 1 PM. I'm at work now.
- I've been at work since 8 AM this morning.
Example #2
- It started raining two hours ago.
- It's raining now.
- It's been raining for two hours.
Example #3
- I moved to Vancouver three months ago.
- I am living in Vancouver now.
- I've been living in Vancouver for three months.
Example #4
- Kazu bought her sedan six weeks ago.
- She has the sedan now.
- She's had her sedan for six weeks.
Simple or Continuous?
Present Simple ➝ Present Perfect Simple
Chris has a red sports car. He's had the car for two years.
I know Frank. I've known him since we were kids.
We're married. We've been married for eight months.
Present Continuous ➝ Present Perfect Continuous
I'm waiting in heavy traffic. I've been waiting here for a few hours.
It's raining. It's been raining since 6.
We're working. We've been working for many hours.
How Long Have You...?
How long have you been here?
How long have they been restoring vehicles?
How long has it been raining?
Since & For
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