Present Perfect Continuous: Form

This tense focuses on the action itself. It focuses on the time you spent. It is not just about the result. It is about the process. Think of a movie. The movie started an hour ago. It is still playing. You are still watching it. You use this grammar to show that flow. It feels active and alive. It is not a finished box. It is an open door. You use it when the action is not done. Or, you use it when the action just finished. But even then, we see the results now. If you are wet, you say: It has been raining. The rain might be gone. But the ground is still wet. Your shoes are wet too. The past is still touching your present moment. It is a very emotional and descriptive tense.

1. 1Building this sentence is like building a sandwich. You need four main layers.
2. 2Start with the Subject. This is the person or thing. Examples are I, You, He, She, It, We, or They.
3. 3Add the Helping Verb. Use have or has. Use has only for He, She, and It. Use have for everyone else.
4. 4Add the word been. This never changes. It is the glue of the sentence.
5. 5Add the Main Verb with -ing. For example, work becomes working. Sleep becomes sleeping.
6. 6So, the full pattern is: Subject + have/has + been + Verb-ing.
7. 7For a question, swap the subject and the helping verb. Have you been waiting?
8. 8For a negative, add not. I have not been sleeping well.
9. 9Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes. They might forget been. But you will be a pro!

Use this when an action started in the past. It continues until right now.

• Scenario: The Job Interview. The manager asks about your experience. You say: I have been working in sales for three years. This sounds professional. It shows your experience is ongoing.
• Scenario: Ordering Food. You are at a busy restaurant. The waiter is late. You tell your partner: We have been sitting here for ten minutes. It expresses your feeling of time.
• Scenario: Asking Directions. You are lost in London. You see a local. You say: I have been looking for the museum for an hour. This shows your effort.

You also use it for repeated actions. I have been calling you all day! This shows you are a bit frustrated. It adds flavor to your English. It tells the listener that the action happened many times.

Do not use this with "State Verbs." These are verbs about feelings or thinking. They are not physical actions.

• Do not say: I have been knowing him.
• Say: I have known him.
• Do not say: I have been liking this pizza.
• Say: I like this pizza.

Verbs like know, like, love, hate, and believe do not like the -ing form. They are static. They are like a photo, not a movie. Also, do not use this for finished actions with no connection to now. If you finished your homework yesterday, just use the Past Simple. I did my homework. This tense is only for things that still matter right now. It is about the "now" and the "how long."

Many people forget the word been. They say: I have working. This is wrong. It sounds like a broken radio. You must include been.

Another mistake is using has for the wrong person. Remember: I, You, We, They all use have. Only the "Third Person" uses has.

People also forget the -ing. They say: I have been work. This is also incorrect. The -ing shows the action is moving.

Finally, don't confuse for and since.

• Use for for a total time. For two hours.
• Use since for a starting point. Since 2:00 PM.

Mixing these up is like putting salt in your coffee. It still works, but it feels a bit wrong!

How is this different from I am working?

I am working is the Present Continuous. It only talks about right now. It does not care about the past.

I have been working talks about the past AND right now. It adds the history of the action.

How is it different from I have worked?

I have worked is the Present Perfect Simple. It focuses on the result. It says the job is done.

I have been working focuses on the time spent. It says the job might still be happening.

Think of a painter.

• He has painted the wall. (The wall is finished. It looks great!)
• He has been painting the wall. (He is tired. He has paint on his clothes. He is still painting!)