The Present Perfect Continuous

EXTRA English 19
Kung Fu Fighting

Grammatik und Übungen

The present perfect continuous

We use the present perfect continuous to mean different things.

An action started in the past and continued until very recently:

• I’ve been watching Charlotte’s Kitchen on television.

An action which was started in the past and is still continuing:

• I've been reading this book since nine o'clock.

• I've been working at this company since January.

An action which continues (but not necessarily all the time):

• I’ve been thinking about our relationship.

• We've been playing tennis together for three years.

A) Complete these sentences with a suitable verb in the present perfect continuous tense.

1 I ______’ve been reading ______a great book for the past few days.

2 My friend and I _____have been playing ______tennis all day.

3 My parents ______have been watching______a movie about China.

4 Stop! You ______’ve been eating ______biscuits for half an hour!

5 She ______has been playing with______her iPod for about three hours.

6 My cousin ______has been working______in a restaurant since 2005.

7 I ______have been writing ______emails since this morning.

8 My sister ______has been living______with her boyfriend Jack for about a year.

9 Annie ______has been working ______as a traffic warden for a week.

10 I ______’ve been doing ______this exercise all day!

B) Complete this conversation with information about you.

A: Hi! What are you doing?

YOU: ____I’ve been practising my English for about an hour.______

A: Really? How long have you been learning English?

YOU: ____I’ve been learning English for about a year now. ______

A: Are you studying anything else?

YOU: ____Yes, I’m also studying Spanish. ______

A: How long have you been studying that?

YOU: ____I’ve been studying it for six weeks. ______

Some verbs don't have a continuous form in the present tense or present perfect tense.

• I know what I'm doing (NOT I'm knowing).

• I've known him for ten years.

• I love Ricky Chung movies (NOT I'm loving Ricky Chung movies).

• I've loved his movies since I was a kid.

• Nick has a motorbike (NOT Nick is having a motorbike).

• He's had a tattoo for three months.

C) Complete these questions and answer them.

How long have you been waiting for a bus?

For about an hour.

1 How long ____have you been learning______English?

______For about a year.______

2 How long ____have you known______your best friend?

______I’ve known him / her since kindergarten.______

3 How long ____have you had ______an email address?

______For as long as I can remember.______

4 How long ____has______Nick ______had______a motorbike?

______For about three months. ______

5 How long ____has ______Annie ______known______Hector?

______Since he moved in with Nick. ______