Form
have / has + been + verb-ing
| Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|
| I have been waiting. | I haven't been waiting. | Have you been waiting? |
| She has been working. | She hasn't been working. | Has she been working? |
Use
- Duration up to now: I've been studying English for five years.
- Recent activity with a present result: Why is your hair wet? I've been swimming.
- Temporary or recent activity: He has been traveling a lot lately.
For / since
for + period (for two hours) · since + point in time (since Monday). Also: all day, lately, recently, how long.
Simple or continuous?
| Continuous (activity) | Simple (result / quantity) |
|---|
| I've been writing emails all morning. | I've written three emails. |
| How long have you been reading? | How many pages have you read? |
Watch out
State verbs (know, believe, like, want, have = possess) are not used in the continuous: I've been knowing him → I've known him for ten years.
En español
El presente perfecto continuo (have/has been + -ing) expresa una acción que empezó en el pasado y continúa o acaba de terminar con resultado visible. Se usa con for/since/how long. Para cantidad o resultado usa el presente perfecto simple.
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