B1 · Lesson 3 · 20 min
Present perfect simple and continuous
In this lesson
- I can choose the present perfect simple for results and completed amounts.
- I can use the present perfect continuous for duration or an activity that is still happening.
Grammar in context
Maya is preparing a community café for its opening day. She has painted three tables, and she has been cleaning the windows since breakfast. Her hands are wet, but the café is nearly ready.
Which verb form tells us how much work Maya has completed, and which one focuses on the activity over time?
Results, completed actions and numbers
Use the present perfect simple when the result is important now, especially with a number, an amount or a completed task. Form: have or has + past participle. We often ask How many? or How much? The activity may be finished, or we may focus only on what it has produced.
- I have written five emails so far today.
- Nico has repaired the broken shelf.
Duration and ongoing activity
Use the present perfect continuous to emphasise an activity continuing until now or its duration. Form: have or has been + verb-ing. It often answers How long? and commonly appears with for or since. The activity can still be happening, or it may have just stopped and have a visible result.
- We have been waiting for the bus for twenty minutes.
- Your shoes are muddy because you have been walking in the park.
Stative verbs and possible alternatives
Some verbs describe states, not active processes. Normally use the present perfect simple with know, believe, own, want, need and understand: I have known her for years. With actions such as live, work and teach, both forms can be possible when the meaning is similar; the continuous often highlights the temporary or ongoing activity.
- Sam has owned this bike since 2022.
- Leila has lived in Bristol for six months. / Leila has been living in Bristol for six months.
Common mistakes
Compare the incorrect and corrected forms.
Avoid
I have been knowing Omar since school.
Use
I have known Omar since school.
Know is a stative verb, so we normally use the present perfect simple.
Avoid
The company has been owning the building since 2018.
Use
The company has owned the building since 2018.
Own is normally stative, so the present perfect simple is the natural form.
Put it into practice
Try the exercises, write your own examples and check your understanding.