Sentences in English present perfect continuous. Present Perfect Continuous - Present Perfect Continuous Tense

When learning English, students can take a long time to understand Perfect at times and Continuous in order to learn how to use them automatically. Therefore, one can imagine their feelings when they reach such scary topic How Perfect Continuous. This is two times at once, and not so simple at that! However, these fears are completely in vain, and now we will see this using the example of the Present Perfect Continuous tense (pronounced [present perfect continuus]).

Present Perfect Continuous Tense (also known as Present Perfect Progressive Tense) or present perfect continuous tense - time in English, used to express actions that began and either lasted up to a certain point in the past, or continue to last until now.

This time is used relatively rarely, since it is often replaced by Present Perfect, but it is still necessary to know it, because in certain situations it will not be possible to do without it. Moreover, correct usage sentences in the Present Perfect Continuous will only confirm your high level knowledge of the language, and therefore will attract praise from native speakers. Let's look at how this time is formed and used.

The formation of the Present Perfect Continuous is similar to the formation of the Present Perfect and. To form this tense, two verbs are needed: auxiliary and semantic. The auxiliary verb is to be in the Present Perfect form. It has 2 perfect forms depending on person and number:

Semantic verbs are formed using Participle I or the present participle. To form it, you must add the ending –ing to the verb.

Actually, that's all. By adding both parts, you get a verb in the Present Perfect Continuous Tense:

Present Perfect Continuous: sentence forms

We've sorted out the formation of verbs, now let's see how to make sentences with them in various forms.

Affirmative sentences with Present Perfect Continuous

Affirmative present form Perfect Continuous, as always, is standard: the subject is used first, followed by the predicate, expressed by auxiliary and semantic verbs. Anyone can complete the sentence minor member. Table for clarity:

This example is used in Active Voice or active voice. If you want to use Passive Voice, you may have difficulties.

• Firstly, to form the Passive Voice in the Present Perfect Continuous you need to try harder, because you will need to use 4 verbs in a row.
• Secondly, even if you can easily cope with the first task, you will agree that phrases in Passive Voice a la “have been being understood” sound at least unusual.
• Thirdly, Passive Voice is not used by native speakers these days, so even they will not be able to appreciate your efforts.

Yes, theoretically it is possible to construct a Continuous Passive, but in practice no one needs such proposals. In general, do not make English difficult for yourself or others and do not use the Continuous Passive. If you need to show that the action was not performed by a person/object, but was directed at it, use not the Continuous Passive, but the Passive Voice in the Present Perfect tense.

Negative sentences with Present Perfect Continuous

The negative form in the Present Perfect Continuous Tense is formed by adding negative particle not between have (has) and been:

Both in the affirmative and in negative forms possible abbreviations:

You may have noticed that has in affirmative sentence abbreviated in the same way as is . To understand what tense is used, keep the rules of education in mind. Present perfect long time in English it always requires the verb "be" after has. If both of these verbs are in a sentence, then the speaker is using this particular tense.

Interrogative sentences with Present Perfect Continuous

The interrogative form is built based on the type of question:

• For a general question, you need to move the auxiliary verbs have and has to the beginning of the sentence. Been remains in its original place:

• In an alternative question, some second member of the sentence is added for choice, which is supported by the conjunction or (or):

• Special questions are identical to general questions, only they use a question word before have (has):

• In a dividing question, you need to use an affirmative or negative sentence, followed by a short question:

Present Perfect Continuous: usage

Present Perfect Continuous Tense or present perfect continuous tense is used in the following situations:

1. To express an action that began in the past and is still ongoing. In this case, the speaker knows when the action began and how long it has already lasted. He cannot say when the action will end.
   Typically, such sentences contain indicator words: recently (the other day), lately (recently), quite a while ( for a long time/ a long time ago), these ... weeks (how many weeks), all my life (all my life), all day (long) / this month / this year (all day, month, year); as well as time markers for (during) and since (since), which are used as hints for the use of this time:

In the same case, time can be used to ask a special question. Such a question usually begins with the words: how long (how long) or since when (from when):

1. Present Perfect Continuous Tense is also used in cases where an action began in the past and continued certain time and ended recently. This option emphasizes the duration of the action that led to some result in the present. Markers in such sentences may be omitted:

1. Time Present Perfect Continuous is also used in cases where we mean that some action happened earlier. This conclusion is drawn from what is heard/seen. More often this option is used in a negative context:

1. The present perfect continuous tense is also used in a complex sentence that has a subordinate clause. Temporary markers for entering subordinate clauses are limited to one in a word since(since). This subordinate clause used in Past Simple, and most importantly, it is built in the Present Perfect Continuous:

1. Do not forget that Continuous tenses are not used with state verbs or state verbs that express feelings, perception, mental activity, or possession of something. In this case, instead of the Continuous tense, the Present Perfect is used:

However, there are exceptions here. The use of Present Perfect Continuous is possible if it is necessary to highlight an action, to give it a more pronounced shade. So, for example, in the Present Perfect Continuous you can find the verbs wish (to desire), want (to want) and mean (to gather):

1. Also pay attention to those verbs that are used in both the Present Perfect and the Present Perfect Continuous. These verbs include words that themselves imply a continuous action. For example: live (live), sleep (sleep), study (learn), teach (teach), work (work), run (meaning “manage”):

If the situation continues to last for a certain period, but is temporary or will soon change, use the Present Perfect Continuous:

It is worth noting that, despite the similarity of features not only with the Present Perfect tense, but also, in some way, with the Present Continuous, you cannot use sentences replacing the Present Continuous with the Present Perfect Continuous and vice versa. These times have different meaning and cannot be interchanged.

Present Perfect Continuous translation into Russian

Worth paying special attention Russian translation of Present Perfect Continuous. As you already know, this tense either indicates an action that lasted and ended, or an action that began and is still ongoing. Accordingly, based on the choice of one of the two mentioned cases, the translation is constructed. So, if we want to show that the action has already ended, when translating into Russian we use verbs imperfect form in past tense:

If the action is still ongoing, then the translation is carried out with verbs used in the same form, but in the present tense:

You can understand what tense is implied based on the context.

The present completed continuous tense, as you can see, is not as difficult as it looks at first glance. Since this time is limited to certain situations, it accordingly does not have a wide variety of uses. It is also quite simple to build, especially if you are already familiar with other times. So don't avoid the Present Perfect Continuous, use it correctly, and if you need to review any rules associated with it, come back to this page and re-read the examples. You can also consolidate your knowledge by going to the page

If you carefully study, you will notice that the main meaning of this time is to convey the connection of a certain process with the present moment. To put it simply, a couple present perfect & present perfect continuous very similar to present simple & present continuous. One tense in each pair serves to convey facts (results in the case of perfect simple), and the other indicates a process. But these “processes” are not alike.

present perfect continuous rules and examples

So let's consider present perfect continuous rules and examples. There are 3 main cases when you can (and even need) to use present perfect continuous .

Features of using the present perfect continuous. Questions and denials

U consumption present perfect continuous very similar to normal perfect tense. Just for present perfect continuous not 3rd form is used semantic verb, and ingovaya. You probably noticed the ending –ing in each example. If you need to form a negative, use 'haven't been' And 'hasn't been'. Using the present perfect continuous in questions it is limited by the need to place the auxiliary verb before the subject. Please note the following examples.

(-) She hasn't been ask ing any questions for three days. – She doesn’t ask anything for 3 days.

(?) Has it been rain ing here? - Was it raining here?

How to train the difference between the present perfect and the present perfect continuous?

We hope this article is on the topic “ present perfect continuous rules and examples"helped you figure it out. We wish you success in conquering the heights of the English language and will be happy to provide assistance in learning it!

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>> The Present Perfect Progressive Tense

Use of Present Perfect Progressive

The Present Perfect Progressive is used to express an ongoing action that began in the past, is still ongoing at the present time, and in some way summarizes the duration of that action.

Jeff and Emily haven't been playing golf for three hours.

General question(OB)

Has Jeff been tennis playing for two hours? - Yes, he has.

Alternative question(AB)

Present Perfect Continuous (Present Perfect Progressive) – present continuous perfect tense. Present Perfect Continuous is not very popular in English for three reasons:

1. Long form.
2. Narrow aspect of use.
3. Interchangeability. In some cases Present Perfect Continuous can be easily replaced with Present Perfect without changing the meaning of the sentence.

But this does not mean that our article should be closed and forgotten about its existence Present Perfect Continuous. Scope of use Present Perfect Continuous quite narrow, but this tense has its place in the English language, and it is sometimes impossible to replace it with another. Moreover, in speech Present Perfect Continuous sounds very impressive if you use it correctly.

How is the Present Perfect Continuous formed?

Statement

The peculiarity of this time is that it combines two aspects - Perfect And Continuous. Present Perfect Continuous formed with an auxiliary verb to be V Present Perfect – have been(or has been for pronouns he, she, it and nouns in singular). The main verb is verb + ending -ing.

Negation

A particle appears in negation not, which must be placed between have (has) And been.

We can use shortened forms for the verb have (has). In an affirmative sentence have/has combined with the pronoun:

• You've been playing.
• She's been laughing.

In a negative sentence have/has merges with not:

• We haven't been waiting.
• Hasn't been running.

Question

IN interrogative sentence have/has comes first, and been remains with the main verb. Thus, it turns out that in first place we have have (has), after it the subject, then been and closes this long chain main verb.

To make it convenient for you to study this time, we have divided all its functions into three blocks: green (for entry level), yellow (for medium), red (for high).

Using the Present Perfect Continuous

Entry level

Time Present Perfect Continuous looks like it at the same time Present Perfect, and on Present Continuous. This time has two main functions: one contains the meaning of the aspect Continuous, the second – aspect Perfect.

1. We use Present Perfect Continuous, if the action began in the past, lasted for some time and is still ongoing in the present. This function shows a long-term effect; it comes from the aspect Continuous.

   As a rule, the proposal indicates the duration of the action, but without clear time boundaries. That is, we can know when the action began and how long it lasted, but we do not know when it will end. To show time we use the following words and expressions: lately(V lately, recently), recently(recently, the other day), quite a while(quite a long time) all day(all day), as well as prepositions for(during) and since(starting from).

   Tom has been watching TV all day. - Volume looks TV all day. (Tom started watching TV in the morning, watched it all day and is still watching it now)

   It has been raining for 3 hours. - Rain goes within three hours. (the rain started three hours ago, continued for three hours and is still raining now)

   Since this function shows the duration, the question is Present Perfect Continuous usually starts with expressions how long(how long, what time) and since when(since when, starting from what moment).

   – How long has she been learning French? – How long she teaches French?
   –She has been learning French for seven years - She teaches French for seven years old

   – Since when have you been learning German? – Since when You you teach German?
   – I have been learning German since yesterday. - I I teach German with yesterday.

   Pay attention to the translation. We are talking about an action that continues to last in the present, so when translated into Russian the verb will be in the present tense.

2. We use Present Perfect Continuous, if the action ended recently and its result is now visible. This function comes from the aspect Perfect. But using Perfect Continuous, we emphasize that the action lasted for some time in the past.
   

   Your clothes are dirty. What have you been doing? -Your clothes are dirty. What you did? (now it is dirty, which means that before this he did something where he could get dirty)

   I 've been talking to Sandy about the problem and she agrees with me. - I talked with Sandy about this issue and she agrees with me. (in the present Sandy agrees with me because we discussed this issue in the past)

   In this function, the duration may or may not be specified.

   We are very tired. We have been walking in the mountains. - We are very tired. We walked in the mountains.

   We are very tired. We have been walking in the mountains since early morning. - We are very tired. We walked in the mountains c early morning.

   Pay attention to the translation. In this function we are talking about an action that has already ended, so when translated into Russian the verb will be in the past tense.

Where else is the Present Perfect Continuous found?

Intermediate level

1. With verbs like work, live, feel, teach, are used as Present Perfect, so Present Perfect Continuous no difference in meaning. These verbs imply that the action takes long span time, that is, it already becomes a permanent state.
   

   I 've worked here for 20 years. = I 've been working here for 20 years. - I Working here for 20 years.

   Her family has lived in Moscow since 1781. = Her family has been living in Moscow since 1781. – Her family lives in Moscow since 1781.

   If you want to emphasize that the situation is temporary, use Present Perfect Continuous.

2. (state verbs) are most often not used in Present Perfect Continuous. But, as is often the case in English, there are exceptions. If we want to emotionally highlight some action, we can use Present Perfect Continuous. Very often verbs are used in this function mean(to gather, to intend), want(want), wish(to wish), other stative verbs are less common.
   

   We 've been wishing to visit India for ages. - We we want have been visiting India for many years now.

   He 's been thinking it's over. - He is ponders. = He's been working on it for a long time ponders.

Complex cases of using the Present Perfect Continuous

High level

1. Present Perfect Continuous used together with Past Simple V complex sentences with the union since. In a subordinate clause that begins with since, we use Past Simple, it is the starting point for the action in the main clause. And in the main sentence it will be Present Perfect Continuous.
   

   Silvia has been playing tennis since she was ten. – Sylvia plays tennis since then, How to her turned ten. (she has been playing tennis since she was ten)

2. We use Present Perfect Continuous when we draw a conclusion from what we saw or heard, in most cases with a tinge of dissatisfaction or criticism.
   

   Who has been messing around with my papers?! How should I work now?! - Who rummaged in my papers?! How can I work now?!

   He has been eating chocolate though he knows that he is allergic to it! - He ate chocolate, although he knows he is allergic!

   Present Perfect Continuous shows outrage over an action that happened once, while Present Continuous implies dissatisfaction with an action that is constantly repeated.

Present Perfect Continuous- a time with a terrifying name and a long form of formation. But appearances are deceiving; it has only 2 main functions in language: to show a long-term action and an action with a result. The remaining functions can be considered derivatives. If you suddenly forget how it is formed Present Perfect Continuous, you can always look in the table. And in order not to forget anything, take the test.

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Present Perfect Continuous - present continuous perfect tense in English

In English grammar there is difficult moments. The Present Perfect Continuous tense is one of these. But don’t panic and be disappointed in advance; it’s better to figure it out together.

The main question

If not all, then many have heard about main difficulty English - tenses. Therefore, in the first lessons of language learning, the question about the number of tenses is asked. But, as they say, the devil is not so black as it is painted (the devil is not as scary as he is painted). There are only three tenses in English - Present, Past and Future. However, depending on what action is in front of us, four aspects are distinguished in each time - Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous.

Today we are talking about how the Present Perfect Continuous is formed and when to use it.

Education formula

The Present Perfect Progressive tense refers to unusual tenses. It combines the “incompatible” - Perfect aspect(Perfect) with the Continuous aspect in the Present. This leads to the “double” formula of education: (have/has + 3rd form of the verb) + (to be + verb + -ing) = have/has + been (3rd form of the verb to be) + verb + -ing . In other words, this tense form is formed using a “double” auxiliary verb have/has been (not translated, but changed according to persons and numbers) and the main verb with the ending - ing (translated, but not changed).

How this “works” in practice can be seen in the table:

Verb form in Present Perfect Continuous Passive voice(Present Continuous Perfect in passive voice) is built according to the formula “subjects + have/has + been + being + main verb in the 3rd form”, but is used in oral speech and texts are extremely rare (This monument has been being built for 50 years - This monument was built over 50 years)

Negation

Negative sentences in the Present Perfect Progressive are built using the same formula, but with the addition of a negative particle not (not) between two auxiliary verbs: subjects + have/has + not + been + main verb + -ing .

Question

Interrogative sentences are different in English in reverse order words The formation of a question in the Present Perfect Continuous also obeys this rule: Have/has + subjects + been + main verb + -ing?

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As a rule, special questions in the Present Perfect Continuous begin with question words How long? (how long?) and Since when? (from when?). They are, one might say, time markers (How long has it been snowing? - How long has it been snowing?)

Use

The aspects Perfect (Perfect) and Continuous (Continuous) affect not only the formula for the formation of the Present Perfect Continuous tense, but also the cases of its use. On the one hand, it describes an action with a result. On the other hand, it emphasizes its duration in time. So, despite the long and slightly scary name, it does not have many functions and they are easy to remember:

• To describe events that begin in the past and continue up to the present:

Alice has been swimming since morning - Alice has been swimming since morning (Alice started swimming in the morning and still continues to do this)

My grandfather likes news. He has been watching news on TV for two hours - My grandfather loves the news. He watches the news on TV for two hours.

• To describe events that have recently begun, have been going on for some time, have just ended and have a visible result in the present:

• This time is characterized by indicator words that emphasize the duration of the action: recently, lately, all day, since, for.

A famous scientist has been recently developing new research programs - A famous scientist has recently developed new scientific research programs.

What have we learned?

The discussed rules and examples of the Present Perfect Continuous prove that appearances can be deceiving. The long formula of formation and the confusing name of this temporary form are only an outer frightening shell. In fact, everything is much simpler: it has only two functions. The first is to indicate the completion of the action and its result in the present. The second is to emphasize the duration.

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