Present perfect continuous
የአሁን ፍጹም ቀጣይ ጊዜ (present perfect continuous)
I have been working. For an activity that started in the past and is still going on, or has just stopped, with the focus on how long or on the activity itself.
The form
have / has + been + verb-ing. Only have/has changes: I've been waiting, she's been waiting. Been never changes. It is close to Amharic ስጠብቅ ቆይቻለሁ (I have been waiting): an action that has continued up to now.
In Amharic
have / has + been + ግሥ-ing። የሚለወጠው have/has ብቻ ነው፦ I've been waiting, she's been waiting። been አይለወጥም። ከአማርኛው "ስጠብቅ ቆይቻለሁ" ጋር ይቀራረባል፦ እስከ አሁን የቀጠለ ድርጊት።
| I / you / we / they | he / she / it | |
|---|---|---|
| + | I've been waiting for an hour. | She's been waiting for an hour. |
| − | I haven't been sleeping well. | He hasn't been sleeping well. |
| ? | How long have you been waiting? | How long has she been waiting? |
| short answers | Yes, I have. / No, I haven't. | Yes, she has. / No, she hasn't. |
- Use it with for, since, all day, all morning, lately, recently, and How long…?
- I've been working since six this morning.
- We've been looking for an apartment for two months.
- How long have you been studying English?
- She hasn't been feeling well lately.
When to use it
On a timeline, picture a wavy line from a point in the past up to now. Use it (1) for an activity still going on, to say how long: I've been driving for Uber for three years. (2) for an activity that has just stopped and you can see the result: Your eyes are red. Have you been crying? — Yes, I've been cutting onions.
In Amharic
በጊዜ መስመር ላይ ከበፊት አንድ ነጥብ እስከ አሁን የሚደርስ ሞገዳማ መስመር ያስቡ። ይጠቀሙበት፦ (1) አሁንም ለቀጠለ ድርጊት፣ ምን ያህል ጊዜ እንደሆነ ለመናገር፦ I've been driving for Uber for three years። (2) አሁን ገና ለቆመና ውጤቱ ለሚታይ ድርጊት፦ Your eyes are red። Have you been crying? — Yes, I've been cutting onions።
- State verbs (know, have for owning, like, be) use the present perfect instead: I've known him for years (not I've been knowing).
- Amharic uses the present here (ለሁለት ሰዓት እጠብቃለሁ), but English cannot: I've been waiting for two hours (not I wait for two hours).
- The kids are tired. They've been playing outside all afternoon.
- I'm sorry I'm late. Have you been waiting long?
- It's been raining since lunch.
- He's been saving money for a car.
Present perfect continuous or present perfect?
The continuous looks at the activity and how long it has lasted; the simple perfect looks at the result or how many. I've been painting the bedroom (the activity; maybe not finished; that's why I have paint on my hands) / I've painted the bedroom (it's finished). Use the simple perfect with numbers: I've written ten emails today (not I've been writing ten emails).
In Amharic
ቀጣዩ ድርጊቱንና ምን ያህል ጊዜ እንደቆየ ይመለከታል፤ ቀላሉ ፍጹም ውጤቱን ወይም ብዛቱን ይመለከታል። I've been painting the bedroom (ድርጊቱ፤ ምናልባት አላለቀም፤ ለዚህ ነው እጄ ላይ ቀለም ያለው) / I've painted the bedroom (አልቋል)። ከቁጥር ጋር ቀላሉን ፍጹም ይጠቀሙ፦ I've written ten emails today (I've been writing ten emails አይደለም)።
| Present perfect continuous (activity, how long) | Present perfect (result, how many) |
|---|---|
| I've been cleaning all morning. | I've cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom. |
| She's been calling the office since nine. | She's called the office four times. |
| How long have you been reading that book? | How many pages have you read? |
- With live and work, both are fine and mean almost the same: I've lived / I've been living here for five years.
- I've been filling out forms all day, and I've finished six of them.
- He's been fixing cars for twenty years. He's fixed thousands.
- We've been calling the landlord, but he hasn't answered.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I've been waiting here for two hours. | From the past until now with for: present perfect continuous. | |
| She has been working all day. | have been + verb-ing. | |
| I've known her since school. | know is a state verb: present perfect, not continuous. | |
| I've written three emails. | With a number (how many), use the present perfect. | |
| How long have you been working here? | How long…? up to now needs a perfect tense. |
Practice
Each answer is checked as you go, with the reason. Nothing here is saved.
I ___ for the bus for 40 minutes!
She has ___ working since 7 a.m. (one word)
How long ___ you been living in Las Vegas?
I've ___ my brother since we were kids.
I ___ five job applications this week.
Your hands are dirty. What ___ you been doing? (one word)
It ___ (rain) all day. (three words, or short form)
Which is correct?
He ___ well lately. He looks tired.
“I've been painting the kitchen.” Is the job finished?