Present Perfect vs. Present Perfect Continuous

Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous? Both Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous connect the past to the present, but they are used differently.

Present Perfect (have/has + past participle) focuses on the result of an action that happened at an unspecified time in the past or has recently finished.

We use Present Perfect:

  • when the exact time is not important
  • to talk about experiences, achievements, or life events
  • when an action started in the past and is still true now

Examples:

  • I have finished my homework. (Result: My homework is done.)
  • She has visited Italy three times. (Life experience, time not specified.)
  • They have lived in Vienna for five years. (They still live there.)

Keywords: ever, never, just, already, yet, before, recently, so far, since, for

Present Perfect Continuous (have/has + been + verb-ing) focuses on the process or duration of an action that started in the past and is still happening now (or has recently stopped).

We use Present Perfect Continuous:

  • when we want to emphasize how long something has been happening
  • when the action has an effect on the present
  • for temporary activities

Examples:

  • I have been studying for three hours. (Focus: duration, and I’m still studying.)
  • She has been working on a project all day. (She started earlier and is still working.)
  • It has been raining all morning. (It started in the past and continues now.)

Keywords: for, since, all day, all morning, how long

What’s the Difference? Quick Trick to Remember!

Ask yourself: “Do I want to emphasize the result (Present Perfect) or the process/time spent (Present Perfect Continuous)?”

Here are the exercises to help you practice Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous.

Exercise 1. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous.

  1. I __________ (know) my best friend since we were five.
  2. She __________ (work) at this company for three years.
  3. They __________ (just/finish) their lunch.
  4. We __________ (wait) for the bus for 20 minutes.
  5. He __________ (write) emails all morning.
  6. The children __________ (not/do) their homework yet.
  7. I __________ (read) this book all afternoon.
  8. My parents __________ (be) to France twice.
  9. It __________ (rain) since morning.
  10. She __________ (clean) the house, and now she is tired.
  11. The teacher __________ (give) us a lot of homework this week.
  12. My brother __________ (fix) his bike for hours.
  13. The dog __________ (eat) its food already.
  14. We __________ (talk) about this problem for too long.
  15. I __________ (not/see) this movie before.
  16. You __________ (run) for an hour. You must be exhausted!
  17. She __________ (make) a cake. Do you want some?
  18. I __________ (not/meet) the new neighbor yet.
  19. They __________ (play) football since 3 PM.
  20. The scientists __________ (discover) a new planet.

Exercise 2. Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous. Choose the correct verb form.

  1. I (have worked / have been working) here since last year.
  2. She (has finished / has been finishing) her project. Now she can relax.
  3. We (have been waiting / have waited) for the doctor for 30 minutes.
  4. They (have eaten / have been eating) all the cookies!
  5. He (has practiced / has been practicing) the piano all day.
  6. The baby (has slept / has been sleeping) for two hours.
  7. She (has just called / has been just calling) her mother.
  8. I (have read / have been reading) five books this month.
  9. My sister (has taken / has been taking) driving lessons recently.
  10. They (have known / have been knowing) each other for 10 years.
  11. It (has rained / has been raining) all morning, and now the sun is shining.
  12. She (has taught / has been teaching) English for 15 years.
  13. We (have visited / have been visiting) this museum twice before.
  14. You look tired! (Have you worked / Have you been working) too much?
  15. They (have cleaned / have been cleaning) the house, and now it looks great.
  16. My mom (has made / has been making) dinner. It smells delicious!
  17. He (has been traveling / has traveled) to many countries in his life.
  18. I (have studied / have been studying) for my exam all week.
  19. She (has never tried / has never been trying) sushi before.
  20. The boy (has drawn / has been drawing) pictures for the last two hours.

Exercise 3. Rewrite the sentences using Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous.

  1. She started learning Spanish two years ago. (have been)
  2. I started feeling sick in the morning, and I still feel bad. (have been)
  3. They bought a new car. (have)
  4. I started watching this TV show last week. (have been)
  5. He found a new job. (have)
  6. She started writing a book in January. (have been)
  7. We visited Italy twice. (have)
  8. I started playing the guitar when I was a kid. (have been)
  9. My friend finished his homework. (have)
  10. The teacher started explaining the lesson an hour ago. (have been)
  11. She traveled to five countries. (have)
  12. They started cleaning the house at noon. (have been)
  13. I saw this movie before. (have)
  14. The baby slept for three hours. (have been)
  15. He started running in the park 30 minutes ago. (have been)
  16. My parents lived in this city for 20 years. (have)
  17. She made a cake. (have)
  18. I read five books this year. (have)
  19. They started working on the project last month. (have been)
  20. We started waiting for the bus 10 minutes ago. (have been)

Exercise 4. Make either the present perfect simple or present perfect continuous.

  1. ___________________ (you / buy) your train ticket yet?
  2. The kitchen is a complete mess! What ___________________ (the children / do)?
  3. Julie ___________________ (learn) to drive for six years!
  4. Amanda ___________________ (already / have) lunch, so she’ll meet us later.
  5. How much coffee ___________________ (she / drink) this morning?
  6. Simon ___________________ (write) three books.
  7. I ___________________ (do) everything I needed to do today! Hurray!
  8. It ___________________ (not / rain) all summer, so the garden is dead.
  9. I ___________________ (read) your book. Here it is, thank you.
  10. She ___________________ (forget) how to get to my house.
  11. I ___________________ (work) in the garden all day and I need a rest.
  12. She ___________________ (make) three cakes. They look delicious!
  13. David feels great these days. He ___________________ (get) up early lately.
  14. We ___________________ (always / hate) rush hour traffic.
  15. Recently, I ___________________ (study) a lot. My exams are in a few weeks.
  16. We ___________________ (write) this book for months and months.
  17. I ___________________ (always / love) chocolate.
  18. I ___________________ (want) to go back to university for a long time.
  19. What’s that delicious smell? ___________________ (you / cook)?
  20. I ___________________ (watch) seven films this week!

Exercise 5. Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous. Fill in the correct form of the present perfect tense.

  1. I’m so tired because I ________________________ so hard lately. (WORK)
  2. The new midfielder ________________________ 5 goals so far this season, and we’re only halfway through it. (SCORE)
  3. There’s no wine left I the fridge. I ________________________ both bottles. (DRINK)
  4. Jenifer is getting fatter and fatter all the time. She ___________________________ too much. (PROBABLY EAT)
  5. I ________________________ a new pair of shoes. How do you like them? (JUST BUY)
  6. ________________________ reading the newspaper? Could you give it to me then? (YOU FINISH)
  7. I’m writing a new novel at the moment. So far, I ____________________________ the introduction. (ONLY WRITE)
  8. Look at how she’s sweating. She _______________________________ for hours. (PROBABLY RUN)
  9. How long ________________________ German? (YOU LEARN)
  10. I am not surprised your eyes are hurting. You ________________________ computer games ever since you got up. (PLAY)
  11. My sister ________________________ with her roommate for 5 years. (LIVE)
  12. Where is my new watch? I ________________________ for it for hours and ________________________ it yet. (LOOK, NOT FIND)
  13. There’s nothing on your exam paper. You started an hour ago. What ____________________________ up to now? (YOU DO)
  14. I ________________________ a new job and I can start next Wednesday. (FIND)
  15. I ________________________ Patricia since we were in kindergarten together. What ____________________________ all these years? (NOT SEE, SHE DO)
  16. I ________________________ all my passwords recently, but I forgot to write them down. (CHANGE)
  17. I ________________________ the new Schwarzenegger film. I don’t want to go to the cinema again. (ALREADY SEE)
  18. Dad ________________________ since he was in high school. (NOT DANCE)