Present Perfect Continuous

How to build it

• Affirmative: has / have + been + verb-ing: She has been writing the letter all morning. Short forms: I’ve been, she’s been.
• Negative: haven’t / hasn’t been + verb-ing: I haven’t been sleeping well.
• Question: Have / Has + subject + been + verb-ing: How long have you been waiting?

When to use it

• An activity that started in the past and is still going on, usually with for, since, how long: I’ve been learning English for three years.
• A recently finished activity with visible results now: You’re out of breath — have you been running? It’s been raining (the streets are wet).
• Repeated actions over a period up to now: She’s been calling you all day.
• Focus on the activity and how long it lasts, not on the result. Compare: I’ve been painting the kitchen (that’s what I’ve been doing; maybe not finished) vs I’ve painted the kitchen (it’s done).

Examples

• We’ve been living in Kyiv since 2019.
• How long have you been studying Spanish?
• I’m tired — I’ve been working since eight.
• They’ve been arguing again; I can hear it.
• She hasn’t been feeling well lately.

Common mistakes

• Using the Present Continuous for duration: I am waiting for you for an hour → I’ve been waiting for you for an hour. In Ukrainian the present tense works with вже годину; in English the length of time up to now needs a Perfect form.
• Using it with state verbs: I’ve been knowing her for years → I’ve known her for years. State verbs (know, have for possession, like, believe, belong) take the Present Perfect.
• Using it for a number of completed things: I’ve been writing three emails → I’ve written three emails. When you count results, use the Present Perfect.
• Using it with finished time: I’ve been working there in 2020 → I worked there in 2020.

The passive

has/have + been + being + V3 — The letter has been being written — is grammatical, but avoided in practice: the chain been being sounds clumsy. Instead, say it in the active with a general subject (They’ve been repairing the road for weeks), use the Present Continuous passive for what is happening now (The road is being repaired), or rephrase with a noun (Work on the road has been going on for weeks).