Study this example situation.
'It is raining now. It began to rain one hour ago, and it is still raining'. You can say 'It has been raining for one hour'.
'It has been raining for one hour' is the present perfect continuous tense. The forms of the present perfect continuous tense are:
- I / we / they / you have (I've / we've / they've / you've) been doing ... .
- He / she has (He's / she's) been doing ... .
We use the present perfect continuous tense to say or to ask how long someone has been doing something or how long something has been happening. The action or the situation began in the past and is still happening:
- They have been watching television since 1:00.
- We have been waiting here for about half an hour.
- I haven't been feeling very well lately.
- How long have you been studying English?
We also use the present perfect continuous tense when we talk about an action that began in the past, and that has recently stopped, or that has just stopped. Study this example situation:
"The rain has just stopped, and now the sun is shining, but the ground is still wet because of the rain". You can say "It has been raining". Here are some more examples:
- Look! Ann is breathless. Has she been running?
- Why are their clothes so dirty? What have they been doing?
- We have been talking about your problem, and I think we can solve it.
- You look tired. Have you been working hard?
Read the following, putting the verbs into the present perfect continuous forms.
- Look! That light (burn) all night.
- We (live) here since since 1999.
- I am tired because I (work) in the garden since ten eight o'clock.
- You (look) at that picture for four minutes, but you cannot see me in it.
- He has a stomachache. He (have) too much spicy food.
- I know you (talk) about mathematics for the last-half hour, but I am afraid I (not listen).
- Dinner is quite not ready yet, although he (cook) all the afternoon.
- Yes! We (stand) here in the rain for about half an hour.
- No one has come to see them since they (live) in their new house.
- The weak, old man looks very tired and pale. He (work) too hard all day to make money to finance his children's studies.