In this lesson we’re looking at the differences between the Present Perfect Simple and the Present Perfect Continuous in English. Make sure that you’re comfortable with these two tenses before starting this lesson. You’ll find the two Present Perfect Simple lessons here and here, and the Present Perfect Continuous lesson here.
In this lesson we’re looking about when to use one instead of the other, and how to ask questions using these two tenses.
Have fun with the lesson, and don’t forget to try the quizzes by clicking on their links below
– James.
Lesson Contents
What’s the difference between the Present Perfect Simple and Continuous?
Have a look at this example:
Sarah is covered in paint, she has been painting the wall.
This sentence uses the Present Perfect Continuous.
In this example, we are interested in the activity. It is not mentioned if the action is finished or not. In this case, however, the activity is not finished.
The wall is white, it used to be beige. She has painted the wall.
This sentence uses the Present Perfect Simple.
In this example, we are interested in the fact that an action has been completed. The most important part of this sentence is the completed activity.
Here are some more examples:
My trousers are dirty, I have been planting some flowers.
Where have you been? Have you been playing dominoes?
You have been drinking too much recently, you should slow down a little.
Lovely to see you again, what have you been doing?
The garden looks lovely. I have plantedsome flowers.
Have you ever played dominoes?
Someone has drunk all my beer!
Where’s the pen I lent you? What have you done with it?
Asking questions
Have a look at these examples:
The Present Perfect Continuous is used with “how long”.
(for an activity that is still happening)
How long have you been smoking?
I’ve been working all day.
They’ve been staying at the beach since Thursday.
I haven’t been learning English for long.
The Present Perfect Simple is used with “how much”, “how many” or “how many times”.
(for completed actions)
How many cigars have you smoked today?
Have you worked this week?
They’ve been to the beach twice this week.
I haven’t learnt much English yet.
Recap
- With the Present Perfect Continuous, we are interested in the activity.
- With the Present Perfect Simple, we are interested in the fact that an action has been completed.
- With questions in the continuous form, we want to know how long an action has been happening.
- With questions in the simple form, we want to know how many times something has happened.
