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Grammar: Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Continuous



Present Perfect
Subject + have/has + past participle

vs

Present Perfect Continuous
Subject + have/has + been[verb + ing]

Lolo on the Gogo, Laura, Canadian English teacher
Hello, I'm Laura! My nickname is Lolo. I'm a Canadian EFL teacher who loves to travel! Welcome to Lolo on the Gogo! Please feel free to email me at lolotravelgogo@gmail.com or comment below if you have any questions! Enjoy the lesson.

Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Continuous

Present Perfect
Subject + have/has + past participle

1. An action that occurred in the past and connects to now
2. A past experience

Adverbs: for, since, just, never, ever, yet

Time expressions: today, recently, this morning…

Examples:
I have studied a lot recently, so I should pass my test today.
You have played the piano since 2014.
I have been to Spain.
I`ve never been to France.
Have you ever listened to Arcade Fire?
 
Present Perfect Subject + have/has + past participle

Present Perfect
Subject + have/has + past participle

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The present perfect is used to indicate:
  • an action that occurred at a time which is indefinite and has its effect on the subject
  • an action that occurred many times and has the possibility to occur in the present/future
  • an action that began in the past and is still going on in the present
Just, just now, already, yet, ever, lately, recently, etc. are some of the signs for present perfect tense.

Note: ‘already’ comes between have/has and the past participle; ‘yet’ appears with a negative form at the end of a sentence.

Ex: I have already cleaned the house.

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Present perfect tense combines the present tense of the verb "to have" with the past participle of the main verb. The past participle of a regular verb is the base word plus –ed.

The Past Participle (Past participles usually end with -ed, -d, -t, -en, or -n.)
The Present Participle (Present participles end with -ing.)

You can find a list of the past participle of irregular verbs here.

One example of this tense is: "have jumped." "Have" is present tense and "jumped" is the past participle. Some other forms of this tense are:

Has lived: She has lived there for 10 years.
Have written: They have written their final exams.
Have worked: I have worked here since 2017.
Has done: He has finished school.
Have been: We have been to Egypt.
Has forgotten: She has forgotten her homework.

The present perfect tense can be used in different situations. For example, we use present perfect to describe:

An action that has been and is being repeated in both the past and present.
Example: We have gone to the beach many times.

An action that started in the past and continues in the future.
Example: I have lived in Columbia since 2016.

An action that is not finished.
Example: It has snowed a lot this week.

An action that finished recently.
Example: I have just completed my second year of university.

An action that doesn't specify the time, but is something that is relevant to and continues in the present.
Example: She has lost her phone.

We cannot use present perfect with specific expressions of time that have already finished, such as three years ago, that month, when I was a child, etc. Present Perfect is never used with specific times IN THE PAST, i.e. yesterday, the day before yesterday, last week, last month, a month ago, two months ago, last year, a year ago, two years ago, etc.

Examples of Present Perfect Tense

With expressions that are unspecific in time:

I have lost my cat.
We have seen this show already.
He has broken his arm.
There has been a fire.

Talking about an unfinished period of time are:

We haven't seen her this afternoon.
She has already read that book twice this year.
They have been to the pool three times this week.

Talking about events in the recent past that affect the present:

The kids have made a mess in the classroom.
He has started a new volunteer program.
She has finished her degree.

Questions:

Where have I left my coffee mug?
Have you visited Ethiopia?
Has she met Jane?

* * *

Present Perfect Continuous
Subject + have/has + been + [verb + ing]

The present perfect continuous can also be called the present perfect progressive or the continuous present perfect.

It is used to describe an activity that started in the past but continues up to now.

Adverbs such as; always, only, never, ever, still, just etc. are placed after the auxiliary HAVE and before BEEN

Examples:
I have been studying since yesterday for the exam.
You have been playing the piano all morning.
She has been eating pizza all day.
They have been buying their suits there for years.
 
Present perfect continuous is formed by the subject plus has or have plus been plus the present participle

Uses

1. An action that occurred at an indefinite time and has its effect on the subject

Present Perfect I have lived in Andorra for two months.*
*I still live there.

/vs/

Present Perfect Continuous:  I have been living in Andorra for two months.*
*I still live there. 


2.     Combining the past + present

Present Perfect I have had two coffees today.*
*Today is still occurring. The past is earlier today and the present is now.

/vs/

Present Perfect Continuous:  I have been having two coffees today.
In this case, present perfect continuous doesn't make sense because of the word 'today'. We could use the present perfect continuous to refer to a habit such as drinking two coffees daily. For example: "I have been having two coffees a day this week." The phrase 'have been having' suggests a pattern, habit or routine. 

We should also not that there is a much stronger collocation between 'drinking coffee' versus the phrase 'having coffee'. So, could we say, "I have been drinking two coffees today"? However, this still has a strange sound to the ear of an English-speaker due to the combination of 'have been drinking,' which is rather vague and non-specific with the 'two coffees today,' which is very specific. Since present perfect continuous is used for activities that are continuing in the present, it makes more sense not to state the number of coffees because it is implied that we may yet drink more. By saying that we "have been drinking two coffees" we're numbering something that shouldn't be counted just yet, since more coffees will potentially be added to the total number. 

Instead, we could try, "I have been drinking coffee today," which sounds much better. But it sounds even more natural if we use a time expression that is commonly seen with present perfect continuous such as, "I have been drinking coffee all day".

One final note: a native English-speaker wouldn't say, "I have been". Rather, we would use the contraction 'I've'. So, our sentence in present perfect continuous would read something like: "I've been drinking coffee all day."

Some signal time words for present perfect continuous are:
  • all day
  • the whole day
  • since
  • for
  • questions with 'how long'

3. A present situation resulting from a past event which is still continuing.

Present Perfect: I have lost my keys.
*The action happened in the past, but NOW the keys are STILL lost in the present.

/vs/

Present Perfect Continuous:  I have been losing my keys.
In this case, the use of the present perfect continuous signifies that this is a regular habit that has occurred several or many times. The meaning is completely different between the present perfect and the present perfect continuous.


4. To describe experiences

Present Perfect: I have been to South Africa many times.
*You previously went there in the past, and you will return. The reason to use present perfect instead of past simple is to usually indicate that you may do this action again in the present or future.

/vs/

Present Perfect ContinuousI have been going to South Africa many times.
In this case, the sentence wouldn't make sense in present perfect continuous due to the phrase 'many times'. We could say something like, "I have been going to South Africa once a year since I was a kid." 


* * *

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