Present Perfect Continuous is a tense used to talk about actions and situations which have started in the past and are still going on in the present.

We usually find this structure in its three forms:

Affirmative form

The Affirmative form of the verb “to work” has this structure:
Subject + auxiliary verb “to have” (“has” for third person singular) + past participle of the verb “to be” + [verb to work + -ing].

Negative form

The Negative form of the verb “to work” has this structure:
Subject + auxiliary verb “to have” (“has” for third person singular) not + past participle of the verb “to be” + [verb to work + -ing].

*Short version of the negative form is: “haven’t been/hasn’t been“

Interrogative form

The Interrogative form of the verb “to work” (formed with “inversion”) has this structure:
Auxiliary verb “to have” (“has” for third person singular) + subject + past participle of the verb “to be” + [verb to work + -ing] + (?).

1. Talk about actions that started in the past and continue in the present
   • I have been thinking about her for years.
   • She has been using this computer since 2003.
   • They have been living together since 2008.
   • She hasn’t been using this computer since 2003.
   • Has she been using this computer since 2003?
2. Focus on the result of an action that has not finished yet
   • You have been trying to fix the computer for 4 hours.
   • The grass is wet, it has been raining.
   • They have been cooking for 2 hours.
   • They haven’t been cooking for 2 hours.
   • Have they been cooking for 2 hours?
3. Refer to series of actions
   • I have been calling you all day.
   • He has been sending me friend requests for a month.
   • We have been watching tv too much lately.
   • We haven’t been watching tv too much lately.
   • Have we been watching tv too much lately?

We use the Present Perfect Continuous tense when we:

1. Talk about actions that started in the past and continue in the present (very often used with, for or since);
2. Focus on the present result of an action that has not finished yet;
3. Refer to a series of actions.

We use the Present Perfect Continuous to talk about situations which have started in the past and are still going on in the present or have just finished and still have effects on the present.

• Affirmative: Subject + auxiliary verb “to have” (“has” for third person singular) + past participle of the verb “to be” + [verb+ -ing] (e.g. I have been working.);
• Negative: Subject + auxiliary verb “to have” (“has” for third person singular) not + past participle of the verb “to be” + [verb to work + -ing] (e.g. I haven’t been working.);
• Interrogative: Auxiliary verb “to have” (“has” for third person singular) + subject + past participle of the verb “to be” + [verb to work + -ing] + question mark (e.g. Have I been working?).

For example:
— “I have been working.” = I started working in the past and I am still working. Present Perfect Continuous expresses progress.
> “I work.” = I work regularly. With Present Tense we talk about a repeated action.

Let’s revise this content within the [Form] section. Take a look at the [Example] section that shows its use within a context.