How to Use the Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Continuous

In this lesson, you can learn about the present perfect simple and present perfect continuous verb forms.
What’s the difference between ‘I have done’ and ‘I have been doing?’ When should you use the present perfect continuous? You’ll see the answers to these questions in this lesson.
Do you want more grammar practice? The OOE teachers are here to help you! Learn more: bit.ly/ooe-teachers.
See the full lesson with script on our website: www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/p....
Contents:
Intro 00:00 - 00:55
How to Form the Present Perfect Continuous 00:55 - 04:04
Using the Present Perfect Continuous: Linking Past and Present 04:04 - 07:20
Using the Present Perfect Continuous: Explaining Present Results 07:20 - 08:59
Present Perfect Simple vs. Continuous 08:59 - 12:06
Focus on Results vs. Focus on Process 12:06
This lesson will help you:
- Understand how to correctly form the present perfect continuous verb tense in English.
- See example dialogues of how to use the present perfect continuous.
- Learn how to use the present perfect continuous in English to connect the past to the present.
- Use the present perfect continuous tense to explain results that are in the present.
- See the main differences between the present perfect simple and present perfect continuous tenses.
- Learn about state verbs like 'be' and why you can't use them in the present perfect continuous, along with an exception.
- Know the difference between describing results and describing processes when using the present perfect and present perfect continuous.
- Become more comfortable choosing between present perfect simple or present perfect continuous when speaking and writing in English.
SUBSCRIBE to continue improving your English! goo.gl/UUQW8j
See more free English lessons like this one on our website: www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/.

[@incyhu]

I have never been finding out the real English class like this one!🎉

[@somebody401]

Unbelievably wonderful! Easy to understand, organised, so engaging, smart examples for every point with an explanation. Best video I’ve watched on this topic. Thank you so much.

[@serendipitythirteen98]

Hello teachers! And to all people behind OOE You've been helping me a lot . Thank you so much!💓

[@WBanduMedia07]

You are all talented. Greatly teaching to understand covering all the meaning. Thanks a lot....

[@user-fs4vg7zf5t]

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[@rigobertoortegam.English]

This class explained very well. For my students is very difficult to apply this verbal form. I sent the link to my students. Greeting from Panama

[@mariasogen7890]

Good explanation of the two tenses. Thanks for sharing.

[@DoniyorMirzaqulov-ef7vg]

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[@hotpapsie7959]

Thanks Oxford English for explaining very well of these tenses. Actually, I've been subscribing and watching to your channel. I am proud to express that I've been learning from your lessons..Keep teaching for us. It's really informative and helpful.

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

We're glad you enjoy the lessons from Oxford Online English! Thanks for watching.

[@maxtalin5174]

Hmm, I doubt that PPC tense can be used here, `I've been subscribing`. It's a verb that describes a "state" for me. So it should be `I've subscribed`. Anyway, thank you for the lesson so much. I've been trying to figure out the difference between PC and PPC.

[@beetofmusic9006]

Thank you oxford online english !

[@ros.rafffran]

Great Kasia!! the best in OOE.. She let us understand all words!! This is way to teach and us to learn! Thank you very much

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Thank you for watching and sharing your kind comment.

[@mirajulislam132]

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[@satya.m]

I've been watching many videos about these tenses. But, after I've watched this one. Everything is clear now 👍

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Great!

[@polytrip1541]

Thank you! The difference betwin Present Perfect and Present PerfectContinuous is clear now.

[@joytothefun9639]

Thank you for the lesson.

[@xyzzyx3377]

wonderful, you made it sound so easy, thank you.

[@berenyiandre2040]

Many thanks, this lesson is briiliant. I teach English in France I highly recommend this website to learners and to teachers. Warm Regards. André BERENYI

[@alexanderhermann6739]

Thank you. Very easy to understand.

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

That's great, Alexander!

[@sophanithphorn8508]

Thank you for sharing us, I'm very appreciate and please keep doing more.

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

We're glad you enjoyed the lesson, Sophanith! Thanks for watching.

[@gerardoavila4724]

Great teachers. Go ahead. THX.

[@airinebalasa7543]

I highly appreciate the effort exerted in this video for the viewers. Please Continue helping students like me.

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

We're glad you enjoyed the lesson, Airine. Thanks for watching!

[@thienmai174]

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[@niroshakumari7045]

THANK YOU KASIA !!! THANK YOU LIAM YOU ARE TEACHING VERY WELL AND IT'S TOO USE FULL FOR ME THANK YOU FOR TEACHING !!!!

[@joelguti5079]

you explain perfectly both verb forms, thanks

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@shukrimahmood]

The young beautiful lady and the young handsome gentleman have done a magnificently good job; they have, actually, demonstrated their exhaustive knowledge of the subject at hand. And they are well acquainted with the incorrigible, widespread, common mistakes the English Language Learners incessantly do, whenever the Perfect Tenses are encountered, and have taken most of them into consideration. They have, incredibly concisely, specifically in a less than 20 - minute - span video lesson, provided the learners of English Grammar, whose extensive yet imperfect knowledge of the correct usage of PPT and PPCT, with a remedial explanatory reference- guideline. Thank you very much indeed.

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Thank you for the thoughtful comment, Shukri. We're happy you enjoyed the lesson.

[@shukrimahmood]

@@Oxfordonlineenglish1 Thank you for your time and kind response. The pleasure is mine.

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[@adminfoxy7543]

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[@Heba-un6ko]

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[@stanleyezeogu9816]

Great work! I have learnt new things.

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

That's great, Stanley!

[@boide7770]

Thanks a lot and I am bit clear now. I have watched this video once and will have been watching again

[@bonitachen]

Thank you for this lesson. I've been being confused by the present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous for years. (Hope this sentence is written correctly.) Now this lesson just made it clear for me. The teachers completely knew how to explain the profound grammar rules in simple language.

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Hi Bonita. We're happy you enjoyed the lesson! One tip on your sentence: If you’re using a state verb, like ‘be’, you should use the present perfect simple tense, not the present perfect continuous. So you can say, 'I've been confused by the...' not, 'I've been being confused by the...' Hope this helps you!

[@bonitachen]

@@Oxfordonlineenglish1 I guess understanding is one thing, doing is another! ^^ Thank you for the correction. I really appreciated it.

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[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

We're glad you liked it!

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[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

We're happy you enjoyed the lesson, Seble.

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[@metaenglish3390]

Very good explanation

[@connor511216]

Great job. Thanks

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Thanks for watching, Connor!

[@mariapalomino1001]

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[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Thanks for watching, David!

[@nagasreenumallipudi3240]

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[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

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[@mouninono2674]

Thank you so much for your efforts

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

You're welcome, Mouni!

[@DuongVu_DTH99]

I really appreciate how the teacher pointed out the core principle at 5:38. The teacher is really funny at 12:28. :)) Hmm...you guys not only teach English but also teach me how to behave to avoid conflict. PS: I am truly grateful for your kindness! Thank you very much

[@deyselobato7764]

I've been watching this videos here in Brasil and I've learned about present perfect simple and present perfect continuous. It looks a lot bit hard because there are not theses tenses verbs in the Portuguese grammar.

[@user-ji8xs5hd8i]

Thank you so much

[@HuongTranthi-yw4fp]

Thank you teacher 🙂🙂

[@englishwithvasanth]

Nice explanation! Thanks!

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Thanks for watching!

[@user-qb8uj4hv8s]

Thanks!

[@hitoshioshima298]

kasia is your English pronunciation British or American, it.s really very easy to understand. thank you

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Hi Hitoshi. Kasia has an American accent.

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Hay are you from Japan🇯🇵

[@armankozhamkulov1922]

According to teachers statement there are no British or American accent. There are some differences in composition of sentences and usage of words. Their English is clear because they are teachers so their sentences are correct. I mean most people speak current English with incorrect composed sentences and incorrect choice of words. But teachers speak correct English.

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[@raniaahmad2458]

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[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

We're glad you liked it, Rania!

[@user-nk8kf1mn2c]

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[@rolakhalil.b5409]

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[@dPwjd822]

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[@louistomhoran6784]

Hi with that being said at 14:38 you say it's possible to use 'have driven' for question 2 . So is it possible to use the present perfect simple for temporary situations ? Because 'drive' in question 2 is temporary and it's possible to use the present perfect simple.

[@sumbulakhtar2674]

Really amazing. Thanks Please explain sometime future continuous and future perfect continuous

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Thanks for the suggestion, Sumbul. We may be able to do that in the future. We also have a lesson on all of the tenses which might help you: www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/english-verb-tenses.

[@sumbulakhtar2674]

@@Oxfordonlineenglish1 Thanks

[@treacherywillgoaway2615]

That’s amazing video I have been cooking all day that I have been learning 😂

[@shalmar578]

This deserves to have more views. Such an useful video. Hi , Would you let me know which tense to use in this context 1. she sacrificed everything for me when I was a kid 2. She has sacrificed everything for me when I was a kid Which of these sentences is grammatically correct ? And why ( the explanation) Thank you so much for your lesson and thanks in advance

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

HI Ryan. We're happy that you enjoyed the lesson. For your question, #1 is correct, as your childhood is a finished time in the past. We have another lesson on tenses which you might enjoy. You can watch it here: www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/english-verb-tenses.

[@conan8429]

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[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

You're welcome!

[@yasserwaleedyasserwaleed5578]

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[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Thank you for watching!

[@ravoorihena8379]

I have been practicing speaking part of english in the last two hours. I haven't been watching any interesting series on TV recently. I have been playing with my nephew in my spare time this week.

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Nice, Ravoori! One tip: '...practicing spoken English...' or, '...practicing English speaking...' not, '...speaking part of English.' Hope this helps you!

[@ravoorihena8379]

Thank you

[@elisabettabotteon5931]

Thak you!

[@zaurbabayev6463]

Hi There. Could you write please more verbs that we can use in Pres. Perfect Simple and Pr.Perfect Continuous with the same meaning. For example: Live, work, study, teach 1) I've taught English since 2019= I've been teaching English since 2019 2) I've studied English since 2020 = I've been studying English since 2019. How about " Drive, Go, Play " etc. He's been driving the same car since 2015 = He's driven the same car since 2015. ( I'm not sure if it' correct ). Could you write more verbs with examples please. Thanks for your reply.

[@benjirtalukder7152]

Thank you

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

You're welcome, Benjir!

[@krishnakarthik1985]

thank you

[@ayaan4286]

Thanks so much

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

You're welcome!

[@Britishempire3545]

Very well sir. I'm Zubair Al mahmud from Bangladesh.

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

We're glad you enjoyed the lesson, Zubair!

[@shalmar14]

Hi! Thank you! I have a question for my understanding! Is it fine and possible to say "I have been playing football on the field while it has rained now" to mean that I'm still playing football at this minute and it's also still raining at this minute? I am using the present perfect simple in the while clause instead of the present perfect continuous in this case but the intended meaning is the same. Is it possible ? Thanks a bunch 😊

[@ravoorihena8379]

My sister has given me a chocolate, which is dairy milk fruit and nut as a form of apology because she has fought with me in the morning which, I've gladly accepted. Then she has asked me to look after my nephew as she has an appointment for a facial. I have given bath to him and I have played with him. After that, I have come across this exception video, so I have been practicing present perfect and continuous sentences while watching it. Now that I've finished it. I have been eagerly waiting for your feedback.

[@krishnasarkar1348]

Fantastic. Could you please explaining 'past perfect vs past perfect continuous' & 'future perfect vs future perfect continuous '. in another lesson. Really confused about it.

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Thanks for the suggestion, Krishna. We may be able to do a lesson on that topic in the future. For now, we do have a lesson on tenses to help you: www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/english-verb-tenses.

[@Leo007619]

5:45 The action must have started in the past. Is it about speculation/deduction or is it about obligation?

[@cintyalusi5808]

Hii you have given me confidence to speak English with your useful lessons! Besides, i have something to ask Thank you!! The question is : Can "today" ( if today has finished ) be used with the present perfect ? For example : Is it correct to say "i have eaten sandwich today" if today has finished ? And if it's wrong, what should I say ? Thank you

[@frasko4899]

Wouldn't a "today" that has finished be called "yesterday"?

[@imagessays1367]

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[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Great, Kavita!

[@soniamontoya5680]

Hi from Honduras 🇭🇳

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Hi, Sonia. Thanks for watching!

[@shalmar14]

Thank you for the lesson.... 😊 Anyway, is there any difference between i have wanted and i have been wanting ? Because some people say that "i have wanted" means you no longer want it. But you wanted it in the past , but not in the present. Is that true ? Then how about " i have been wanting " ? I'm asking the same question too which is "the difference between "i have worked since 2010" and " i have been working since 2010" , is there any difference in meaning between them ? Because in that video we use "have been v+ing" to show a repeated action that we've been doing. Thanks!!

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Hi Omar, good questions! A couple of points: 1) Saying 'I have wanted...' doesn't mean that you no longer want it. The present perfect *always* contains some kind of link to the present. If you no longer want something, you would just use the past simple: 'I wanted...' 2) The verbs 'live' and 'work' are a special case. With these two verbs, you can use the simple or continuous and it makes no difference. You can say 'I have worked there since 2010' or 'I have been working there since 2010.' The meaning is exactly the same.

[@marfrozy1388]

Hi! Thank you for the lesson on the present perfect! I have a similar case to ask. The context: *I made my friend angry last week and now I'm apologizing to him.* Is it correct to specify the past time in this context : _"I'm sorry to have made you angry last week"_ Is it ok to specify the past time "last week" in that context ? Thanks a bunch!

[@marfrozy1388]

Hi OOE teachers, One case that I still find confusing is the adverb "recently" used together with the present perfect simple. I have a question, Can we use "recently" with the present perfect simple to mean that something started in the past and is continuing up to present ? E.g ( It has rained a lot recently ) Or is it not used in that way ? Thank you in advance for everything.

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Hi there. This is a case of using the present perfect to describe something that is finished and has a present consequence. For example, perhaps the ground is still wet from the rain. We have another lesson which might also help you: www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/present-perfect-verb-tense. Thanks for watching!

[@wangxiao2019]

In three months i have to do the A2 kay exam, and I'm feeling so lost and afraid 😭🧡 Thank you for sharing with us this lesson.

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Thanks for watching, Xian. Good luck!

[@armankozhamkulov1922]

Hi teachers, At time 12.47 I saw a phrase What needs doing. Please could you give grammar comments on this phrase? It looks a bit weird for my taste. In my opinion the phrase should be What needs to be done OR What should I do.

[@armankozhamkulov1922]

Hi teachers, At time 15.39 I saw phrase The soup is ready to eat. For me it sounds like soup is ready to eat something. Is the passive form (The soup is ready to be eaten) more relevant here?

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Hi Arman. Great questions. Here is some insight: 1) 'What needs doing?' is a very conversational phrase. It basically means, 'What needs to be done?' It is more informal and not as widely used in more formal situations. 2) 'The soup is ready to eat,' is another more conversational form for the meaning, 'The soup is ready to be eaten.' We have to be careful when using this form, as the context is very important. Another similar example: 'The dress is ready to try on.' Hope this helps you!

[@malikamirodilova4593]

Yes, I have been watching exciting soap opera since december

[@brianjohnson6016]

Hi! It was hard to understand but now i'm getting better because of your help! Thanks! I do have a question which is difficult for me, Here is the question: Which of these sentences below is correct ? 1. I have eaten sushi 5 times last year 2. I ate sushi 5 times last year Thanks!! This is what I don't understand..

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

We're happy that you enjoyed the lesson. The second one is correct. Here is another lesson on the present perfect tense which may also help you: www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/present-perfect-verb-tense.

[@sarahlaura1552]

Hi, Thanks for the lesson, I would like to confirm something regarding the use of the present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous. I know that when it comes to verbs like "live, work, study, play" using the present perfect simple suggests that the situation is more permanent while using the present perfect continuous suggests that the situation is more temporary. But i've heard someone say that Using the present perfect continuous suggests the situation is more likely to continue and it makes me confused , isn't something what's more permanent is more likely to continue than what's more temporary ? Then why does using the present perfect continuous suggest that the situation is more likely to continue ? For example, saying "i have been studying English for 3 months" suggests that the studying is more likely to continue than saying " i have studied for 3 months" Could you explain why ? Because in my opinion , What makes the studying more likely to continue is using the present perfect simple not the present perfect continuous as it suggests the studying is more permanent. Thank you so much.

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Hi Sarah. 'I have been studying,' means it's a temporary situation that is continuous at this time. The important part is that it is currently continuous, and will continue, so you could interpret it as being likely to continue. However, 'I have studied' doesn't necessarily mean the person won't continue, or has a lower likeliness to continue. I would differentiate them using the points from the lesson, rather than by likeliness to continue. Hope this helps you!

[@RawanMohammad127]

Thx

[@malikamirodilova4593]

I have been trying to understand in what kind of situations use the present perfect continuous tense for the last two hours

[@tasawant4077]

Also I've been making soup for lunch can be used both ways like you taught, as in I'm still making it Or I've just recently finished making it? It depends on the question, I think. Pls explain

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Good question. Yes, it depends on your meaning and the context of the situation.

[@tasawant4077]

Thank you

[@armankozhamkulov1922]

Hi teachers, At time 1.12 I saw expression (Track of time). Is it a collocation. I fell that I would say (I lost track of A time)

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Hi there. Yes, it is a collocation. You can say: 'keep track of time,' and 'lose track of time,' as well. Hope this helps you!

[@chandankumarprasad2138]

Awesome

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Hope you found it helpful, Chandan.

[@tinaguedj1390]

Good evening to both of you, I'd like to ask you a question, please. How can we use the present perfect continuous to explain present results if it's a tense which focuses on the process, not the result ?

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Hi Tina. It can help us to explain a present situation which is a result of a continuous event that recently finished. For example: 'I'm so tired. I've been studying all day.' The present result is being tired. This is a result from a continuous event which recently finished (studying all day). Hope this helps you!

[@tinaguedj1390]

@@Oxfordonlineenglish1 Thank you for your answer 😊

[@abhijeetkrishanvisen]

Please make videos on All Tenses

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Thanks for the suggestion, Abhijeet! We actually have a video on all the tenses. You can see it here: www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/english-verb-tenses.

[@marfrozy1388]

Hii, This lesson is on the present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous, I've got something to ask regarding them to completely understand those two tenses Which is this : Are these following sentences interchangeable and have exactly the same meaning ? 1. My English has got better since I started subscribing to Oxford Online English channel 2. My English has been getting better since I started subscribing to Oxford Online English channel And also , are these following sentences interchangeable and have exactly the same meaning ? 1. My English has improved gradually 2. My English has been improving gradually Thank you so much, stay healthy and have a great day!

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Hi there. Thanks for watching and sharing your question. Based on what you've learned in this lesson, what are your thoughts?

[@tinaguedj1390]

Well, I think both tenses mean the same thing. Both are talking about an unfinished action that started in the past and is still true now.

[@archiepereiramuruchi5107]

Any app to learn from it to improve your uk pronunciation?

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Hi Archie. We have a lesson which may be helpful for you: www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/british-american-pronunciation, www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/free-english-pronunciation-lessons.

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[@petermax8301]

Hi, I'm wondering about " have been making" and "have made" If i use them with "for" , for example : "i have made a sandwich for 3 hours" and " i have been making a sandwich for 3 hours" Are both of them interchangeable ? Do both of the sentences mean the same ? Or maybe the sentence with the present perfect continuous emphasises the temporary action ? But are both of them correct ? It's really confusing

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Hi there. No, these are not interchangeable. The correct sentence is: 'I have been making a sandwich.' We have a few other lessons which you might find helpful on this topic: www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/english-verb-tenses, www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/present-perfect-verb-tense. Thanks for watching!

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[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Hi Kalai. You can learn more on our website: www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/book-classes.

[@saeedalsaeed227]

But using for and since with simple perfect is really confusing … thses two words refer to duration , so we should use ing !! Isnt true ?

[@sanbyeok7815]

Hi OOE Teachers, I would like to know about the present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous. Here's my question : imagine you're driving to your friend's house and you want to say to someone something like : 1. I have driven for 3 hours now 2. I have been driving for 3 hours now Which of those sentences above is more correct ? I know both work but but which one is more correct ? Is it the second sentence ? Because 'drive' is more of a temporary action in the context. Thanks Regards.

[@masoodmajeedtayeb]

I have been dreaming in migrating and living in the UK for dozens of years.

[@Oxfordonlineenglish1]

Excellent response, Masood! One tip: '...dreaming of migrating...' not, 'in'.

[@masoodmajeedtayeb]

@@Oxfordonlineenglish1 many thanks dear

[@ahmedadamflowahmedadam1610]

😊😊😊

[@akashsaini0806]

How long have they been together👫