Tenses · CEFR B2 · Confident
Present Perfect Continuous — English tenses
Started earlier and still going, with the length of time in view.
The shape
have / has been + verb-ing
Say how long you have been doing something.
In Hindi
पहले शुरू हुआ और अब भी जारी है — कितने समय से, यह भी बताया जाता है।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
I am working here since two years. | I have been working here for two years. "Since" needs a starting point; a length of time takes "for". |
Present Perfect Continuous examples
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
We have been waiting since Monday.
हम सोमवार से इंतज़ार कर रहे हैं।
We have been working on it since Monday.
हम सोमवार से इस पर काम कर रहे हैं।
We have been using the new system since Monday.
हम सोमवार से नया सिस्टम इस्तेमाल कर रहे हैं।
We have been trying to reach them since Monday.
हम सोमवार से उन तक पहुँचने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं।
We have been keeping the record since Monday.
हम सोमवार से रिकॉर्ड रख रहे हैं।
She has been working here for two years.
वह दो साल से यहाँ काम कर रही है।
She has been doing this course for two years.
वह दो साल से यह कोर्स कर रही है।
She has been looking after this team for two years.
वह दो साल से इस टीम को सँभाल रही है।
She has been learning English for two years.
वह दो साल से अंग्रेज़ी सीख रही है।
She has been buying from the same shop for two years.
वह दो साल से इसी दुकान से सामान ले रही है।
Learn these first
These come first. The rest of this makes more sense once they are automatic.
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
- for / sinceB1Say how long, without the mistake everybody makes
- Present PerfectB1Talk about experience and about what has changed
Questions people ask
- What is the present perfect continuous used for?
- Started earlier and still going, with the length of time in view. In practice: say how long you have been doing something.
- How do you form the present perfect continuous?
- have / has been + verb-ing.
- What is the most common mistake with the present perfect continuous?
- Saying “I am working here since two years.” instead of “I have been working here for two years.”. "Since" needs a starting point; a length of time takes "for".
Where present perfect continuous fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
Present Perfect Continuous is a CEFR B2 structure — the confident band — and it belongs to tenses. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
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