Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous B1 Grammar Practice Tests

Exercises: 1 2 3

Exercise 1

Choose the correct verb form, Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous, to complete each sentence.

Example: She ______ (wait / has been waiting) for the bus for twenty minutes.
Answer: She has been waiting for the bus for twenty minutes.

1. I ___ this book three times. It's my favourite!

have been reading

have read

am reading

read

2. She ___ all morning. That's why her eyes are red.

has cried

cried

has been crying

is crying

3. They ___ five emails since this morning.

have been sending

have sent

are sending

sent

4. How long ___ you ___ here? You look tired.

have / waited

did / wait

have / been waiting

are / waiting

5. He ___ his homework, so now he can watch TV.

has been doing

did

has done

does

6. I ___ Spanish for two years, but I still find it difficult.

have studied

am studying

study

have been studying

7. The ground is wet. It ___.

has been raining

has rained

rained

is raining

8. We ___ to Paris twice this year.

have been going

went

have gone

9. You look exhausted! What ___ you ___?

have / done

did / do

have / been doing

are / doing

10. I ___ my keys! I can't find them anywhere.

have been losing

lost

lose

have lost

Exercises: 1 2 3

Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous

Have you ever felt confused about when to use the present perfect and when to use the present perfect continuous? You are not alone! These two tenses are very similar, but they have important differences in meaning. This lesson will help you understand exactly when to use each one.

Look at these two sentences:

I have read three chapters of my book.
I have been reading my book all afternoon.

Both sentences use a past action connected to the present — but they tell us different things. By the end of this lesson, you will know exactly which one to choose.

Quick Reminder: How to Form Each Tense

Present Perfect

We form the present perfect with have / has + past participle.

Subject	Have / Has	Past Participle	Example
I / You / We / They	have	finished	I have finished my homework.
He / She / It	has	finished	She has finished her homework.

Present Perfect Continuous

We form the present perfect continuous with have / has + been + verb-ing.

Subject	Have / Has	Been	Verb-ing	Example
I / You / We / They	have	been	working	I have been working all day.
He / She / It	has	been	working	He has been working all day.

When to Use the Present Perfect

1. Completed Actions with a Result Now

Use the present perfect when an action is finished and the result matters now. We are interested in what happened, not how long it took.

Situation: Maria is a chef. She started cooking dinner and now dinner is ready.

Maria has cooked dinner. ✅

The cooking is finished. The result is clear: dinner is ready now.

I have lost my keys. (Result: I cannot open the door now.)
He has broken his leg. (Result: He cannot walk now.)
They have arrived at the hotel. (Result: They are at the hotel now.)
She has written the report. (Result: The report is done.)

2. Life Experiences

Use the present perfect to talk about things you have or have not done in your life. We do not say exactly when.

I have visited Japan twice.
She has never eaten sushi.
We have seen that film before.
Have you ever been to Scotland?

3. How Many Times / How Many Things

Use the present perfect when you talk about a number or quantity — how many things have been completed.

I have sent ten emails this morning.
She has read four books this month.
He has called me three times today.

4. News and Recent Events

Use the present perfect to announce news or recent events.

The president has made a new decision.
Scientists have discovered a new planet.
Our team has won the match!

When to Use the Present Perfect Continuous

1. Actions That Started in the Past and Are Still Happening

Use the present perfect continuous when an action started in the past and is still continuing now. We are interested in the duration (how long).

Situation: Tom started studying at 9 o'clock. It is now 2 o'clock. He is still studying.

Tom has been studying for five hours. ✅

I have been waiting for the bus for twenty minutes.
She has been learning Spanish since January.
They have been living in London for three years.
We have been working on this project since Monday.

2. Recent Actions That Explain a Present Situation

Use the present perfect continuous when you want to explain why something looks or feels a certain way now. The action recently stopped, but we can still see the effect.

Situation: You arrive home. Your friend's face is red and sweaty.

Have you been running? ✅

My eyes are tired. I have been reading all evening.
His hands are dirty. He has been fixing the car.
You look exhausted. Have you been sleeping badly?
The kitchen smells wonderful. She has been baking bread.

3. Emphasising Duration — How Long

The present perfect continuous is very common with for and since when we want to show how long an activity has been happening.

for = a period of time (for two hours, for a long time, for weeks)
since = a point in time (since Monday, since 2019, since I was a child)

She has been teaching at this school for ten years.
I have been feeling ill since yesterday.
They have been arguing for an hour.
He has been working here since he graduated.

Side-by-Side Comparison: Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous?

Present Perfect	Present Perfect Continuous
Focuses on the completed result	Focuses on the ongoing activity / duration
I have painted the bedroom. (It is finished.)	I have been painting the bedroom. (I am tired / it took a long time.)
She has written two emails. (We count them.)	She has been writing emails. (She has been busy doing it.)
He has run 10 kilometres. (A specific amount.)	He has been running. (Explains why he looks tired.)
We have lived here for a year. (State verb — acceptable.)	We have been living here for a year. (Also acceptable — same meaning.)
I have read the report. (It is done.)	I have been reading the report. (I am still reading, or I just stopped.)

For and Since with Both Tenses

Both tenses can be used with for and since, but they sometimes have a slightly different feeling.

I have lived here for ten years. (Simple fact — I still live here.)
I have been living here for ten years. (Emphasises the duration — it feels like a long time!)

With most action verbs, the present perfect continuous is more natural when you want to stress how long something has been happening.

How long have you been waiting? ✅ (More natural than "How long have you waited?")
I have been feeling unwell since Tuesday. ✅

Important Differences and Special Cases

State Verbs: Do Not Use the Continuous Form

Some verbs describe a state (a condition or feeling), not an action. We do not usually use these verbs in the continuous form — even in the present perfect continuous.

Common state verbs include: know, believe, want, need, love, hate, like, own, have (possession), understand, seem, prefer, remember, forget.

❌ I have been knowing her for years.
✅ I have known her for years.

❌ She has been wanting a new job for months.
✅ She has wanted a new job for months.

❌ He has been owning that car since 2020.
✅ He has owned that car since 2020.

When Both Tenses Are Possible — But Mean Something Different

Look at this pair:

I have cleaned the house. → The house is clean now. The job is done.
I have been cleaning the house. → I have been busy cleaning. Maybe it is not finished yet.

She has read the email. → She has finished reading it. She knows what is in it.
She has been reading the email. → She spent time reading it. Maybe she is still reading.

Quantities and Numbers: Use Present Perfect

When you mention a specific number or quantity, always use the present perfect, not the continuous.

❌ I have been drinking three cups of coffee today.
✅ I have drunk three cups of coffee today.

❌ She has been writing five reports.
✅ She has written five reports.

Common Mistakes

❌ I have been knowing him since school.
✅ I have known him since school. (Know is a state verb — no continuous form.)

❌ She has been writing three emails this morning.
✅ She has written three emails this morning. (Use present perfect for a specific number.)

❌ They have been arrived.
✅ They have arrived. (Arrive is not used in the continuous in this way — it is a completed action.)

❌ How long have you waited for me?
✅ How long have you been waiting for me? (Use continuous to ask about duration of an ongoing activity.)

❌ I have been seen that film before.
✅ I have seen that film before. (Life experiences use the present perfect, not continuous.)

❌ He has been having that phone for two years.
✅ He has had that phone for two years. (Have as possession is a state verb.)

❌ We have been living here since five years.
✅ We have been living here for five years. (Use for with a period of time, not since.)

Contractions

In spoken English and informal writing, we often shorten have and has.

Full Form	Contraction	Example
I have	I've	I've been working all day.
You have	You've	You've been waiting a long time.
He has	He's	He's finished the report.
She has	She's	She's been cooking since noon.
We have	We've	We've lived here for years.
They have	They've	They've been arguing all morning.

Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous: Quick Summary

Here is a final overview to help you remember the key differences:

Use	Tense	Example
Completed action with a present result	Present Perfect	I have cleaned the house.
Life experiences	Present Perfect	She has visited Paris twice.
Specific number or quantity	Present Perfect	He has read ten pages.
Recent news	Present Perfect	The team has won the cup!
Action still happening now (duration)	Present Perfect Continuous	I have been studying for hours.
Explaining a present situation (recent activity)	Present Perfect Continuous	She looks tired. She has been working.
Emphasising how long (with for / since)	Present Perfect Continuous	They have been waiting since 3 o'clock.
State verbs (know, want, have, love, etc.)	Present Perfect only	I have known him for years.

Remember the golden rule: use the present perfect to focus on the result or completion of an action, and use the present perfect continuous to focus on the activity itself, its duration, or why something is the way it is now.

Now practise present perfect or present perfect continuous in the exercises below.

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