04.

The Tenses: Present Perfect Continuous

 FORM: Have/ has + BEEN + Vb.-ING

E.g. + I have been reading

           You have been reading

            He/ she has been reading

        -   I haven’t been reading

            You haven't been reading

            He/ she hasn’t been reading

        ?  Have I been reading?

           Have you been reading?

           Has he/ she been reading?

USE:

1.      1. Action which started in the past and is still continuing (Actiune care a inceput in trecut
si inca mai continua):

Adverbs: SINCE/ FOR/ ALL/ LONG/ LATELY/ RECENTLY/ OVER THE LAST FEW
MONTHS (de/ timp de/ toata, tot/ de mult/ recent/ in ultimele cateva luni)

E.g. We have been listening to music since noon. (Noi ascultam muzica de la pranz.)

        He has been living in London for ten years. (El locuieste in Londra de zece ani.)

        My father has been working in the garden all day. (Tatal meu a lucrat in gradina toata
ziua.)

        Have you been waiting here long? (Astepti aici de mult?)

o  My parents ... all day. (Parintii mei s-au certat toata ziua.)

       a) have fought

       b) fought
        c) have been fighting

       d) are fighting

2.     2.  A general activity in progress (no mention of time) (o actiune generala in progres fara
mentionarea timpului):

E.g. I have been thinking about moving. (M-am gandit sa ma mut./ Ma gandesc sa ma mut.)

      She has been doing a lot of progress with her piano lessons. (Ea a facut multe progrese cu
lectiile ei de pian.)

3.      3. Repeated action (actiune repetata):

E.g. He has been calling me a lot lately. (El m-a sunat mult in ultimul timp.)

        She has been sending letters over the last few months. (Ea a trimis scrisori in ultimele
luni.)

        I have been trying to call you. (Am tot incercat sa te sun.)

4.      4. Recently finished action which explains a present result (the effects of the action are still
apparent) (actiuni terminate recent care explica un rezultat in prezent - efectele actiunii
sunt inca aparente/ vizibile):

E.g. Her eyes are red. She has been crying. (Ochii ei sunt rosii. Ea a plans.)

        You are all sweaty. You have been running. (Esti transpirat tot. Ai alergat.)

        His eye is black: he has been fighting. (Ochiul lui este negru: el s-a batut.)

        The pavement is wet. It has been raining./ It has been raining, the pavement is wet.

(Trotuarul este ud. A plouat.)

        The kitchen is a mess. Have you been cooking? (Bucataria este murdara. Ai gatit?)

         You look tired. Have you been sleeping properly? (Arati obosit. Ai dormit cum trebuie?)

(the action started in the past => stopped recently => present result)

 o I don’t know what’s happened to Tom because his eyes are black. I think he ... . (Nu
stiu ce s-a intamplat cu Tom pentru ca ochii lui sunt negri. Cred ca s-a batut.)

          a) Has fought

          b) Fought

          c) Is fighting

          d) Has been fighting

       Present Perfect Simple                                                                     vs.                                

Present Perfect Continuous

o I have lived here since 1990.  (Eu locuiesc aici din 1990.)                                              
I have been living here since 1990. (Eu locuiesc aici din 1990.) 

(both possible – Present Perfect Continuous stresses on duration - ambele timpuri sunt

posibile dar Prezentul Perfect Continuu accentueaza pe durata)

o Who has eaten my cake? (Cine mi-a mancat

prajitura?)                                                      Who has been eating my cake? (Cine
mi-a mancat din prajitura?)

(there is no cake left [nu mai este prajitura deloc] -> completed
action)                           (there is some cake left [a mai ramas ceva din prajitura] ->
incomplete action)

Cand folosim Prezent Perfect Simplu inseamna ca actiunea este terminata -deci nu mai
este prajitura deloc, iar cand folosim Prezent Perfect Continuu inseamna ca actiunea este
incompleta -deci in acest caz mai este ceva prajitura ramasa.  

E.g. Do you know who ... my cookies? There is none left. (Sti cine mi-a mancat
prajiturile? Nu a mai ramas nici una.)

a) has been eating

b) ate

c) has eaten

d) is eating
 

o What have you done with my pen?   (Ce ai facut cu stiloul meu?)

What have you been doing with my pen? (Ce i-ai facut stiloului meu?)

(I cannot find it/ I don’t know where it is - nu pot sa il

gasesc)                                                           (I have it but it is broken - il am dar este
stricat)

Daca folosim  Prezent Perfect Simplu inseamna ca nu stim ce s-a intamplat cu obiectul,

iar daca folosim Prezent Perfect Continuu inseamna ca avem obiectul dar este stricat/
schimbat/ modificat)

E.g. Why is my pen bent? What ... with it? (De ce este stiloul meu indoit? Ce ai facut cu
el?)

a) have you done

b) are you doing

c) did you do

d) have you been doing

o I have read ten books so far. (Eu am citit zeca carti pana acum.)

I have been reading ten books so far. (Eu am citit carti pana acum.)

(completed action done ten times - actiune completeta facuta de zece

ori)                              (an incomplete action - o actiune incompleta)

Putem folosi Prezentul Perfect Simplu pentru a spune de cate ori am facut o actiune (deci
putem sa folosim numere), dar nu putem sa spunem de cate ori am facut o actiune cu
Prezentul Perfect Continuu deoarece acesta arata o actiune incompleta (deci nu folosim
numere cu el)

E.g. My little brother ... three toys so far. (Fratiorul meu a stricat trei jucarii pana acum.)

a) has broken

b) broke

c) has been breaking

d) is breaking
     My little brother ... a lot of toys so far. (Fratiorul meu a sticat multe jucarii pana
acum.)

a) has been breaking

b) is breaking

c) broke

d) breaks