Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continous

I have been studying French for three years.

They have visited Paris twice this year.

She has been reading the same book since last month.

We have completed our project successfully.

The birds have been singing since dawn.

He has written three novels so far.

You have been working hard all day.

They have never seen a whale in the wild.

I have been thinking about your proposal since yesterday.

Example
I am a receptionist at a nice little hotel next to my house. I’ve been working here since 2010 but I’ve been a receptionist for much
longer, so I’ve welcomed many tourists. I’ve never worked in such a big hotel before, so it can be a bit stressful.

Today I’ve been very busy. I have been writing e-mails all day. I’ve already written ten e-mails. Now I’ve just sat down for my break – I
haven’t eaten lunch yet so I’m starving! Recently I’ve been trying to eat more healthily, so I’m having a salad
Present perfect simple vs. present perfect progressive
The present perfect simple and the present perfect progressive both connect the past to the present.

However, each tense has a slightly different focus: the present perfect simple focuses on the present result or relevance of a (recently)
completed action, while the present perfect progressive expresses the duration of an action that started in the past and is still ongoing
at the time of speaking.

Learn the difference between the present perfect simple and the present perfect progressive in English grammar with Lingolia, then
test yourself in the interactive exercises.

Example
I am a receptionist at a nice little hotel next to my house. I’ve been working here since 2010 but I’ve been a receptionist for much
longer, so I’ve welcomed many tourists. I’ve never worked in such a big hotel before, so it can be a bit stressful.

Today I’ve been very busy. I have been writing e-mails all day. I’ve already written ten e-mails. Now I’ve just sat down for my break – I
haven’t eaten lunch yet so I’m starving! Recently I’ve been trying to eat more healthily, so I’m having a salad

What’s the difference between present perfect simple and present perfect progressive?

The key aspect of the present perfect simple and the present perfect progressive is that they talk about actions that started in the past
and are still ongoing in the present. This means that both tenses can be used to answer the question "how long?" in relation to
ongoing actions. However their focus is slightly different:

The present perfect simple:

 is used with stative verbs as well as action verbs

 focuses on the result of the action
 talks about recently completed actions or experiences that have a connection to the present

The present perfect progressive:

  is only used with action verbs
 emphasises the duration of the action
 talks about temporary ongoing actions or new habits

The table below provides an overview of the differences between the English present perfect simple and present perfect
progressive tenses.

Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Progressive

duration of ongoing activities with stative verbs (how long) duration of ongoing activities with active verbs (how long)

Example: Example:
I’ve been a receptionist for much longer. I have been working here since 2010.
focus on the result of an action focus on the duration of an action

Example: Example:
I have already written ten emails. I’ve been writing emails all day.
recently completed actions with a connection to the present temporary ongoing actions and new habits

Example: Example:
I’ve just sat down for my break. Recently, I’ve been trying to eat more healthily.
experiences (ever/never)

Example:
I’ve never worked in such a big hotel before.
 Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Progressive
negative: not since the last occurrence (yet)

Example:
I haven’t eaten anything yet.

Signal Words for Present Perfect Simple vs. Present Perfect Progressive
Signal words can help us to recognise which tense to use in a sentence. Below is a list of signal words for the present perfect
simple and present perfect progressive tenses and example sentences. Some signal words are used with both tenses.

Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Progressive

Signal Word Example Signal Word Example
how long? How long have you been here? how long? How long have you been doing sport?
for I’ve been married for six years. for He’s been doing judo for six months.
since She’s been a firefighter since 2013. since I’ve been playing tennis since I was a child.
already I’ve already finished my homework. all day I’ve been cleaning all day.
ever Have you ever tried sushi? recently Recently, I’ve been trying to eat healthily.
just He has only just arrived. lately Lately I’ve been doing yoga in the mornings.
never I’ve never been abroad before.
... times We have visited London several times.
(not) yet Sorry I haven’t called yet.