PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

AND
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

1º BACH
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
 USAGE OF THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

The present perfect continuous is an action that started in the past and continuous up
to the present. It may be just finishing now or still continuing.

• Actions started in the past and continuing till now

You can use the present perfect continuous verb tense to describe long actions that
started in the past and continue till the present. For example:
• She has been living in California for 7 years.
• We have been going to the same beach for summer my whole life.
• Frank has been studying for the test all week.
Recent actions that have results now

You can use this verb tense to talk about recent actions that have
clear results in the present. For example:

• He is late for the meeting because he has been talking with his

friends and forgot the time.
• Susie’s muscles are sore because she has been working out all day
yesterday.
• We are tired because we have being studying all evening.
Temporary situations
You can use this verb tense to talk about temporary
situations. For example:

• Have you been studying?
• Have they been playing all day?
• Has Susie been preparing for the exam?
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
 USAGE OF THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

The past perfect continuous is an action that continued for a period of time in the
past.

• Past actions that continued for a period of time before another action
You can use the past perfect continuous verb tense to express an action it the past that
took place for a period of time before another action in the past. For example:

• We had been studying for the exam when the teacher sent an email saying it was
canceled.
• They had been playing outside when the weather got worse.
• Susie had been playing video games when her mother told her to come down for
dinner.
Duration of an action in the past

You can use the past perfect continuous tense to express the duration of
an action in the past that comes before something else. For example:

• I really needed this vacation because I had been working really hard

at work for the last 3 months.
• They really needed a break because they had been working for 8
hours straight.
• We really needed to sit down because we had been standing up all
day long.
Cause of something in the past

You can use the past perfect continuous to express the

cause for something in the past. For example:

• I was hungry because I had been working out.

• Susie was tired because she had been driving.
• We were thirsty because we had been jogging.
 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO TENSES
As you can see, the present perfect
continuous and past perfect
continuous both describe event that
start in the past.
The main difference is the present
perfect continuous relates the
present (right now) and the past
perfect continuous relates only to
the past.