Present Perfect (Simple) vs Present Perfect Continuous

Introduction:

• Host: Hello and welcome to the English Magnet. Today’s video: Present Perfect Simple vs Present Perfect Continuous Made Easy! 2 tenses with slight but fundamental differences and even overlapping meanings, we’re going to shed some light on the matter. Knowing when to use one over the other is a key step in a learner’s journey to fluency!  We’re going to cover their structures, key differences, commonalities and split personalities of some verbs, stick ‘til the end. Ok, let’s go!

Part 1: Present Perfect (simple) – Structure (more commonly referred to as the present perfect)

Short recap on the structure of the present perfect: you need 2 words; have or has and a past participle (the 3rd form of verbs). For example; I have seen, you’ve not felt, she has booked, haven’t we come?. You’ve noticed that the negative form plugs ‘not’ in between the two words while a question form inverts ‘have/has’ and the subject. (not is highlighted and then haven’t and we). The real hassle is with the 3rd form of verbs; some are regular (book, booked, booked), some are irregular but look like the past simple (fell, felt, felt), some are irregular but look like the base form (come, came, come) and some are just a brand new word and you have to remember them (see, saw, seen). Check the contractions (contractions are highlighted) which can either fuse the subject and have/has or have/has and not, giving for instance you’ve and haven’t. (you’ve and haven’t are highlighted). For a deeper dive into the present perfect, click the link. 

Part 2: Present Perfect Continuous – Structure

Second short recap, okay, let’s look at the present perfect continuous. This tense requires 3 words: have/has + been + a present participle (aka the ing form). For example: I have been seeing, you’ve not been feeling, she has been booking, haven’t we been coming?. No irregular verbs here, pretty sweet, eh. As you can see ‘have’ is for I, you, we and also they while ‘has’ is for she but also he and it. ‘Been’ never changes, regardless of the subject. You finish with a present participle which is the ing ending you add to your verb. Just remove the final ‘e’ (come-coming) unless there are two ‘ee’s (see-seeing). The negative and question forms are similar to the present perfect simple; ‘not’ comes after ‘have/has’ and you swap the order of the subject and ‘have/has’ when asking a question. Again, contractions are possible (contractions are highlighted) either subject & have/has or have/has & not.  If you’re in the mood, learn more about the present perfect continuous by clicking the link.

Part 3: Key Differences

Even though both tenses are used to connect the past with the present, they do so with a different purpose. The present perfect simple is outcome-oriented while the present perfect continuous looks more closely at the ongoing activity. It’s kind of like in the kitchen; some people thoroughly enjoy the cooking process representing the present perfect continuous and other folks  focus more on the cooked dish on a plate, that’s more like the present perfect simple. So outcome or process, which category do you fall into? Let’s compare different subcategories with some examples.  

1) Completed action vs ongoing action 

The present perfect looks at a finished action while the continuous form relates to an unfinished action. 

Example: I’ve read this book, it’s riveting! (present perfect simple) The reading is done and linked to the present as it might be recommended to someone. 

Example: I’ve been reading this book, it’s riveting! (present perfect continuous) The reading is not done, the ongoing action continues, so perhaps we shouldn’t give away the ending. 

2) Recent past action vs Cause of a current situation

The present perfect is used to emphasize the recency of the past action while the present perfect continuous is used to explain the current situation, the latter has a strong cause-effect correlation. 

Example: Sylvia has just written the report, she is going home to rest. (present perfect simple) The writing ended not long ago and now Sylvia is leaving. 

Example: Sylvia has been writing the report, that’s why she’s exhausted. (present perfect continuous) The writing explains why Sylvia is exhausted at the moment. 

These two examples are seemingly interchangeable, however they highlight different elements: the present perfect simple focuses on the completion of the action while the present perfect continuous gives a reason to Sylvia’s current state of fatigue. Besides, in the second example, poor Sylvia might not be done with the report. Tough luck! 

3) Number vs Duration 

In short, the present perfect answers how much or how many while the present perfect continuous answers how long. So the simple form aims at recording the number of instances an action took place with the possibility of it happening again. Whereas the continuous form looks at the length of an ongoing action in time. 

Example: We’ve watched four movies this weekend. (present perfect simple) We can answer how many? Watching a movie happened four times so far and why not a fifth movie?

Example: We’ve been watching movies for four hours. (present perfect continuous) We can answer how long? Watching movies is ongoing; it has lasted for 4 hours but is continuing. It’s hard to interrupt a weekend of binge-watching. 

4) Result vs Activity

Maybe the easiest way to compare these tenses is to combine them in a single sentence where the simple form is looking at the result and the continuous form focuses on the activity. 

Example: I have completed my assignment and have been preparing for the test. The assignment is done, the emphasis is on the result while the preparation is ongoing, there is still more to do prior to taking the test. Here the verb choice gives us a hint since by definition the verb ‘to complete’ is about finishing something so the present perfect is well suited here and ‘to prepare’ is about getting ready through a process so the present perfect continuous fits well here too. 

Example: She has finished the design and has been building the prototype. The design is set in stone and its result is meaningful to the current situation while the building is ongoing, the prototype is not fully built yet. Again, verb choice is useful here; ‘to finish’ is about ending something so the present perfect works well and ‘to build’ is about putting together different parts through several steps so the present perfect continuous is appropriate. 

Part 4 Commonalities 

Fun fact, some verbs will have the same meaning in both tenses. Verbs describing actions that can stretch over long periods with no clear endpoint. This overlap arises from the verbs’ inherent nature as ongoing or repeated actions. The most common ones are live, work, play, study and teach. 

Example: 

They have lived in Mexico City since 2020. 

They have been living in Mexico City since 2020. 

We have played football every weekend for years. 

We have been playing soccer every weekend for years. 

My professor has taught at this university over many years. 

My professor has been teaching at this university over many years. 

In each pair, the meaning is virtually the same; the actions are ongoing and unfinished. It’s almost like using synonyms such as football and soccer… sorry if using them interchangeably in the previous example bothered you, we know this sport is a very big deal for many people, it’s just for teasing

Part 5

Split Personalities 

We just covered verbs that can be used in both the present perfect simple and present perfect continuous without altering the meaning of the sentence. Now, we’re going to look at verbs that have a secondary or even tertiary meaning when used in the continuous form. It can occur with non action verbs, try to guess the actual meaning of the following verbs: 

My parents have been thinking about selling the house. (3 2 1 countdown)  = my parents are considering selling the house. 

My friend has been seeing someone for a month now. = my friend is meeting or dating someone. 

I’ve been having a lot of fun at the amusement park today. = I am experiencing a good time. 

These verbs don’t carry their primary meaning when used in the continuous form (think as in believe, see as in look at and have as in possess). 

Wrap up

• Host: That’s it, wasn’t so bad, right? We hope you’ve had a good time and that you’ve been learning a few new quirks of the English language. If you’re in the mood, there’s a link to some free material to practice by yourselves in the description below. Keep practicing, and you’ll get the hang of it. Thank you for watching. Until next time!