Sign up for freeSign up

Present perfect continuous: ESL lesson plans and exercises

Levels B1 to B2 4 lesson plans · 2 drill lessons Exercises that check themselves

The present perfect continuous, have or has been + -ing, describes an activity that started in the past and is still going on or has only just stopped: Merchants have been asking for a CSV export for weeks. On this page you'll find 4 ready-made lessons on it from the edio.ai library, levels B1 to B2, all interactive and in American English. Try their exercises, see the activity set against the result in their grammar schemes, and pick a lesson from the list by level.

Start free trial Try the exercises

Present perfect continuous lesson plans and drills

4 lesson plans and 2 drill lessons, B1 to B2. Lesson plans are whole lessons with reading, listening and speaking; drill lessons are 45 to 46 self-checking exercises with no new words.

Try the present perfect continuous exercises

One exercise from each of 6 lessons. These are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

Present perfect continuous explained

We use the present perfect continuous when the activity itself matters, often together with how long it has gone on (for, since, How long…?): Bruno has been taking QR payments in his shop for two weeks. Results and counts take the present perfect simple: He hasn't found the cause yet, Two shops have tapped Refund twice by mistake.

Have or has + been + verb-ing

Only the first word changes with the subject: We've been testing it, She's been testing it. Negatives add not to it (She hasn't been using it), questions put it before the subject, and short answers keep just that word: Have you been testing it? Yes, I have.

TypeI / you / we / theyhe / she / it
PositiveWe've been testing it.She's been testing it.
NegativeWe haven't been using it.She hasn't been using it.
QuestionHave you been testing it?Has she been testing it?
How long?How long have you been testing it?How long has she been testing it?
Short answerYes, I have. / No, I haven't.Yes, she has. / No, she hasn't.

From the lesson Write it down (English for IT B1)

Still going on, or just stopped

The activity may still be in progress (We've been testing the new build since Monday) or may have just stopped: Sorry for the slow reply. I've been talking to a merchant. For takes a period of time, since a point in time.

When do we use it?

UseExample
An activity that started in the past and is still going onWe've been testing the new build since Monday.
An activity that has just stoppedSorry for the slow reply. I've been talking to a merchant.
How long? (for / since)How long have you been working on the QR screen?

for or since?

WordUse withExamples
fora period of timefor two weeks, for three days, for an hour
sincea point in timesince Monday, since 9 a.m., since lunch, since the beta started

From the lesson Write it down (English for IT B1)

The activity or the result?

The continuous tells what you've been doing, finished or not: I've been writing the docs, but they aren't finished. The simple tells what is done, or how many: I've fixed three bugs, I've finished the docs. Here's the link.

Continuous: the activity, how long

  • I've been fixing bugs all morning.
  • Jordan has been testing the refund flow since 9 a.m.
  • I've been writing the docs, but they aren't finished.

Simple: the result, how many, done

  • I've fixed three bugs.
  • Jordan has found two problems.
  • I've finished the docs. Here's the link.

From the lesson Write it down (English for IT B1)

How long…? or How many…?

How long…? asks about the time spent on an activity, so it takes the continuous: How long have you been relabeling the bags? How many…? asks for a count of finished things and takes the simple: How many bags have you relabeled?

How long…? → continuous

  • How long have you been relabeling the bags?
  • Since nine o'clock. / For two hours.

How many…? → simple

  • How many bags have you relabeled?
  • Thirty so far.

From the lesson Handling a Complaint (Business English B2)

Signals, and the verbs that stay simple

The table sorts the clues: a number or a finished job for the simple; for, since and visible signs of an activity for the continuous (Sorry about the mess: we've been unpacking boxes). State verbs stay simple, even with for and since: I've known Daniel for a year.

SignalUseExample
a number: three emails, fourteen bags, twicesimpleI've sent Daniel three emails.
How many…? How many times…? so far + a numbersimpleHow many bags have you checked so far?
already, yet, just + a finished jobsimpleWe've already found the cause.
How long…? for, since, all morningcontinuousHow long have you been waiting?
an activity that is still going oncontinuousWe've been checking the pallets since eight, and we haven't finished.
you can see the result of an activitycontinuousSorry about the mess: we've been unpacking boxes.
a state verb: know, be, understand, believe, belongsimple, even with How long, for and sinceI've known Daniel for a year.

From the lesson Handling a Complaint (Business English B2)

Questions about the present perfect continuous

When do we use the present perfect continuous?
For an activity that started earlier and continues now. Jordan has been testing the refund flow since 9 a.m. It also explains a situation just after an activity stops: She's out of breath because she's been running. Because the focus is the activity and its length, for, since and How long…? go with it so often.
How do you form the present perfect continuous?
Have or has, then been, then the verb + -ing. I've been waiting, he's been waiting, they've been waiting. The negative is haven't been or hasn't been + -ing, and yes-no questions begin with Have or Has: Have you been waiting long? Short answers use only the first word: Yes, I have, No, she hasn't.
Are there interactive present perfect continuous exercises?
Yes, and you can play some above right now. They come from the lessons in the list by level. The full lessons add more practice in gap-fills, drag-and-drop, tables to complete and quizzes, done in students' own edio.ai accounts and checked the moment they answer. Start a free trial to open the full present perfect continuous lessons and everything else in the library.
What's the difference between the present perfect simple and continuous?
The simple gives the result; the continuous gives the activity. I've read your email means it's finished; I've been reading the report means you've spent time on it and may not be at the end. A number or How many…? takes the simple (I've sent Daniel three emails), while How long…?, for and since usually take the continuous.
Can state verbs take the present perfect continuous?
No, they stay in the present perfect simple. Know, need, want, understand and belong describe states, so even with for or since it's She's known about it for a week, not She's been knowing. Work, live and study are different: with them, both forms are fine, as in I've worked here for two years or I've been working here for two years.
Why do students say I'm waiting since Monday?
Many learners' first languages use a present tense here. English needs the present perfect: with for and since, an activity that is still going on takes the continuous form, as in I've been waiting for your answer since Monday. With a state verb, the present perfect simple does the same job: We've known Daniel for a year, not We know Daniel for a year.
For or since with the present perfect continuous?
For a length of time, since a starting point. She's been working on the docs for three days; We've been checking the pallets since eight. Since can also start a clause: since the beta started. To ask, use How long have you been…?, and answer with the time phrase alone: Since nine o'clock. For two hours.
How do I teach the present perfect continuous?
Give it a real task, such as a status update. English for IT B1 lesson 18 has learners update teammates who missed a meeting, in writing and on a recording: I've been working on the QR screen since Monday. I've added a brightness setting. Business English B2 lesson 9 has them answer a customer complaint, showing the effort first and the result second.
What activities work for the present perfect continuous?
Ones where students explain what someone has been doing. Show a clue, such as paint on a shirt or a messy office, and let students guess: She's been painting, They've been moving furniture. Interviews built on How long have you been…? work well, too. Each lesson here also has a speaking chapter, where a chat and a game put the tense to use.
Can I use the lessons with a single student?
Yes, and they work as homework, too. Live, the student follows each step in their own account while you teach, and the speaking tasks need only the two of you. Between classes, the drills check every answer, and anything the student writes or records comes to you for review.

More English grammar

Lessons for every grammar point, from the verb to be to reported speech. All grammar points

Tenses

Verbs

Sentences

Words

Teach the present perfect continuous with ready-made lessons

Book a demoStart free trial

No credit card required