Present Perfect Simple – Present Perfect Progressive
Form
Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Progressive
irregular verbs: form of 'have' + 3rd column of
form of 'have' + been + verb + ing
irregular verbs
Example:
I / you / we / they have spoken
he / she / it has spoken
Example:
I / you / we / they have been speaking
he / she / it has been speaking
regular verbs: form of 'have' + infinitive + ed
Example:
I / you / we / they have worked
he / she / it has worked
Exceptions
Exceptions when adding 'ed' :

Exceptions when adding 'ing' :
when the final letter is e, only add d

silent e is dropped. (but: does not apply for -ee)
Example: come – coming, agree - agreeing
Example:
love - loved

after a short, stressed vowel, the final
consonant is doubled

Example: sit - sitting
Example:
admit - admitted


final l is always doubled in British
English (not in American English)


after a consonant,
final y becomes i (but: not after a vowel)
after a vowel, the final consonant l is doubled in
British English (but not in American English).
Example: travel - travelling
Example:
travel - travelled
after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is
doubled
final ie becomes y.
Example: lie - lying
Example:
worry - worried
but: play - played
Use
Both tenses are used to express that an action began in the past and is still going on or has
just finished. In many cases, both forms are correct, but there is often a difference in meaning:
We use the Present Perfect Simple mainly to express that an action is completed or to
emphasise the result. We use the Present Perfect Progressive to emphasise the duration or
continuous course of an action.
Result or duration?
Do you want to express what has happened so far or how long an action has been going on
yet?
Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Progressive
Duration (how long)
Result (what / how much / how often)
I have been writing for an hour.
I have written 5 letters. / I have been to London twice.
Certain verbs
The following verbs are usually only used in Present Perfect Simple (not in the progressive
form).

state: be, have (for possession only)
Example: We have been on holiday for two weeks.

senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste, touch
Example: He has touched the painting.

brain work: believe, know, think, understand
Example: I have known him for 3 years.
Emphasis on completion or duration?
Do you want to emphasise the completion of an action or its continuous course (how has
somebody spent his time)?
Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Progressive
Emphasis on duration
Emphasis on completion
I have been doing my homework. (Meaning: That's how I have
I have done my homework. (Meaning:
spent my time. It does not matter whether the homework is
My homework is completed now.)
completed now.)
Result or side effect?
Do you want to express that a completed action led to a desired result or that the action had an
unwanted side effect?
Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Progressive
unwanted side effect
desired result
Why are you so wet? - I have been washing the car. (side effect: I became
I have washed the
wet when I was washing the car. It does not matter whether the car is clean
car. (Result: The car is clean
now.)
now.)
Time + negation: last time or beginning of an action?
In negative sentences: Do you want to express how much time has past since the last time the
action took place or since the beginning of the action?
Present Perfect Simple
since the last time
Present Perfect Progressive
since the beginning
I haven't played that game for
I haven't been playing that game for an hour, only for 10
years. (Meaning: It's years ago that I last
minutes. (Meaning: It's not even an hour ago that I started to
played that game.)
play that game.)
Permanent or temporary?
If an action is still going on and we want to express that it is a permanent situation, we would
usually use the Present Perfect Simple. For temporary situations, we would prefer the Present
Perfect Progressive. This is not a rule, however, only a tendency.
Present Perfect Simple
permanent
Present Perfect Progressive
temporary
James has lived in this town for 10
James has been living here for a year. (Meaning: This situation
years. (Meaning: He is a permanent
is only temporary. Maybe he is an exchange student and only
resident of this town.)
here for one or two years.)
Signal words
Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Progressive

how often

how long

... times

since

for

Present Perfect Progressive or Continuous
Tempo verbal formado com:
To have + particípio passado do verbo to be + verbo principal no gerúndio (-ing):
Example: I have been doing... / She / He has been doing...

Indica que uma certa ação ou estado iniciado no passado continua se
desenrolando no momento presente. É comum, nesse caso, expressar também
desde quando ( since ) ou há quanto tempo ( for ) essa ação está se
desenvolvendo.
Ex: It has been raining since yesterday evening. ( Está chovendo desde ontem à noite a ação começou no passado e ainda está se desenvolvendo)

Às vezes o Present Perfect e o Present Perfect Continuous são equivalentes:
Examples:
1) They’ve lived here for tem years. ( Eles moram aqui há dez anos )
2) They’ve been living here for tem years. ( Eles estão morando aqui há dez anos.)

Em alguns casos indicam idéias bem diferentes:
Examples:
1) I have painted the room. ( O quarto está pintado. Ação completa.)
2) I have been painting the room. ( O quarto ainda está sendo pintado. Ação em
andamento)
Exercises
( Result or duration )
1) Put the verbs in the Present Perfect or in the Present Perfect Progressive or
Continuous:
a) I ____________________________( play ) football for five years.
b) My team______________________( will/only) two matches so far.
c) The others_____________________( be/ always ) better.
d) Are we not there yet? We______________________( walk) for hours.
e) I________________________( finish/just) my homework.
f) They_____________________( work ) on this essay since two o’clock.
g) How long__________________( wait / you ) for us?
h) _________________________( you / play / ever ) tennis?
(Certain verbs)
2) Use the verbs in Present Perfect Progressive, if possible. If it is not possible, use the
Present Perfect Simple.
a) We______________________( know ) them for 15 years.
b) They_____________________( watch ) TV for 3 hours.
c) He_______________________( have ) this car for 20 years.
d) We _______________________( work ) for 7 hours without a break.
e) How long_____________________( you / learn ) English?
f) Mr. Smith______________________( be ) in hospital for 5 days.
g) Steve________________________( hear )a mouse squeak all night.
(Completion or duration)
3) Which form is correct (Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect Progressive)?
1.
We want to tell how we have spent our time:
We have played football.
We have been playing football.
2.
The action is completed now:
Charly has sent the letter.
Charly has been sending the letter.
3.
I want to tell how I have spent my time:
I have watched TV.
I have been watching TV.
4.
I want to emphasise that the door is open now:
Elizabeth has opened the door.
Elizabeth has been opening the door.
5.
I want to emphasise that the house is ready now:
My friends have built a house.
My friends have been building a house.
( Result or side effect )
4) Put the verbs into the correct tense (Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect Progressive).
a) Why are you out of breath? - I _________________________( run )
b) The toaster is okay again. Dad_________________________( repair ) it.
c) Your shirt is clean now. Maggie_________________________( wash ) it.
d) I am so tired, I__________________________( work ) all day.
e) I’m afraid I’m getting a cold. I__________________________( walk ) home in the rain.
f) Your clothes smell awful. _________________________( smoke )?
g) His voice is gone now because he_________________________( shout ) all morning.
h) It is dark in here because we_______________________( close ) the curtains. We want to
watch the film and that’s better in the dark.
(Since the last time or since the beginning):
5) Put the verbs into the correct tense (Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect Progressive).
a) I ______________________( play / not ) the computer for half an hour, only for about 5
minutes.
b) Bob_______________________( drive / not ) a car for eight years.
c) They _______________________( smoke / not ) for tem days now.
d) I___________________________( eat / not ) anything since two o’clock.
e) Anna___________________________( work / not ) here for five years, but for seven years.
f) She_____________________________( read / not ) for a long time – just 10 minutes, not
more.
g) You____________________________( cycle / not ) for two hours. It was only about one
hour.
h) Catherine_______________________( speak / not ) French for 10 years, so her French isn’t
very good now.