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00:01Welcome to Lesson 4 of our English Grammar Series.
00:04In this lesson, we will learn all about the Present Perfect Continuous Tense.
00:09This tense is used to describe actions that started in the past and have continued up until now.
00:15By the end of this lesson, you will understand how to form sentences,
00:19ask questions, and use this tense confidently in your daily conversations.
00:23So let us get started.
00:25So what exactly is the Present Perfect Continuous Tense?
00:28We use this tense to talk about actions that started at some point in the past and have continued up
00:33until now.
00:33In other words, the action began earlier and it is still happening or it just recently stopped.
00:39For example, if I say, I have been reading my lessons since morning,
00:43it means, I started reading in the morning and I am still reading now.
00:47The action started in the past and continues into the present moment.
00:52This is the key idea behind the Present Perfect Continuous Tense.
00:56Now let us understand this sentence structure.
00:59The formula is quite simple.
01:01You start with the subject, then add have or has, followed by been,
01:05then the verb in the ing form, and finally the object.
01:09Let me give you two examples.
01:11First, I have been drinking coffee.
01:14Here, the subject is I, so we use have.
01:18Second, he has been drinking coffee.
01:20Here, the subject is he, so we use has.
01:24Remember this important rule.
01:26We use have with I, you, we, and they.
01:30And we use has with he, she, and it.
01:34Keep this rule in mind as we go through more examples.
01:37Before we dive into examples, let us look at some important signal words and clue words.
01:42These are time expressions that tell you when to use the Present Perfect Continuous Tense.
01:47Common signal words include, for five minutes, for two weeks, for the last two hours, all day, for a long
01:52time, since 2003, since Tuesday recently and lately.
01:56Now, there is an important difference between since and for, we use since with a specific point in time, for
02:02example, since morning, or since 2003.
02:05We use for with a duration of time, for example, for five minutes, or for two weeks.
02:11Whenever you see these signal words in a sentence, it is a strong clue that the Present Perfect Continuous Tense
02:16should be used.
02:17Now, let us start with positive sentences, also called affirmative sentences.
02:21We will begin with the subject I.
02:23Remember, with I, we always use have.
02:27Here are the examples.
02:29I have been reading my lessons since morning.
02:32I have been living in Chennai since I was born.
02:34I have been driving the car for the last three days.
02:37I have been working in this office since 2007.
02:41I have been teaching at NEO since last June.
02:44I have been learning spoken English recently.
02:47I have been waiting here for over two hours.
02:50I have been playing tennis for a long time.
02:52I have been talking to my friend for the last hour.
02:55I have been standing here since I got off the bus.
02:58I have been watching TV since 6 o'clock.
03:00And, I have been sleeping a lot at night lately.
03:03Notice how each sentence uses have been followed by the ing form of the verb.
03:08Next, let us look at positive sentences with the subject you.
03:13With you, we also use have.
03:16Here are the examples.
03:18You have been playing tennis for a long time.
03:21You have been talking to your friend for the last hour.
03:24You have been standing here since you got off the bus.
03:27You have been watching TV since 6 o'clock.
03:30And, you have been sleeping a lot at night lately.
03:34The same rule applies to phrases like, your brother and you, or John and you.
03:38In all these cases, we use have been.
03:41Now, let us move to sentences with the subject, he.
03:45With he, we use has instead of have.
03:47This is a very important change to remember.
03:50Here are the examples.
03:52He has been reading his lessons since morning.
03:54He has been living in Chennai since he was born.
03:57He has been driving the car for 3 days.
04:00He has been working in this office since 2007.
04:03He has been teaching at NEO since last June.
04:06He has been learning spoken English recently.
04:09He has been waiting here for over 2 hours.
04:12He has been playing tennis for a long time.
04:14He has been talking to his friend for the last hour.
04:17He has been standing here since he got off the bus.
04:20He has been watching TV since 6 o'clock.
04:22And, he has been sleeping a lot at night lately.
04:25The same pattern applies to, my brother, your brother, or a person's name like John.
04:30Now, let us see the same sentences with the subject, she.
04:33Again, with she, we use has been.
04:36Here are the examples.
04:38She has been reading her lessons since morning.
04:40She has been living in Chennai since she was born.
04:43She has been driving the car for the last 3 days.
04:45She has been working in this office since 2007.
04:49She has been teaching at NEO since last June.
04:51She has been learning spoken English recently.
04:54She has been waiting here for over 2 hours.
04:56She has been playing tennis for a long time.
04:59She has been talking to her friend for the last hour.
05:01She has been standing here since she got off the bus.
05:04She has been watching TV since 6 o'clock.
05:06And, she has been sleeping a lot at night lately.
05:09This same pattern applies to my sister, your sister, or a person's name like Mary.
05:13Now, let us look at sentences with the subject, it.
05:17With it, we also use has been.
05:19Here are some examples.
05:21It has been sleeping since last night.
05:23It has been barking for the last 1 hour.
05:26And, it has been crying since you went out.
05:29The subject, it is commonly used when referring to animals or things.
05:33For example, you could replace it with, the baby, the dog, or a pet's name like Snoopy.
05:39Now, let us look at sentences with the subject, we.
05:42With we, we use have been.
05:45Here are the examples.
05:46We have been reading our lessons since morning.
05:49We have been living in Chennai since we were born.
05:52We have been driving the car for the last 3 days.
05:55We have been working in this office since 2007.
05:59We have been teaching at NEO since last June.
06:02We have been learning spoken English recently.
06:05We have been waiting here for over 2 hours.
06:07We have been playing tennis for a long time.
06:10We have been talking to our friends for the last hour.
06:12We have been standing here since we got off the bus.
06:15We have been watching TV since 6 o'clock.
06:18And, we have been sleeping a lot at night lately.
06:20This pattern also works with phrases like, my brother and I, or John and I.
06:25And now, let us look at sentences with the subject, they.
06:29With they, we use have been.
06:32Here are the examples.
06:34They have been reading their lessons since morning.
06:37They have been living in Chennai since they were born.
06:40They have been driving the car for the last 3 days.
06:43They have been working in this office since 2007.
06:47They have been teaching at NEO since last June.
06:49They have been learning spoken English recently.
06:53They have been waiting here for over 2 hours.
06:55They have been playing tennis for a long time.
06:58They have been talking to their friends for the last hours.
07:01They have been standing here since they got off the bus.
07:05They have been watching TV since 6 o'clock.
07:07And, they have been sleeping a lot at night lately.
07:11This also applies to my friends, your friends, or names like John and Mary.
07:16Excellent!
07:17That completes our section on positive sentences.
07:20Now we move on to negative sentences.
07:22To make a negative sentence in the present perfect continuous tense,
07:25we simply add, not after have or has.
07:28The short forms are, have not becomes haven't, and has not becomes hasn't.
07:33The structure is, subject, plus have not or has not, plus been, plus the verb in ing form, plus the
07:40object.
07:41Let us see examples, with the subject, I.
07:45I have not been reading my lessons since morning.
07:48I have not been living in Chennai since I was born.
07:51I have not been driving the car for the last 3 days.
07:54I have not been working in this office since 2007.
07:58I have not been teaching at NEO since last June.
08:01I have not been learning spoken English recently.
08:03I have not been waiting here for over 2 hours.
08:06I have not been playing tennis for a long time.
08:09I have not been talking to my friend for the last hour.
08:13I have not been standing here since I got off the bus.
08:16I have not been watching TV since 6 o'clock.
08:19And, I have not been sleeping a lot at night lately.
08:22Now let us see negative sentences, with he and she.
08:25Remember, with he and she, we use has not, or the short form, hasn't.
08:30Here are some examples.
08:32He has not been reading his lessons since morning.
08:35He has not been working in this office since 2007.
08:39He has not been playing tennis for a long time.
08:41He has not been watching TV since 6 o'clock.
08:45She has not been living in Chennai since she was born.
08:48She has not been teaching at NEO since last June.
08:51She has not been waiting here for over 2 hours.
08:54And, she has not been sleeping a lot at night lately.
08:57Notice that the only change from positive to negative is adding not after has.
09:00Let us now see negative sentences with we and they.
09:04With we and they, we use have not or the short form, haven't.
09:08Here are the examples.
09:10We have not been reading our lessons since morning.
09:13We have not been working in this office since 2007.
09:17We have not been playing tennis for a long time.
09:20We have not been watching TV since 6 o'clock.
09:22They have not been living in Chennai since they were born.
09:25They have not been teaching at NEO since last June.
09:28They have not been waiting here for over 2 hours.
09:31And, they have not been sleeping a lot at night lately.
09:34Great!
09:35Now you know how to form both positive and negative sentences.
09:38Let us move on to questions.
09:40Now let us learn how to ask positive questions in the present perfect continuous tense.
09:45The structure is simple.
09:47You move have or has to the beginning of the sentence,
09:50followed by the subject, then being, then the verb in ing form, and then the object.
09:55Here are the examples.
09:57Have you been reading your lessons since morning?
09:59Have you been working in this office since 2007?
10:03Have you been waiting here for over 2 hours?
10:06Has he been living in Chennai since he was born?
10:08Has he been playing tennis for a long time?
10:11Has she been teaching at NEO since last June?
10:14Has she been watching TV since 6 o'clock?
10:17Have they been driving the car for the last 3 days?
10:20Have they been sleeping a lot at night lately?
10:22And have we been living in Chennai since we were born?
10:25Notice that we use have with you, we, I, and they.
10:30And we use has with he, she, and it.
10:33Now let us look at negative questions.
10:35The structure is very similar to positive questions,
10:38but we use the short negative forms.
10:40We use haven't at the beginning instead of have, and hasn't instead of has.
10:45Here are the examples.
10:47Haven't you been reading your lessons since morning?
10:50Haven't you been working in this office since 2007?
10:53Haven't you been waiting here for over 2 hours?
10:55Hasn't he been living in Chennai since he was born?
10:58Hasn't he been playing tennis for a long time?
11:01Hasn't she been teaching at NEO since last June?
11:04Hasn't she been watching TV since 6 o'clock?
11:06Haven't they been driving the car for the last 3 days?
11:09Haven't they been sleeping a lot at night lately?
11:12And haven't we been playing tennis for a long time?
11:14These negative questions are often used to express surprise,
11:18or to confirm something you expect to be true.
11:20Now let us look at some commonly used sentences in daily life.
11:24These are practical sentences that you can use in your everyday conversations.
11:29I have been staying at a hotel since I came here.
11:31I have been traveling for the last 10 days.
11:33I have been washing clothes since you went out.
11:36I have been cooking food since you called me.
11:38I have been listening to music since I woke up.
11:41I have been repairing your bike since morning.
11:44I have been wearing these clothes for 3 days.
11:46I have been suffering from fever since Monday.
11:49I have been learning to play the guitar since August.
11:51I have been studying in this school since first class.
11:54I have been searching for a job since I did my degree.
11:57And I have been looking for my friend here since 2 o'clock.
12:00Try to practice these sentences by saying them out loud.
12:04Here are more commonly used sentences for your daily conversations.
12:08I have been doing shopping since this afternoon.
12:11I have been facing a lot of problems lately.
12:14I have been sitting here alone all day today.
12:17I have been living in this house for a long time.
12:19I have been calling you constantly since morning.
12:22I have been preparing for civil services since 2010.
12:25I have been fasting since yesterday morning.
12:28I have been using this mobile for the last 3 years.
12:30I have been feeling dizzy since this morning.
12:33I have been feeling tired at night recently.
12:35I have been practicing English for over 3 years.
12:38And I have been getting hiccups since I had lunch.
12:41These sentences show how versatile the present perfect continuous tense is in everyday English.
12:47Here are some more daily life sentences for your practice.
12:50I have been doing this job for the last 10 years.
12:53I have been helping him since he came here.
12:55I have been trying to reach you on the phone so long.
12:58I have been spending all day looking for my cactus.
13:01I have been making more money with my business.
13:03I have been chatting with my brother for a little time.
13:06I have been hiding under a rock since he came here.
13:09I have been sneezing since I got here.
13:11And I have been jogging since 6 o'clock.
13:14These are very natural and commonly heard sentences.
13:17Try using them in your daily conversations to build confidence.
13:21Let us now look at some miscellaneous sentences that cover a wide range of situations.
13:26It has been raining here since last night.
13:28It has been snowing in London since January.
13:31It has been thundering and lightning so long.
13:34My dog has been barking since morning.
13:36The light bulb has been blowing for 1 hour.
13:39The ceiling fan has been rotating well lately.
13:42My baby has been crying since it woke up.
13:45He has been disturbing me since the beginning.
13:48My skin has been itching for the last 2 weeks.
13:50My tooth has been hurting for months now.
13:53The fever has been coming and going for a week.
13:56And Mary has been getting wet in the rain since it started.
13:59These sentences show that this tense can be used for weather, health, animals and many other situations.
14:06Now let us learn about WH questions.
14:08These are questions that begin with words like what, where and how long.
14:13Here are the examples.
14:15What have you been doing since morning?
14:17What has he been doing since morning?
14:19What has your brother been doing since morning?
14:21What have your friends been doing since morning?
14:24Where have you been living since you were born?
14:26Where has he been living since he was born?
14:29Where have they been living since they were born?
14:31Where has she been working for the last 4 years?
14:33How long have you been working in this office?
14:35how long has he been working in this office and how long have your friends been working in this
14:40office notice the pattern the wh word comes first then have or has then the subject then being and
14:48then the verb in ing form now let us look at questions with who there are two types first
14:54who with a subject in these questions you already have a subject and you're asking about the other
15:00person involved for example who have you been talking to since morning who has he been talking
15:05to since morning who has your brother been talking to since morning and who have they been talking to
15:10since morning second who without a subject in these questions who itself acts as the subject
15:17for example who has been talking to you since morning who has been waiting for you over there
15:22so long and who has been helping you since you came here notice that when who is the subject we
15:28always use has been regardless of whether the answer might be one person or many people practice
15:34these questions with other verbs as well to become more fluent let us do a quick recap of everything
15:39we have learned for positive sentences the structure is subject plus have or has plus been plus the verb
15:48in ing form for example i have been working for negative sentences we add not the structure is subject
15:56plus have not or has not plus been plus the verb in ing form for example i have not been
16:04working
16:04have you been working for positive questions we move have or has to the front the structure is
16:09have or has plus subject plus been plus the verb in ing form for example have you been working and
16:18for
16:18negative questions we use the short negative form at the beginning the structure is haven't or hasn't
16:24plus subject plus been plus the verb in ing form for example haven't you been working remember to use have
16:32with i you
16:34we and they and use has with he she and it thank you so much for watching this lesson on
16:40the present
16:40perfect continuous tense i hope you now have a clear understanding of how to form positive sentences
16:45negative sentences positive questions and negative questions using this tense the key takeaway is this
16:52tense is used for actions that started in the past and have continued up until now remember to use have
16:58been with i you we and they and has been with he she and it please practice these sentence
17:03sentences in your daily conversations the more you practice the more confident and fluent you will become
17:08if you found this lesson helpful please leave a five-star review thank you and happy learning
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