I have been singing all day.
She has been reading.
Some people have been in government since 1999.
The lecturer has been teaching at UNILAG for eight years.
He has been sleeping in the other room.
The clauses above bear examples of a common verb tense: the present perfect continuous. This is the tense that indicates an action that started in the past and continues now. While the present tense expresses just a current action, the present perfect continuous indicates one that began before now but is still progressing or has just ended. Compare:
Present tense: I request a meeting with him.
Present perfect continuous: I have been requesting a meeting with him (since last week).
Past tense: I requested a meeting with him. (No more requesting.)
Functions of the present perfect continuous
A closer look at each of the introductory examples above shows that the present perfect tense performs some specific functions. Firstly, it expresses an action or activity that started in the past which is still either ongoing or has just ended:
I have been singing all day. (It could be I am still singing or I’m stopping now or I stopped doing so a moment ago.)
She has been rearranging the room.
Secondly, the present perfect continuous is used to answer the question ‘How long?’:
For how long has Tinubu been President? Tinubu has been President for over a year. Tinubu has been President since May 29, 2023.
Thirdly, the tense can give reasons for current situations:
You look dull. Why?
I have been sleeping since morning.
John is sweating profusely. Why?
He has been playing football with his friends.
In the last scenario, it is clear that the action/activity has ended — but not long ago.
Some dont’s
– No place for ‘being’
If you are among those who mix up ‘been’ with ‘being’, you will have problems handing the present perfect continuous. Note that the structure of the tense is have/has + been (not being) + -ing verb:
I have being teaching since 2021. (Wrong)
I have been teaching sine 2021. (Correct)
– Don’t indiscriminately replace have/has with had
In the present perfect continuous, it is have/has which indicates that the action still continues. ‘Had’, on the other hand, shows that the action that started and continued in the past but also ended in the past. So, you will give an unintended meaning if you mix up the auxiliary elements:
Makinde had been governor since 2019. (Wrong because he is still in office.)
Makinde has been governor since 2019. (Correct)
– No to stative verbs
We don’t normally use the present continuous tense with stative verbs like see, hear, know, remember and love. Remember, stative verbs describe a state of being or perception:
She has been remembering where we met. (Wrong)
She has remembered where we met. (Correct in the present perfect form.)
I have been knowing Bimbo for 17 years. (Wrong)
I have known Bimbo for 17 years. (Correct)
– He’s, not his
In the informal setting where you contract the subject (he, she, it) and the auxiliary verb (is), do not leave out the apostrophe. If you do, you will confuse it with possessive pronouns:
Hes been singing since morning. (Wrong)
He’s been singing since morning. (Correct)