Teach: The Present Perfect ③ Continuation — Have Been Doing for a Long Time

The Present Perfect ③ Continuation — Have Been Doing for a Long Time

The continuation use of the present perfect expresses “have been doing something continuously from a point in the past until now.” It is used for expressions such as “have lived in Japan from three years ago until now.”

Basic Rule

The form is also have / has + past participle. Common prepositions and adverbs are for（for 〜）/ since（since 〜）/ How long（how long）.
- for + length of time: for three years（for three years）, for a long time（for a long time）
- since + starting point: since 2020（since 2020）, since yesterday（since yesterday）, since I was a child（since I was a child）
“How long have you 〜?（How long have you 〜?）” is a frequently used question asking about the duration of an action or state.
Verbs often used in the continuation use are stative verbs: live, know, want, have (possession), be, etc. Use the following progressive form with action verbs.

Example Sentences
I have lived in Tokyo for ten years.（I have lived in Tokyo for ten years）
She has been busy since last week.（She has been busy since last week）
How long have you known him?（How long have you known him?）
  → For five years. / Since 2020.
We have been friends since we were children.（We have been friends since we were children）

Points to Note

① Difference between for and since: for shows the length of a period (for three years, for a long time), while since shows a starting point (since 2020, since yesterday). “From three years ago” can be since three years ago (× for three years ago) or for three years (for 〜).
② After since comes a noun showing a point in the past or a clause in the past tense: since 2020 / since last year / since I was 10 years old / since he came to Japan.
③ Stative verbs (live, know, want, like, have) can express continuation with the present perfect, but action verbs (study, play, work, run) normally use the present perfect progressive (have been + ing): “I have been studying English for two hours.”
④ Negative sentences: have not / has not + past participle + for/since 〜. “I have not seen him for a long time.（I have not seen him for a long time）”

Key Points
  • for + period (for three years)
  • since + starting point (since 2020 / since yesterday)
  • Ask about duration with How long 〜?
  • Use the present perfect with stative verbs and the perfect progressive with action verbs
  • After since comes a point in the past

Practice

  1. Write “I have been studying English for five years” in English (the perfect progressive may also be used with study).
  2. Write “They have been staying in Japan since last week” in English.
  3. Write “How long have you lived in Japan?” in English.

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