The present perfect tense is used to express quantities: how much we have done of something or how often we have done something in an incomplete period of time:
I'
ve written
two letters today.
How much alcohol
have
you
consumed
in the past 24 hours?
I'
ve been
to the cinema three times this month.
Present perfect with superlative forms of adjectives
The present perfect is used with superlative forms of adjectives to express emphasis:
This is
the first
time I
have been
to the Philippines.
This is
the worst
film I
have
ever
seen
.
Related topics:
Past perfect with superlative forms of adjectives
Present perfect with WHEN
When with present perfect refers to an indefinite time in an incomplete period of time and is used to indicate criticism:
When
have
you ever
done
the dishes?
(any time in your life or since we met)
Related topics:
Present perfect for past events
Present perfect continuous
Form: present perfect continuous
Present perfect continuous with FOR and SINCE
Present perfect continuous for continuous events that have just finished
Present perfect continuous for habitual actions
Form: present perfect continuous
HAVE/HAS + BEEN + PRESENT PARTICIPLE (VERB-ING)
The present perfect continuous (also called the present perfect progressive) is formed with have/has (the present tense forms of have) + been (the past participle form of be) + the present participle -ing form of the verb.
Affirmative
Subject
Auxiliary
Verb (present participle)
I
have
been
working
all week.
You
We
You
They
He/She/It
has
The following contracted forms are often used in spoken and in informal written language:
I have
»
I've
you have
»
you've
he/she/it has
»
he's/she's/it's
we have
»
we've
you have
»
you've
they have
»
they've
Negative
Subject
Auxiliary 1
not
Auxiliary 2
Verb (present participle)
I
have
not
been
working
all week.
You
We
You
They
He/She/It
has
The contracted forms haven't and hasn't are often used instead of have not and has not in spoken and in informal written language.
Interrogative
(Question word)
Auxiliary 1
Subject
Auxiliary 2
Verb (present participle)
(Why)
have
I
been
working
all week?
you
we
you
they
has
he/she/it
Related topics:
The forms of the participle
Subject-auxiliary inversion in questions
Present perfect continuous with FOR and SINCE
The question words how long? and since when?, and the prepositions for and since are used with the present perfect continuous tense to express events that started in the past and are still in progress in the present. How long? and for refer to an incomplete period of time, while since when? and since refer to a point in time:
I'
ve been waiting
for you
for ages
.
He
has been living
here
since last week
.
"
How long have
you
been learning
Spanish?" "For two months."
"
Since when have
they
been dating
?" "Since October."
The point in time after since can also be expressed with a clause containing a verb in the past simple:
He has been living here
since he started school
.