Study the rules, look at the examples, then do the exercises.
In Unit 1 you used the Present Perfect Simple (I have worked, she has gone) to talk about experiences and finished results. Now, at B1, you meet a very useful new tense: the Present Perfect Continuous (I have been working, she has been running). It is one of the clearest ways to sound natural in English, because native speakers use it all the time.
Here is the core idea in one line: the Present Perfect Continuous connects an activity that started in the past and is still going on now — or that has just stopped and we can still see the result. The focus is on the activity itself and how long it has continued.
The Present Perfect Continuous is built in three parts: have or has, then been (this part never changes), then the -ing form of the main verb. Only have / has changes for the subject — been is always the same.
| Subject | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / you / we / they | have been working | haven't been working | Have you been working? |
| he / she / it | has been working | hasn't been working | Has she been working? |
There are two situations where this tense is the perfect choice. Learn both.
| Use | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Unfinished action | started in the past, still continuing now | She has been living in Rome for a year. (She still lives there.) |
| 2. Recent action with a result | just finished, but we see or feel the effect now | I'm hot because I have been running. (I have just stopped.) |
This tense loves the question How long...? and the answers for and since — exactly the two words you met in Unit 1.
| Word | Answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| for | a length of time (a duration) | for two hours, for a week, for years |
| since | a point when it started | since 9 o'clock, since Monday, since 2020 |
Certain time expressions point straight to the Present Perfect Continuous. When you see them, think of an activity that has been going on.
| Time word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| all day / all morning | for the whole period | I have been cooking all day. |
| recently / lately | in the near past, around now | She has been feeling better lately. |
| for hours / for ages | a long time up to now | They have been talking for hours. |
| How long...? | asking about duration | How long have you been learning it? |
This is the heart of the unit. Compare the Present Perfect Continuous (the process, how long) with the Present Perfect Simple from Unit 1 (the result, how many / finished). Read every row twice.
| Idea | Continuous (process) | Simple (result) |
|---|---|---|
| The activity vs the finished job | I have been painting the house. (the activity) | I have painted three rooms. (the result) |
| How long vs how many | She has been writing emails all day. | She has written ten emails. |
| Maybe not finished vs finished | He has been reading that book. (perhaps not finished) | He has read that book. (finished it) |
Some verbs describe states, not activities: know, like, love, want, need, believe, understand, have (for possession). These verbs are not normally used in the continuous, even when we talk about "how long". Use the Present Perfect Simple instead.
| Wrong ✗ | Right ✓ | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| I have been knowing her for years. | I have known her for years. | "know" is a state verb → simple, not continuous. |
| We have been wanting a bigger flat. | We have wanted a bigger flat. | "want" is a state, not an activity. |
| She has been liking this song. | She has liked this song. | "like" describes a feeling, not an action. |
Two neighbours meet on the stairs. Notice how they use the Present Perfect Continuous for ongoing activities, and how know stays in the simple form.
Choose the correct answer. — 10 questions, each one is marked instantly. Questions get harder as you go.
Learn the words, then use them in your own sentences about your life.
Write 8 sentences about activities you have been doing lately. Use at least 8 of the words above.
Sentence starters (you can begin with these):
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will review your task.)
Read the text, then answer the questions.
Good readers prepare before they start. Before you read, think about these three questions (you do not need to write the answers):
Words to spot (from the Speaking section): lately · busy · deadline · all day · progress · recently · develop
It is seven o'clock in the morning in Izmir, and Mira is already awake. She has been sitting at her small wooden desk since half past six, with a cup of black coffee next to her keyboard. The sun has been rising slowly over the sea, but she has not really looked at it. Her eyes have been moving from one screen to another, checking words, sentences and notes. For most people the day has not started yet; for Mira, work has been going on for almost an hour.
Mira is a freelance translator from Izmir, and lately she has been busier than ever. For the last six months she has been working on a huge project for an international publisher, so she rarely has a free weekend. When a deadline is close, she works all day, and by the evening she is completely exhausted. She has not had a proper holiday since the spring.
Her flat is small, but it is full of books. Dictionaries have been sitting on every shelf for years, and piles of paper have been growing on the floor near the window. These days she has been spending almost all her time at home, because the project needs her full attention. 'I have been living inside this book for months,' she says with a tired smile. 'When I close my laptop at night, the characters are still talking in my head.' She has been trying to keep normal working hours, but the deadline has been getting closer, so recently she has been working in the evenings too.
The book she has been translating is a long historical novel, full of old words and difficult jokes. 'Every language hides its jokes in a different place,' she says. 'I have been searching for the right English word for one single sentence since Tuesday.' Some days she has been making wonderful progress, and the pages have been flying past. Other days she has been sitting for hours and writing almost nothing. 'Translation is not a race,' she explains. 'It is more like gardening. You have been planting words, and then you wait, and slowly something grows.'
Mira has always loved languages. She has been studying them since she was a teenager, and she now speaks four of them well. While she was at university, she also started learning Japanese, because she wanted to read novels in the original. 'People think I finished years ago,' she laughs, 'but the truth is I have never stopped. I have been improving my Japanese all year, although I still make mistakes.'
Mira did not always plan to be a translator. As a child, she loved stories more than grammar, and she used to read under the blanket with a torch. When she was fourteen, a teacher gave her a French novel and said, 'Try this.' She has never forgotten that moment. 'That book opened a door,' she says, 'and I have been walking through it ever since. I have been collecting languages the way other people collect photographs or songs.'
How has she been learning so many languages for so long? Mira does not believe in secrets or magic. 'I have been doing a little every single day,' she explains. 'Some mornings I have only fifteen minutes, but I never skip them.' For years she has been reading newspapers in French, watching films in Italian, and listening to podcasts in German while she cooks. Lately she has been keeping a small notebook in her bag, and whenever she hears a new word, she writes it down. She speaks English, French, German and Italian with confidence, and now Japanese has been slowly joining the list. 'People imagine that translators are born clever,' she laughs. 'The truth is that we have just been practising for a very, very long time.'
The current project has not been easy. The publisher has changed the text many times, so Mira has been rewriting the same chapter for two weeks. However, she does not complain. 'I have known this client for years, and I trust them. My eyes hurt because I have been staring at the screen for hours, but I am proud of the work.'
Last weekend her old friend Deniz called her. They have known each other since school, and he worries that Mira has been working too hard. 'How long have you been staring at that screen today?' he asked. 'Since breakfast,' Mira admitted. 'You have been saying "just one more chapter" for two weeks!' he replied. 'Have you been eating properly? Have you been sleeping at all?' Mira laughed, because he was right. She has been forgetting meals, and she has not been getting enough sleep. 'I promise I will rest when the book is finished,' she said. 'I have been telling myself that for years,' Deniz answered, 'and you never do.'
Since that phone call, Mira has been trying to look after herself a little better. She has been going for a short walk by the sea every evening, even when the deadline feels heavy. 'I have been learning that rest is part of the work, not the enemy of it,' she says. 'When I take a break, my mind keeps solving problems in the background, and I come back with fresh eyes. I have been much calmer since I started doing this.'
What keeps Mira going? 'The progress,' she says simply. 'I have been doing this job for twelve years, and I still love it. Recently I have been getting closer to my biggest goal — a literary prize — but I have not reached it yet.'
The prize is important to Mira, but it is not the only thing that has been driving her. Over the last twelve years she has been building a name for herself, quietly and patiently. Younger translators have been writing to her for advice, and she always answers them. 'Do not compare your first year with my twelfth,' she tells them. 'I have been making mistakes since the very beginning, and I am still making them today. That is normal. What matters is that you keep going.'
For now, the same chapter is still open on her screen, and the coffee has gone cold beside her. Outside, the city has been waking up: buses, markets and voices. Mira stretches, reads the last sentence one more time, and starts again. She has not reached her goal yet, but she has been getting a little closer every day — and, as the title of her story says, she is still going.
Choose the correct answer.
Are these sentences true or false, according to the text?
Complete each sentence with ONE word from the text. Each answer is an -ing verb from a Present Perfect Continuous.
Write your answer in your own words. These questions are not marked automatically.
1. Why has Mira been rewriting the same chapter for two weeks?
2. How does Mira feel about her job after twelve years?
3. Why do people wrongly think Mira finished learning languages long ago?
Find these connectors in the text — each one appears at least once: and, but, so, because, when, while, however, although, also. (You will use these same connectors in the Writing section.) Note them down, then check.
Todd and Sara talk about teaching abroad and the languages they have been learning.
You will hear two friends, Todd and Sara, talking about the many countries where Sara has taught and the languages they have been studying. You will listen TWICE. First listen: answer questions 1-5. Second listen: answer questions 6-10. (Kaydı İKİ kez dinleyeceksin: ilk dinlemede 1-5, ikinci dinlemede 6-10.)
Write and submit your paragraph; your teacher will review it.
A list of short, separate sentences is not real writing. What connects your ideas is linking words. At A2 you used and, but, so, because. At B1 you add four more powerful connectors: also, when, while, although and however. These let you show contrast, background events and extra information like a confident writer.
| Connector | Use it to... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | add information | I have been studying hard, and I have been sleeping well. |
| but | show a small contrast | I have been trying, but it is not easy. |
| so | show a result | I have been running, so I am tired now. |
| because | give a reason | My eyes hurt because I have been reading all day. |
| also | add an extra point | I have been learning German. I have also been practising French. |
| when | say at what past time | When I started, I could say very little. |
| while | two things at the same time | While I was at school, I began learning it. |
| although | show a strong contrast | Although I have been busy, I keep going. |
| however | contrast between two sentences | I have been improving. However, I still make mistakes. |
See the difference — the same facts, written two ways:
| Separate sentences ✗ | Connected, fluent writing ✓ |
|---|---|
| I have been studying English. It is hard. I have been making progress. I still make mistakes. I do not give up. | I have been studying English, and although it is hard, I have been making progress. However, I still make mistakes, but I do not give up. |
A "what I have been doing" paragraph has three parts. The skeleton stays the same every time — you change the content, not the structure:
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Opening | A general topic sentence in the Present Perfect Continuous | I have been very busy lately, and I have been working on several things. |
| 2. Body | Your ongoing activities. Say how long with for / since, add a present result, and link with connectors. | I have been studying for three months, so my English has improved. Although it is hard, I keep going. |
| 3. Closing | A final comment about progress or a goal you have not reached yet | I have not reached my goal yet, but I feel closer every week. |
Write about activities you have been doing lately. Use the Present Perfect Continuous, and say how long.
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will evaluate your writing.)
Mixed questions from the whole unit, then check what you can do.
14 questions: grammar + vocabulary + reading + listening. Each question is marked instantly.
Tick what you can do now. Honest answers help your teacher.
İşaretlemediğin madde varsa ilgili bölüme dönüp tekrar çalış — soldaki menüden her bölüme geri dönebilirsin.
Oturum kontrol ediliyor...