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 playing | haven't been playing | Have you been playing? |
| he / she / it | has been playing | hasn't been playing | Has she been playing? |
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 practising 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 doing my homework. (the activity) | I have done three exercises. (the result) |
| How long vs how many | She has been sending messages all day. | She has sent ten messages. |
| 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. |
| I have been wanting a new phone. | I have wanted a new phone for months. | "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 friends meet after school. 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 · all day · progress · recently · exhausted
Mira is a fifteen-year-old student from Izmir, and lately she has been busier than ever. For the last six months she has been preparing for an important school project as well as her exams, so she rarely has a free weekend. When a test is close, she studies all day, and by the evening she is completely exhausted. She has not had a proper break since the spring.
On a normal school day, Mira gets up early and catches the bus with her two best friends, Selin and Deniz. They have been sitting together in class since the first year of secondary school, and they help each other with homework almost every afternoon. Lately the three of them have been revising for the same science test, so they often stay in the library until it closes. Mira does not mind the extra hours. 'When we study together, the time goes faster,' she says. 'We have been doing this for months, and it really works.' On the days when she is not too tired, she also plays for the school volleyball team, because she thinks a bit of sport helps her think more clearly and forget her worries for a while.
Mira has always loved languages. She has been studying them since she was a little girl, and she can already chat in three of them. While she was still at primary school, she also started picking up Korean from songs and shows, because she wanted to understand them without subtitles. 'My friends think I stopped ages ago,' she laughs, 'but the truth is I have never stopped. I have been improving my Korean all year, although I still make plenty of mistakes.'
Learning a new language, Mira believes, is a little like training for a match: you have to practise a bit every single day. Since January she has been keeping a small notebook in her bag, and she writes five new words in it whenever she hears them. She has also been watching short clips online without subtitles, even though she does not understand every word yet. 'Some people think you need a special talent,' she explains, 'but I think you just need patience. I have never been the fastest learner in my class, and I still forget things. The difference is that I keep going while others give up.' Her English teacher agrees, and has been encouraging her to enter a national language competition next spring.
Her latest idea has not been easy. She runs a tiny language account online, and she has been editing the same video for two weeks, because she keeps changing her mind about it. However, she does not complain. 'I have known most of my followers 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.'
The little account started almost by accident. Two years ago Mira posted a short video of herself reading a Korean menu, just for fun, and a few classmates left kind comments. Since then she has been sharing one clip a week, and the number of followers has been growing slowly but steadily. Most of them are teenagers like her, and many are learning a language too. They have been sending her messages, asking for tips, and sometimes they correct her mistakes, which she finds really helpful. 'I have known some of these people online for a long time,' she says, 'and a few of them feel like real friends now, even though we have never met.' Of course, not everything about social media is easy. Once or twice a rude comment has upset her, but her friends have been reminding her to ignore it and keep posting.
Her parents were not sure about the online account at first. 'They were a bit worried,' Mira admits, 'because they thought I was spending too many hours in front of a screen.' However, once they saw how much her speaking had improved, they changed their minds. Her older brother, who has been studying at university for two years, even helps her edit some of the trickier videos. At home, the whole family has been trying to speak a little English at dinner on Sundays, which sometimes ends in laughter when nobody can remember a word. Mira loves these small moments. She says they remind her that learning does not only happen in a classroom, and that mistakes are simply part of the journey.
What keeps Mira going? 'The progress,' she says simply. 'I have been doing this as a hobby for years, and I still love it. Recently I have been getting closer to my biggest dream — studying abroad one day — but I have not reached it yet.'
These days Mira is trying hard to find a better balance. She has been spending less time on her phone in the evenings, because she wants to sleep properly before school. At the weekend she still meets Selin and Deniz, and they have been planning a small trip to a language café in the city centre, where people practise different languages over a cup of tea. Mira cannot wait. 'I have been dreaming about a place like that for ages,' she says, smiling. For now, her plan is simple: keep studying, keep filming, and keep enjoying every step. 'I am only fifteen,' she adds, 'so I have plenty of time. I have been learning something new every week, and honestly, that is the best feeling in the world.'
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 editing the same video for two weeks?
2. How does Mira feel about her hobby after several years?
3. Why do Mira's friends wrongly think she stopped 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 doing several things at once. |
| 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.
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Oturum kontrol ediliyor...