Present Perfect Progressive
المضارع التام المستمر
How long an action has been going on — the duration matters.
Step 1 — Learn
Concept, form, uses, signal words and the traps STEP loves to test.
Concept
The present perfect progressive emphasises the duration of an activity that started in the past and continues now, or has just stopped with a visible result. The focus is on the process, not on the finished quantity.
يركّز هذا الزمن على مدة الفعل المستمر من الماضي حتى الآن، أو على فعل توقّف للتو وأثره ظاهر.
Past — Now — Future
Past ≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈→ Now (still going)
A continuous line from a starting point in the past up to the present moment.
Form
- Affirmative
- Subject + have / has been + verb-ing
- Negative
- Subject + have / has not been + verb-ing
- Question
- Have / Has + subject + been + verb-ing ?
One verb, three forms
- He has been studying since morning.
- He has not been studying since morning.
- Has he been studying since morning?
been + verb-ing stays fixed in all three forms.
been never changes; only have / has changes with the subject.
Main uses
Duration up to now
المدة حتى الآن
- • I have been preparing for STEP for three months.
- • She has been waiting since 9 a.m.
Recently finished action with a visible result
فعل انتهى للتو وأثره ظاهر
- • Your eyes are red — have you been reading all night?
- • He is tired; he has been running.
Repeated activity over a period
نشاط متكرر خلال فترة
- • They have been meeting every Sunday this term.
Signal words
Common STEP traps
❌ I am studying since 8.
✅ I have been studying since 8.
Duration up to now needs have been + verb-ing.
❌ She has been knowing him for years.
✅ She has known him for years.
State verbs do not take the progressive.
❌ How long you have been waiting?
✅ How long have you been waiting?
Question word order: have + subject + been.
❌ He has been read three books.
✅ He has read three books.
A finished quantity takes the present perfect simple.
Model sentences
I have been revising grammar all week.
أراجع القواعد طوال الأسبوع.
How long have you been learning English?
منذ متى تتعلم الإنجليزية؟
Step 2 — Practice
Controlled activities: sentence completion, form and signal-word recognition, usage discrimination and tense comparison. Feedback appears only after you answer.
Present Perfect Progressive practice
Score 0/8Question 1 of 8 · Sentence completion
She ______ for the test since eight o'clock.
Step 3 — STEP test
Exam-style multiple choice with four plausible options, scoring, percentage and a review of everything you missed.
Present Perfect Progressive STEP test
Score 0/10Question 1 of 10 · STEP MCQ
The students ______ for the listening exam for two hours.