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E7 E - Present perfect progressive – First use in context

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E7 E - Present perfect progressive – First use in context

Mini-description: You learn to use the present perfect progressive for actions that started in the past and continue up to now. The focus is communication: understand the idea, try the form, use it in a real context, get feedback and improve.

Level: English as a first foreign language, Grade 7, E-level, Baden-Württemberg.

Look at the clock. Think: What have you been doing for the last 20 minutes?

I can ...

I can understand short sentences about activities that started earlier and are still continuing.
I can build simple sentences with have/has been + -ing.
I can use for and since in useful everyday contexts.
I can ask and answer simple questions such as How long have you been ...?
I can speak and write about activities that connect the past with now.

Before you start

You already know useful parts of this structure:

Present progressive: I am reading.
Present perfect: I have finished my homework.
-ing forms: reading, playing, waiting, studying.

Try first: Which sentence shows an activity over a period of time up to now?

A: I read for an hour yesterday. B: I have been reading for an hour.

Hint: Look for a connection between the past and now.

Media start: What has been happening?

Imagine this is your view now.

Try: Complete the idea before reading the help:

It __________________ for two hours.

Hint 1: The activity started earlier and is still connected to now. Hint 2: Use has been + verb-ing. Help in German if needed: Die Handlung läuft seit einiger Zeit bis jetzt.

Possible answer: It has been raining for two hours.

Notice the pattern

Datei:English Grammar — Present Perfect Continuous — Usage.webm

Watch the short clip once. Do not stop at every word. Listen for the main idea.

Notice:

Part	Example
subject	I / you / we / they
have	have
been	been
activity	studying

I have been studying.

With he / she / it:

She has been studying.

Core pattern: subject + have/has + been + verb-ing

Understand the meaning

Use the present perfect progressive when an activity:

started in the past,
continued for some time,
and is still continuing now or is strongly connected to now.

Example: Mia started practising at 4:00. It is now 5:00. Mia has been practising for an hour.

The important idea is the activity over time.

For and since

for + a period of time:

for ten minutes for two hours for three weeks

since + a starting point:

since Monday since 4 o'clock since last week

Examples:

I have been waiting for twenty minutes. Leo has been playing basketball since 5 o'clock.

Quick check: for answers: How long? since answers: Since when?

Form: positive sentences

Datei:English Grammar — Present Perfect Continuous — Structure — 1.webm

Subject	have / has	been	verb + ing
I / you / we / they	have	been	waiting
he / she / it	has	been	waiting

Examples:

We have been working on our project for an hour. Sam has been learning new words since Monday.

Common short forms:

I've been waiting. She's been studying.

Questions

Datei:English Grammar — Present Perfect Continuous — Structure — 2.webm

For questions, put have/has first:

Have you been waiting long? Has Ava been practising?

A very useful question is:

How long have you been ...?

Example:

A: How long have you been learning English? B: I have been learning English for several years.

Try it

Complete the sentences.

1. I __________ playing this game for twenty minutes. 2. She __________ studying since 4 o'clock. 3. We __________ waiting for the bus for ten minutes.

Hint: Choose have been or has been.

Feedback:

1. have been 2. has been 3. have been

If one answer was wrong, check the subject first: he/she/it → has; the other subjects here use have.

Listening and viewing

Watch a short part first. Try the first two minutes without subtitles. Then watch again with subtitles if you need them.

Listening task:

Listen for one example with have been or has been.
Listen for one time expression.
Say the main idea in one English sentence.

Need help? Do not translate every word. Listen for have, has, been, the -ing form and time words.

Second viewing: Notice natural English

Watch a short section and notice how the tense sounds in connected speech.

Focus question: Does the speaker stress every word equally?

Usually, the important information words are clearer than small grammar words. Your goal is clear meaning, not accent imitation.

Pronunciation

Say these chunks naturally:

I've been waiting. She's been studying. How long have you been playing?

Try this rhythm:

HOW LONG have you been WAITING?

Do not force every word to sound separate. Keep the sentence understandable.

Self-check: Can a partner hear the difference between waiting, studying and playing?

Reading: Three fictional profiles

The profiles below are fictional.

Nora, 13 Nora is preparing for a class quiz. She started after lunch. She is still at her desk now. She has been reading for forty minutes. She has been making short notes since 3 o'clock.

Jay, 12 Jay is outside with a friend. They started basketball practice at 4:30. They are still playing. Jay has been practising his throws for half an hour.

Lina, 13 Lina is learning a song on the guitar. She started on Monday. She has been practising the same difficult part every afternoon.

Reading check:

Who has been reading?
Who has been practising basketball?
Who started an activity on Monday?

Mini-transfer: Choose one profile and change one detail without changing the grammar pattern.

Vocabulary in context

Useful activity verbs:

Base verb	-ing form	Example
wait	waiting	I have been waiting for ten minutes.
study	studying	We have been studying since 3 o'clock.
practise	practising	She has been practising all afternoon.
play	playing	They have been playing for an hour.
read	reading	He has been reading since lunch.

Try: Pick two verbs and make two true or invented sentences.

Speaking: How long ...?

Work with a partner. Use real information only if you want to. Invented answers are fine.

A: How long have you been learning English? B: I have been learning English for ...

A: What have you been doing this afternoon? B: I have been ...

Then change roles.

Less support: Add one follow-up question.

Feedback check:

Did you use have/has been?
Did you use an -ing form?
Did your time expression fit the meaning?
Was your message easy to understand?

Writing: A short status update

Write 4–5 sentences about a fictional afternoon.

Use at least:

one sentence with for,
one sentence with since,
one question with How long ...?

Example opening: Alex has been working on a model since 3 o'clock.

Do not copy the example. Create your own small situation.

Improve it: Read your text once for meaning and once for the grammar pattern.

Mediation mini-task

Your German-speaking partner asks:

„Was bedeutet: Maya has been waiting for the bus for twenty minutes?“

Explain the meaning briefly in German without translating every word one by one.

Goal: Explain that the waiting started earlier, lasted twenty minutes and is connected to now.

Common mistakes

Not: She have been waiting. Better: She has been waiting.

Not: I have been wait for ten minutes. Better: I have been waiting for ten minutes.

Not: for Monday Better: since Monday

Not: since two hours Better: for two hours

One useful contrast

Do not learn a long list of tense rules yet. Just notice this useful difference:

I have cleaned my room. Focus: the result is important.

I have been cleaning my room for an hour. Focus: the activity and its duration are important.

This is a first functional contrast with the present perfect simple.

Controlled E-level outlook

Later, you will meet more perfect forms.

Today: I have been waiting for an hour. → connection to now.

Later, not for active use in this course: I had been waiting before the bus arrived.

This is only a preview of the past perfect area. Do not use it yet unless your teacher asks you to.

More media practice

Make one sentence that could fit the picture.

Possible idea: They have been working together for twenty minutes.

Now make a question:

How long have they been ...?

For this longer lesson, choose only a short section that helps you. You do not need to watch the whole video.

Safety and responsible media use

Recordings are optional. Keep practice recordings private unless you actively choose to share them in a protected learning setting. Do not upload classmates' voices, faces or personal information without permission.

If you use AI for feedback, check whether the feedback fits your E7-E level. Use AI to notice and improve a problem, not to replace your own text. Do not send personal data or private recordings to external AI services without permission.

Mini-transfer

Look around you or imagine a scene.

Create:

one activity + one duration + one sentence

Example pattern:

Someone has been + verb-ing + for/since ...

Then ask a partner one related question.

Self-check: Can I do it?

I can ...	Yes	Almost	Not yet
understand the basic meaning	□	□	□
use have/has been + -ing	□	□	□
use for and since	□	□	□
ask How long ...?	□	□	□
speak or write about a continuing activity	□	□	□

If you choose Almost or Not yet, return to the short media clips and repeat one speaking or writing task.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Diesen aiMOOC als Battle spielen

Which sentence shows an activity that started in the past and continues up to now? (I have been reading for an hour.) (!I read for an hour yesterday.) (!I will read for an hour tomorrow.) (!I am going to read next week.)

Which form is correct with she? (She has been waiting.) (!She have been waiting.) (!She has waiting.) (!She been waiting.)

Which phrase correctly uses for? (for two hours) (!for Monday) (!for 4 o'clock) (!for last week)

Which phrase correctly uses since? (since Monday) (!since two hours) (!since twenty minutes) (!since three weeks)

What comes after have or has in the present perfect progressive? (been) (!being) (!was) (!did)

Which verb form completes I have been ...? (waiting) (!wait) (!waited) (!waits)

Which question is correct? (How long have you been studying?) (!How long you have been studying?) (!How long have you studying?) (!How long did you been studying?)

Which sentence focuses on the duration of an activity? (We have been practising for an hour.) (!We practised yesterday.) (!We practise on Tuesdays.) (!We will practise tomorrow.)

Which sentence is correct? (Leo has been playing since 5 o'clock.) (!Leo have been playing since 5 o'clock.) (!Leo has been play since 5 o'clock.) (!Leo is been playing since 5 o'clock.)

Which statement about the present perfect progressive is useful at this level? (It connects an earlier activity with now.) (!It is only used for future plans.) (!It always describes one finished moment in the past.) (!It needs the auxiliary did.)

Memory

for	period of time
since	starting point
have been	I you we they
has been	he she it
waiting	wait plus ing
How long	asks about duration

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
have been	I you we they
has been	he she it
for	a period of time
since	a starting point
verb-ing	ongoing activity

Kreuzworträtsel

waiting	Which ing-form comes from wait?
since	Which word introduces a starting point such as Monday?
duration	What does the question How long ask about?
reading	Which ing-form comes from read?
practising	Which ing-form describes repeated skill training?
present	The activity is connected to which time: past or present?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Bildimpuls: Choose one image in this aiMOOC and write two present perfect progressive sentences that could fit the scene.
Zeitangaben: Write five useful time phrases with for or since and use two of them in complete sentences.
Frage-Antwort: Create three How long ...? questions and answer them with fictional information.
Aussprache: Read three model sentences aloud. Record yourself only if you want to and keep the recording private unless you choose otherwise.

Standard

Fiktives Profil: Create a fictional Grade 7 profile with four sentences about activities that have been continuing up to now.
Mini-Dialog: Write and perform a six-line dialogue using two How long ...? questions and at least one follow-up question.
Bildgeschichte: Use two freely licensed images to create a short before-and-now story with three present perfect progressive sentences.
Mediation: Explain the meaning of three English example sentences briefly in German without translating word for word.

Schwer

Kurzpräsentation: Give a one-minute presentation about a fictional project that has been running for several days. Use the target structure naturally, not in every sentence.
Perspektivwechsel: Write the same ongoing situation from two fictional people's perspectives and compare what each person has been doing.
Fehleranalyse: Create four realistic errors with have been, has been, for, since or the ing-form. Correct them and explain each correction in simple English.
Mini-Projekt: Plan a short class survey with How long have you been ...? questions. Use invented data if privacy is a concern and present two patterns you notice.

Lernkontrolle

Kontextentscheidung: Explain why I have been reading for an hour fits a situation that started earlier and still matters now. Create a matching situation.
Form und Bedeutung: Correct She have been practise since Monday and explain the two changes you made.
For und since: Create two different situations, one that needs for and one that needs since. Explain the difference.
Kommunikativer Transfer: Write a short dialogue in which one person notices an ongoing activity and asks about its duration. Use the target tense only where it helps communication.
Medienanalyse: Choose one media example from this course. Describe what helped you understand the target structure and what you would replay or reread if you were unsure.

Lernnachweis

For a successful learning record, you should be able to:

understand the basic time idea: an activity began earlier and reaches up to now or is strongly connected to now,
form positive sentences with have/has been + verb-ing,
ask simple questions with How long have/has ... been ...?,
use for with periods of time and since with starting points,
use the structure in a short speaking or writing task,
notice and correct common E7-E errors,
explain your meaning clearly even if your pronunciation is not accent-free.

OERs zum Thema

Useful related articles:

Folgekurs

Next, strengthen the contrast between ongoing activity and result:

I have been reading for an hour. I have read three chapters.

A suitable next step is a course on present perfect simple and progressive in context.

Verknüpfte Lernbereiche

Present Perfect Progressive

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