Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Continuous Exercises
These exercises will help you to become familiar with the function of these verb tenses. We have included explanations after every answer.
Exercises
22 questions and answers
1.
Oh no… ________ (I/lose) my phone, how can I call my girlfriend?
✅ I have lost
ℹ️ We use the present perfect because we are describing something that has just happened and it is relevant to now.
2.
How many times ___________ (you/watch) this film?
✅ have you watched
ℹ️ When we talk about “How many times” things have happened, we use the present perfect.
3.
Max _________ (learn) the guitar for 3 years, he sounds good.
You want to emphasise the duration.
✅ has been learning
ℹ️ We use the present perfect continuous when we want to emphasise duration.
4.
I ____________ (decorate) my bedroom, it’s finished, what do you think?
✅ I have decorated
ℹ️ We are describing the result (the finished action) – not the activity and process.
5.
I______________ (cycle) on my bike all day and I am so tired…
✅ I have been cycling
ℹ️ We are describing the result (tiredness) of an activity over a period of time (cycling all day).
6.
How long ____________(she/be) a teacher?
✅ has she been
ℹ️ ‘be’ is a stative verb, so we use the present perfect. We wouldn’t say:
❌”How long has she been being a teacher?”
7.
Both Brazil and Argentina ___________ (win) the football world cup.
✅ have won
ℹ️ We are describing something that happened in the past that is finished and still true now.
8.
South Korea ______________ (never/win) the football world cup.
✅ has never won
ℹ️ We are describing something that has not happened in the past up until now, so we use the present perfect. We wouldn’t say: ❌”South Korea has never been winning the football world cup”.
9.
I _____________ (not/do) my laundry yet.
✅ have not done
ℹ️ We use the present perfect with ‘yet’. Something that hasn’t happened up until now.
10.
I __________ (study) in Oxford for 3 years.
You want to emphasise the length/duration of time.
✅ I have been studying
ℹ️ You are emphasising the length of time, so it is more appropriate to use the present perfect continuous.
11.
I_________ (know) Peter for a very long time.
✅ I have known
ℹ️ Know’ is another stative verb so we use the present perfect.
12.
She _____________ (play) the piano over a decade.
You want to emphasise the long duration.
✅ She has been playing
ℹ️ This is highlighting a period of time so we would use the present perfect continuous.
13.
David ________ (never/see) a 3D movie.
✅ David has never seen
ℹ️ Up until now David has never had this experience, so we use the present perfect.
14.
Recently _____________ (I/play) golf because the weather is cooler.
✅ I have been playing
ℹ️ When we have unusual temporary things happen, we usually use the present perfect continuous.
15.
Emma __________ (exercise) at the gym for almost 6 months!
You want to stress and emphasise the long time she has exercised.
✅ Emma has been exercising
ℹ️ It is more appropriate to use the present perfect continuous here because you want to highlight the time.
16.
We _____________(already/have) dinner, so we don’t need any food thanks.
✅ We have already had
ℹ️We use the present perfect with ‘already’.
17.
I _____________ (learn) Italian for a long time, almost 5 years now.
✅ I have been learning
ℹ️ We use the present perfect continuous because we are emphasising “for a long time”.
18.
She ______________ (eat) 4 ice creams today.
✅ She has eaten
ℹ️ We are saying how many times something has happened.
19.
She _______________ (eat) ice cream all day, and now she feels sick.
✅ She has been eating
ℹ️ We are highlighting the period of time she has been eating.
20.
Lately, he _____________ (work) so hard on his project, it’s unusual for him as he’s normally so lazy!
✅ He has been working
ℹ️ We are highlighting something that is temporary (lately).
21.
He __________ (be) at the swimming pool since 10am.
✅ He has been
ℹ️ We use the present perfect with ‘be’ as it’s functioning as a stative verb.
22.
He __________(swim) since 9am! It’s now almost lunchtime!
✅ He has been swimming
ℹ️ We are highlighting the long period of time, so we use the present perfect continuous.
