Present Perfect Simple vs Present Perfect Continuous
Finished Result or Ongoing Activity
Grammar Practice
We use the Present Perfect Simple to focus on a finished result, completion, or the question "how many / how much."
We use the Present Perfect Continuous to focus on the activity itself, the duration, or the question "how long."
Note: In many situations, it is possible to use both forms with little to no change in meaning (e.g., "I have lived here for years" vs. "I have been living here for years"). The choice often depends on whether you want to emphasize the state or the ongoing process.
Examples:
I have finished my homework. [Result: It is done now.]
I have been doing my homework for two hours. [Duration: Focus on the time spent.]
1. I ______ my homework. (focus: result)
have finished
a) have finished
b) have been finishing
[Ich habe meine Hausaufgaben fertig gemacht.]
2. I ______ my homework for two hours. (focus: action/duration)
have been doing
a) have done
b) have been doing
[Ich mache seit zwei Stunden meine Hausaufgaben.]
3. She ______ the kitchen. (focus: result/completion)
has cleaned
a) has cleaned
b) has been cleaning
[Sie hat die Küche geputzt.]
4. She ______ the kitchen all morning. (focus: action/duration)
has been cleaning
a) has cleaned
b) has been cleaning
[Sie putzt die Küche den ganzen Morgen schon.]
5. They ______ a new house. (focus: result)
have built
a) have built
b) have been building
[Sie haben ein neues Haus gebaut.]
6. They ______ the house for months. (focus: action/duration)
have been building
a) have built
b) have been building
[Sie bauen das Haus seit Monaten.]
7. He ______ three emails. (focus: result/quantity)
has written
a) has written
b) has been writing
[Er hat drei E-Mails geschrieben.]
8. He ______ emails since 9 a.m. (focus: action/duration)
has been writing
a) has written
b) has been writing
[Er schreibt seit 9 Uhr E-Mails.]
9. We ______ the room. (focus: result/completion)
have painted
a) have painted
b) have been painting
[Wir haben das Zimmer gestrichen.]
10. We ______ the room all day. (focus: action/duration)
have been painting
a) have painted
b) have been painting
[Wir streichen das Zimmer schon den ganzen Tag.]
11. I ______ that book. (focus: result)
have read
a) have read
b) have been reading
[Ich habe das Buch gelesen.]
12. I ______ that book for a week. (focus: action/duration)
have been reading
a) have read
b) have been reading
[Ich lese dieses Buch seit einer Woche.]
13. She ______ dinner. (focus: result/completion)
has cooked
a) has been cooking
b) has cooked
[Sie hat das Abendessen gekocht.]
14. She ______ dinner for an hour. (focus: action/duration)
has been cooking
a) has been cooking
b) has cooked
[Sie kocht seit einer Stunde das Abendessen.]
15. They ______ the car. (focus: result/completion)
have repaired
a) have been repairing
b) have repaired
[Sie haben das Auto repariert.]
16. They ______ the car since morning. (focus: action/duration)
have been repairing
a) have been repairing
b) have repaired
[Sie reparieren das Auto seit heute Morgen.]
17. He ______ a lot this week. (focus: result/achievement)
has learned
a) has been learning
b) has learned
[Er hat diese Woche viel gelernt.]
18. He ______ English for two years. (focus: action/duration)
has been learning
a) has been learning
b) has learned
[Er lernt seit zwei Jahren Englisch.]
19. We ______ the project. (focus: result/completion)
have finished
a) have been finishing
b) have finished
[Wir haben das Projekt beendet.]
20. We ______ on the project all night. (focus: action/duration)
have been working
a) have been working
b) have worked
[Wir arbeiten schon die ganze Nacht an dem Projekt.]
21. I ______ my room. (focus: result/completion)
have cleaned
a) have been cleaning
b) have cleaned
[Ich habe mein Zimmer geputzt.]
22. I ______ my room for hours. (focus: action/duration)
have been cleaning
a) have been cleaning
b) have cleaned
[Ich putze mein Zimmer seit Stunden.]
23. She ______ all the questions. (focus: result/completion)
has answered
a) has been answering
b) has answered
[Sie hat alle Fragen beantwortet.]
24. She ______ questions since the lesson started. (focus: action/duration)
has been answering
a) has been answering
b) has answered
[Sie beantwortet Fragen, seit der Unterricht begonnen hat.]
25. They ______ the task. (focus: result/completion)
have completed
a) have been completing
b) have completed
[Sie haben die Aufgabe erledigt.]