Perfect Grammar: Simple vs Progressive

Perfect Tenses: Result vs. Duration

Master the difference between what you have achieved and what you've been doing.

Quick Guide

Feature Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Progressive
Focus Result / Completion Process / Duration
Key Question How many? / How often? How long?
Example I have seen 3 movies. I have been watching movies all day.
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1. I ______ three books this month. (result: how many) Ich habe diesen Monat drei Bücher gelesen.

a) have read b) have been reading

2. I ______ this book all afternoon. (duration: how long) Ich habe den ganzen Nachmittag in diesem Buch gelesen.

a) have read b) have been reading

3. She ______ for two hours. (duration: continuous action) Sie wartet seit zwei Stunden.

a) has waited b) has been waiting

4. They ______ the match twice. (result: how many times) Sie haben das Spiel zweimal gesehen.

a) have seen b) have been seeing

5. He ______ his car since 9 AM. (process: ongoing activity) Er wäscht sein Auto seit 9 Uhr morgens.

a) has washed b) has been washing

6. Someone ______ my sandwich! It's gone. (result: completed action) Jemand hat mein Sandwich gegessen! Es ist weg.

a) has eaten b) has been eating

7. Your eyes are red. ______ you ______? (recent activity with physical effect) Deine Augen sind rot. Hast du geweint?

a) Have you cried b) Have you been crying

8. I ______ him for ten years. (state verb: no progressive) Ich kenne ihn seit zehn Jahren.

a) have known b) have been knowing

9. We ______ 10 kilometers so far. (result: distance achieved) Wir sind bisher 10 Kilometer gelaufen.

a) have walked b) have been walking

10. We ______ for three hours. (duration: how long) Wir laufen seit drei Stunden.

a) have walked b) have been walking

11. The kitchen is a mess! What ______? (activity causing a result) Die Küche ist ein Chaos! Was hast du gemacht?

a) have you done b) have you been doing

12. I ______ my homework. Can I go out now? (completion: finished result) Ich habe meine Hausaufgaben fertig.

a) have finished b) have been finishing

13. She ______ tennis since she was a child. (long-term habit/duration) Sie spielt Tennis, seit sie ein Kind war.

a) has played b) has been playing

14. How many times ______ you ______ to the gym? (result: frequency) Wie oft warst du im Fitnessstudio?

a) have you been b) have you been going

15. I'm exhausted. I ______ in the garden all day. (duration: reason for tiredness) Ich habe den ganzen Tag im Garten gearbeitet.

a) have worked b) have been working

16. My brother ______ his car. It looks new. (result: visible change) Mein Bruder hat sein Auto gewaschen.

a) has washed b) has been washing

17. We ______ this house for 20 years. (state verb: possession) Wir besitzen dieses Haus seit 20 Jahren.

a) have owned b) have been owning

18. It ______ for hours. The ground is wet. (duration: continuous) Es regnet seit Stunden.

a) has rained b) has been raining

19. I ______ 500 dollars on this trip already. (result: total amount) Ich habe schon 500 Dollar ausgegeben.

a) have spent b) have been spending

20. Why are you out of breath? ______ you ______? (recent activity impact) Bist du gelaufen?

a) Have you run b) Have you been running

21. I ______ my passport. I can't find it! (completed: current consequence) Ich habe meinen Pass verloren.

a) have lost b) have been losing

22. He ______ video games all night. (duration: all night) Er hat die ganze Nacht gezockt.

a) has played b) has been playing

23. How many emails ______ you ______? (result: how many) Wie viele E-Mails hast du geschrieben?

a) have you written b) have you been writing

24. I ______ French since January. (ongoing process) Ich lerne seit Januar Französisch.

a) have learned b) have been learning

25. She ______ ten photos of the Eiffel Tower. (result: total count) Sie hat zehn Fotos gemacht.

a) has taken b) has been taking
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