Present Perfect Tense | Simple or Continuous? | FOR & SINCE 🤔

[Music]
hello I’m Emma from English a couple of
weeks ago I created a lesson about the
present perfect tense what it looks like
how to use it and all of that good stuff
I talked about when to use the present
perfect simple tense and when to use the
past simple tense now if you missed it
you can check it out right here
but after watching that lesson many of
you asked me so when do we use the
present perfect simple tense and when do
we use the present perfect continuous
tense a lot of you also asked so when do
you use these words since and for now
both of these questions are really
important questions when you’re using
the present perfect tense in English so
in this video I’m going to answer both
of those questions this channel is all
about speaking and communicating
confidently in English and I know that
fixing some of these common grammar
errors is an important part of helping
you to feel confident when you’re using
English so that when you do speak you
can express yourself clearly and
automatically so let’s start by talking
about the present perfect simple tense
and the present perfect continuous tense
they have eaten the pizza so this is the
present perfect simple tense we have the
auxiliary verb have with our main verb
in past participle form they have been
eating the pizza now this is the present
perfect continuous tense we still have
the auxiliary verb have but now we have
the word bean and our main verb in a
continuous or progressive form
so when you compare these two sentences
the main difference is that the first
one tells us that the action finished in
the past there is no more pizza now in
the present the second sentence the
present perfect continuous tense
suggests that there is still pizza left
now they haven’t eaten all of the pizza
yet we can use either of these tenses to
talk about events that happened in the
past but they’re somehow connected to
the present
she has borrowed our car so this is an
action that happened in the past but
it’s important to the present because we
don’t have a car right now we’re focused
on the result when we’re using the
present perfect simple she’s been
borrowing our car every Thursday now
this sentence suggests that the action
is still happening so next Thursday
she’ll probably borrow the car again so
here our focus is on the action the
action is unfinished now the present
perfect continuous is your best choice
when the focus is on an activity that is
unfinished so let’s compare another
example I’ve searched the internet for
more information now this sentence
suggests that you’re not searching
anymore
the action finished in the past but it’s
important to the present because right
now in this moment we don’t have the
information I’ve been searching the
internet for more information this
sentence suggests that you’re still
doing it you haven’t given up yet and
you’re still looking for the information
now let’s try another example we’ve
written an essay about climate change
the action here is finished it’s in the
past we’ve already completed it so you
can also say we wrote an essay about
climate change using the past simple but
to connect it to the present and make it
important to the present you need to use
the present perfect tense think about if
you were with a group of scientists and
you wanted to demonstrate to them or
show them that you were knowledgeable
about the topic of climate change you
can connect your past experience to the
present using the present perfect tense
writing the essay is part of your life
experience now we’ve been writing an
essay about climate change suggests that
you’re still doing it the essay is not
finished yet you’re still working on it
at the moment in the present I have been
studying Spanish this is an unfinished
action I’m still doing it the continuous
form makes it clear that the action is
still happening I’m still studying in
this moment I have studied French by
using the present perfect tense here it
suggests that the action happened
regularly in the past but that it
doesn’t happen in the moment but by
using this tense not the past simple
tense I’m suggesting that somehow it’s
meaningful or relevant to the present
like I know a little French I’m not
studying it at the moment but I know a
little okay this last example is a
little more difficult to explain and
understand there are a few verbs in
English like the verb live and work
where the difference between the present
perfect simple and the present perfect
continuous is less clear but I’m going
to try and explain it for you now I’ve
lived here for five years
I’m from Melbourne originally but I’ve
been living here for five years so both
of these sentences use the adverb for to
give us more information about how long
the action has been happening for the
duration of time but to understand the
difference we need to think about these
examples in slightly different ways the
present perfect simple
I have lived suggests that the action is
a permanent thing the present perfect
continuous often tells us that the
action is a more temporary thing it’s
not as permanent it suggests that I
might live somewhere else in the future
okay how do you feel about the present
perfect simple and the present perfect
continuous tenses now hopefully a little
clearer now we’re going to focus on
those two adverbs that you can use with
these tenses now there’s quite a few
adverbs that you can use with the
present perfect tenses like already yet
before just ever never but in this
lesson we’re going to focus on four and
since both of these words are used with
the present perfect tenses and the past
perfect tenses and both of these words
explain how long something has been
happening for it’s a duration of time so
when you’re using the present perfect
tense and you want to give more
information about the amount of time
that the action has been happening for
you can use the words for and since now
it’s important to remember that the word
since can only be used with the perfect
tenses but the word for it can be used
in other tenses as well when you want to
give more information about the time it
took to do something so these two in
important words can be easily confused
in the present perfect using the wrong
one is a very common mistake for English
learners we use the word for with a
period of time okay so like three days
this is a period of time so I want to
show you on a timeline how this works
this is today this is Sunday and this
point in our timeline is Thursday this
is when the action happened or it
started happening so the focus is on
this period of time here for periods of
time we need to use four for three days
for three months for an hour for two and
a half years for a long time even though
we’re not talking about a specific
amount of time this reference refers to
a period of time a long period of time
so we still need to use for now let’s
add this to some of the examples in the
present perfect structure we have lived
in London for six years he has borrowed
my car for three days they’ve been
waiting for an hour now you need to use
since with a specific moment in the past
with a specific point in time so let’s
go back to our timeline to talk about it
so today’s Sunday here we are on Sunday
and this is the point when the action
happened or it started happening this
point is Thursday so we can say that
we’ve been doing the action since
Thursday so the focus is on the point in
time when the action
happened or it began so since I lived in
Brazil or since 3 o’clock since 1992
since last week so let’s add sense to
the present perfect structure I have
lived here since I was a child I’ve been
working here since April they’ve been
waiting since 9:00 a.m.
I’ve had these pens since I was at
school I’ve been expecting the parcel
since last Tuesday
these structures with for and since are
really useful when answering questions
that start with how long how long have
you been traveling I’ve been traveling
since June I’ve been traveling for 3
months
so make sure that you’re always
listening for the clues in a question
like this how long if someone’s asking
how long then you can use these words
for and since to give your answers in
the present perfect well that’s it for
this lesson even though the present
perfect tenses can be frustrating at
times be patient while you’re perfecting
it don’t just use the past simple tense
because it’s easier I want you to really
take the time to practice the present
perfect because it allows you to be so
much more expressive with your English
and the more often that you do it the
more naturally it will come to you so
make sure that you subscribe to this
channel right here I make new lessons
every week to keep practicing with the
present perfect tenses watch this
playlist here because I’ve been making a
few lessons about the present perfect
recently but you can also explore other
lessons
right here thanks for watching and I’ll
see you in the next lesson here on the
English YouTube channel bye for now