English conversation tips | Present Perfect: Use it confidently!

Should we say:

I've lived here for 10 months or, I've been living here for 10 months.

Hello and welcome everyone, this is Minoo at Anglo-Link.

Do 'I've lived' and 'I've been living' mean the same thing or are they different?

The answer is a bit tricky.

I have been doing and I have done.

The rule I teach for I have been doing is action that continues from the past until now.

For example:

I've been reading reports for an hour.

The rule I teach for I have done is an  action completed before now.

For example:

I have already read two reports.

Now, why do you think I have underlined 'action'?

It's because I'm sure you know, there are two types of verbs in English.

Action verbs and state verbs.

Examples of action verbs are read, study, walk, etc.

And state verbs are verbs like be, have, and know.

The main difference is that with an action verb, you can start and stop easily.

You can start reading, stop reading, start reading again.

But, with a state verb, you can't do that.

If you are tired, you are tired.

If you know something, you know it.

You can't easily unknow it.

Now! There's a rule that you have to remember about state  verbs.

And that rule is that you can't put them in a continuous tense.

You can't say:

I have been having this car for two years.

Despite the fact that the state of having this  car continues, you cannot use that.

You cannot use the Present Perfect Continuous tense.

You have to use the Simple tense.

Just Present Perfect.

The correct sentence is:

I have had this car for two years.

And another example.

The verb know.

You can't say:

We have been knowing each other for 15 years.

You've got to change that back into its Simple form:

We have known each other for 15 years.

That brings us to the question:

Is live a state verb or an action verb?

What do you think?

The answer is...

it can be both.

It depends on the context.

That's why it's tricky.

So, if you want to state a fact like:

I live in Paris,

we use the Simple form:

I live.

Whereas, you can also use the verb 'live' to refer to a  temporary situation.

For example, you can say:

I am currently living with my parents.

Okay! Let's look at this in the Present Perfect tense:

I live in Paris.

A fact!

So, I have lived in Paris for 10 months.

I am currently living with my parents.

Temporary situation at the present moment:

I have been living with them for a week.

So!

The sentences I asked you about at the start of the lesson mean the same thing.

There is no difference.

If you say:

I have been living here for 10 months,

you're talking about an action that continues.

If you say:

I have lived here for 10 months,

you're talking about a state that continues.

So, it's up to you whether you want to refer to live as a state verb or as an action verb.

Both are correct!

These two sentences mean exactly the same thing.

But!

I'm sure you're asking me this very good question:

Isn't 'I have lived' a completed action too?

It's the Present Perfect. I have done.

I just said have done refers to a completed action until now.

And the answer is...

Yes! It can be a completed action,

if you're talking about your life experiences until now.

For example,

if you say:

I have lived in several big cities.

Or:

I have lived in some horrible flats.

These are completed actions.

Completed experiences in your lifetime until now.

And there are other verbs like this.

These are verbs that can be an action or a fact.

Some examples are:

work, play, smoke.

Let's look at some examples with work.

If you say:

I've worked for some big companies,

you're referring to some life experiences until now.

If you say:

I have worked for this firm for five years,

you're talking about a state, a fact that still continues.

And if you're working on a report at the moment,

then it's a temporary situation,

you can say:

I've been working on this report for a week.

Now, this leads to some very common mistakes.

The biggest one I hear a lot of my students make is saying things like this:

I have lived in London for 10 months. Now, I live in Paris.

Obviously, applying the rule that I have lived, I have  done is an action completed in the past,

makes this correct.

But, as you can see it doesn't.

It's confusing.

So, do you live in London or do you live in Paris?

So, remember once again that if you use 'have done' with the preposition 'for' and a length of time,

you are always always talking about a state that continues.

So, I have lived in London for 10 months means you still live in London.

So, what tense should we use for this situation?

Past Simple:

I lived in London for 10 months.

So, let's put all of that into a dialogue to make it crystal clear for you,

because I know it's tricky.

Here's a typical dialogue.

You've just met someone.

You ask them:

Where do you live?

You ask for a fact, right?

Where do you live?

And they say:

I live in Paris.

Now, you want to know how long.

The better tense here is:

How long have you lived in Paris?

You're asking about this fact of their life.

Rather than:

How long have you been living in Paris?

Although, you can say that, and it's not wrong.

These two tenses are interchangeable.

So, what is their answer?

I've lived here for two years,

is the most common answer.

But, again, they can say:

I've been living here for two years.

Right! Let's continue this dialogue.

Let's suppose you want to ask them about some of their life experiences.

Now, you must use the Present Perfect Simple. Right?

Actions completed in the past until now:

Have you lived in any other cities?

Yes! I've lived in Rome and London too.

Is their answer.

Now, you want to know how long they lived in London.

You must use the Past Simple!

Don't say:

How long have you lived in London.

They don't live there anymore.

So, your question is:

How long did you live in London.

And the answer:

I lived there for 10 months.

Right!

That's the end of this lesson.

For lots more lessons and exercises, please check out my online course at

Anglo-Link.com.

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Thanks a lot for watching, and I'll see you again very soon.