Explained: Present Perfect Simple vs Present Perfect Continuous

Tom, have you sent me

that marketing report yet?

Not yet, Jay. No.

But that's a priority.

I've asked you for that

three times already.

What have you been

working on?

Well,

last night

I was listening

to a fascinating podcast.

This psychologist said

that to optimize

my productivity at work,

I need to understand

exactly who I am as a person.

Okay, and...?

So I've been running

some tests on myself,

and I've realized something

very surprising.

Right.

And how does that optimize

your productivity?

Yes.

Well,

that's what

I've been trying

to figure out all morning.

Fine, then

tell me your results

and we’ll analyze the data

and we’ll adapt it

to your work routine.

We've been wanting

to get more out of you

ever since you began.

Okay, well, I've learned

that my spirit animal

is an armadillo,

my next lover

will be a princess

called Ashanti.

And if I were a soup,

I'd be carrot and coriander.

What?

We use both the simple

and continuous

forms of the present perfect

to connect past actions

with the present.

But how are they different?

And when should we use them?

The most important difference

is that the present

perfect simple

focuses on the result

of an action,

while the present

perfect continuous

focuses on the doing

of the action itself.

My boss wants to know

if the task is completed.

But besides that,

in contrast, Tom’s

boss also wants to know

how Tom has been

spending his time.

The boss is more interested

in the action

that has been in progress

and less interested

in the completed task.

The marketing report.

You know

that all sounds

very familiar.

Have we heard

this explanation before?

Yes, we have.

This change of focus

from the result of the action

to the doing of the action

also exists

between the past simple

and the past continuous

and the past perfect simple

with the past

perfect continuous.

Look at this past

continuous sentence.

You're focusing attention

on the action,

listening happening

over a period of time.

Last night.

Now

compare it

with this past

simple sentence.

Both sentences communicate

more or less

the same information,

but the focus

this time

is on the completion

of the action.

Now, in that example,

it doesn't sound like it

matters much

which tense you choose.

That's right.

Sometimes it doesn't matter

the simple

or the continuous form

both work just fine,

but at other times only

one form sounds right.

If you ask our viewers,

for example,

have you subscribed

to this channel?

It makes sense

because it's a quick action

that produces

an instant result.

Now, ask the same question

in the present

perfect continuous.

It just doesn't sound right

because the action

subscribing in this case

is the simple click

of a button.

It's not an activity

that takes

a considerable

amount of time.

So is that

another characteristic

of the present

perfect continuous?

We use it to focus on

how long something

has been taking.

Yes, that's right.

And in contrast

to time taken,

we use the present

perfect simple to talk about

how much or how many times

an action has happened.

Stative verbs are only used

in the present

perfect simple,

and not the present

perfect continuous.

What are stative verbs, Tom?

These are typically verbs

of mental reasoning,

the five human senses

or verbs

that indicate a relationship

between two objects.

And I've realized

something very surprising.

There are two exceptions

to this rule.

The stative verbs

mean and want.

We can use them in

both the present perfect

simple

or continuous form

with no change of meaning.

Jay could also say

And the same goes for mean.

To express an intention

you can say

I've meant to do something

or I've been meaning

to do something.

They're both correct.

And while we're

on the subject of verbs

that are exceptional

to normal rules,

let's look at live, work

and drive.

These verbs don't

change their meaning

when you use them

in their simple

or their continuous forms.

I've lived here

for ten years.

I've worked here

for ten years.

I've driven this car

for ten years.

Now, listen again.

I've been living here

for ten years.

I've been working here

for ten years.

I've been driving this car

for ten years.

There's no

difference in meaning.

But

did you notice

any difference in attitude?

When we use the present

perfect continuous

it sounds a little bit

more emphatic.

The focus on the time

spent doing the activity

communicates

stronger feelings

or a closer

sense of attachment

between the person speaking

and the object

they are talking about.

And finally,

a tip about pronunciation.

There's an interesting

British and American

difference.

Been can be pronounced

in two different ways

in British English.

Been like the seed

of a plant that we eat bean.

So I've been running

some tests on myself

or bin

like the container

you put your rubbish in.

So I've been running

some tests on myself.

Americans only pronounce

it as bin.

But Tom, also Americans

don't put their trash

in a bin.

They put it in a wastebasket

or a trash container

like a garbage can.

But never a bin. Just saying.

Yes.

Hello? Where's your bin?

A what?

Where's your bin?

I've been working.

No, where's your dustbin?

I've just been working, man.

Where's your wheelie bin?

Okay.

I really been

playing Pokemon.

If you know

someone who might find

this video useful,

please share it with them.

And don't

forget to subscribe.

If you haven't been doing so,

if you haven't done

so already.

Bye now!

We hope this video

was useful for you.

But if you need a refresher

on when to use the present

perfect, simple,

check out this.

And if you want some help

with just, yet

and already,

three words

that often go together

with the present perfect,

then click here.

Thanks for watching.