Have you ever found yourself doubting
whether you should say 'I've been doing' or 'I 've done'? Do they both sound correct in some
situations? Then join me in this lesson for four tips that will help you to
decide between 'I've been doing' and 'I've done' easily, every time. Hello and welcome everyone, this is Minoo at Anglo-Link. Right, let's start by answering a
frequently asked question. What's the difference between 1. 'I've been living here for five years.' and
2. 'I've lived here for five years.' Here are some answers for you to choose
from. a) there is no difference b) 1 - means that i still live here 2 - means I lived here in the past but not
now and c) 1 - means that I still live here and 2 - means I've just stopped living
here Ok, some of you may be surprised that the correct answer is a) there is no difference They both mean that you started living
here five years ago and you're still living here. I can hear you say, 'But they must be
different!' 'I've lived' is the Present Perfect Simple
tense and refers to a completed action in the past at an unspecified time. 'I've been living' is the Present Perfect
Continuous tense and refers to an action that started in the past and continues
until now. And you would be absolutely right, but
there is another point you have to think about. Is 'live' an action verb or a state verb? As you know, if it's a state verb, we
cannot use it in a continuous tense. Now, I can imagine most of you are saying, 'live' is, of course, an action verb.' So, the correct sentence is 'I've been
living here for five years.' Well, you're right again. 'live' is,
grammatically speaking, an action verb. However, in the specific context of
living long-term in the same place, it can also be considered a state verb, a little bit like 'exist'. That's why a native speaker would
instinctively know that they can say either 'I've been living here for five years' or
'I've lived here for five years' to express the same idea. And 'live' is not the only verb that this can happen to. Other action verbs such as 'work', 'smoke',
'collect' that are related to long-term facts or habits are also sometimes
treated as a state verb. You may hear 'I've collected stamps since
I was 11' instead of 'I've been collecting stamps since I was 11'. So, how can you, without
the native speaker instinct, decide which one to use when you want to express that
something started in the past and continues until now. Not to worry! Just follow these tips. Tip #1 - Make sure you know which
verbs are 'pure' state verbs and always use the Present Perfect Simple with them. Some common ones are 'know', 'belong', and 'exist'. So, you must always say 'I've known him
for 20 years.' or 'I've belonged to this group since May'. Never, 'I've been knowing' or 'I've been belonging' In case you aren't sure, I've put a link to a list of state verbs in the
description box. Make sure you know the verbs that have
two meanings, one action and one state. For example, 'have a car' meaning 'own a car' is a state verb. But, 'have a shower' meaning 'take a shower' is an action verb. These are also on the list. Tip #2 With all action verbs, use the Present
Perfect Continuous. You will always be correct. Say 'I've been living here for
five years.', 'I've been playing the piano since I was five'. And don't get confused
if you hear a native speaker say 'I've lived here for five years.' or 'I've played the piano since I was five.' You now know that they're treating an
action verb like a state verb because, in that specific context, it
feels like a state to them. Now let's look at another situation and
that's when the action has just stopped. You may have heard native speakers use
'I've been doing' for an action that stopped a few minutes ago. Well, if three conditions come together
you must use the Present Perfect Continuous instead of the Present
Perfect. Condition number one: The action was in progress for some time. Secondly, the action stopped a short time
ago. And third and most importantly, you are able to observe and comment on the result of that action. For example, you're working in the garden and the doorbell
rings. You stop and answer the door. You can say to your visitor, 'Sorry my hands are dirty, I've been working in the garden.' You may or may not continue to work in
the garden after the interruption. That doesn't matter. Another common
example of this is the question, 'Why are your eyes red?' 'Have you been crying?', not 'Have you cried?' If you want more examples of how this
tense is used in this context, read the famous children's story of
'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. I've put a link to it in the description
box. And finally tip #4. What to do with negative sentences? It depends. You don't often see the
Present Perfect Continuous in a negative sentence, because it's strange to insist on
the continuity of an action that never happened. For example, if there is no rain this
morning, you would say 'It hasn't rained this morning', Present Perfect. Not, 'It hasn't been raining this morning'. The only time you would see the Present Perfect Continuous in the negative form
is when the negation is about the information contained in the sentence
rather than the verb itself. For example, you could say 'I haven't been studying Maths, but
Science.' Or, 'I have been feeling too well today.' Meaning, 'I've been feeling unwell.' Well, I hope these tips have answered all your doubts and you now feel confident that
you know when to use 'I've been doing' and when to use 'I've
done' instead. If you're still a bit uncertain, I have two lessons you can
watch for a better understanding of the two tenses. This one explains the differences
between the Present Perfect and the Present Perfect Continuous and this one
is about state verbs and action verbs. After you watch these two lessons, you
can come back and review these four tips. And, you can find more explanations and
exercises on my website too. Thanks a lot for watching and see you in
my next lesson. Bye now!
