At work, Nok's manager stops by her desk.

Manager: 'How long have you been working on the new proposal, Nok?'
Nok: 'I've been working on it since Monday. I've been preparing every evening too.'
Manager: 'That explains why you look tired! How long have you been studying English, by the way? Your speaking has really improved.'
Nok: 'I've been studying for almost three months now. My teacher, Anna, says practice makes the biggest difference.'
Manager: 'It shows. Keep it up — I've been noticing real progress in your meetings.'

Later, Nok tells Anna about the conversation. 'I used present perfect continuous without even thinking!' she laughs. Anna explains: 'We use have/has + been + verb-ing to talk about an action that started in the past and is still continuing, especially when we want to focus on the duration. For/since tells us how long: for three months, since Monday.'

'So it's different from present perfect?' Nok asks. 'A little,' says Anna. 'I have worked here for five years focuses on the result or fact. I have been working here for five years focuses on the ongoing activity itself, and often suggests it's still happening now.' 🔊