Question

What's the difference between 'Present Perfect Simple Tense' and 'Present Perfect Continuous Tense? Thanks a lot.

Answer 1

how i learned the difference is that the result in present matters when you use present perfect simple, and the continuity of the action matters when you use present perfect continuous.

e.g. i've been running for 2 hours - PPC

   i've run 5 kms - PPS

and you also need to be careful because there are lots of verbs that we mustn't use in continuous tenses (hear, finish, know, understand, etc.)

i also know that live / study / work are typical verbs that are preferably used in PPC, like in the sentence 'i've been living here since '99 or i've been working for IBM for 3 years'.

Answer 2

We use present perfect simple to talk about something that happened in past but we don't talk about the time and the reason of action is in present time. We use present perfect continuous tense when we are talking about something that happened in the past and it doesn't finish yet. Example:I have eaten breakfast recently. (past simple perfect) I have been living here for 30 years. (present perfect continue)