Perfect Progressive Aspect

What Is the Perfect Progressive Aspect?

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The perfect progressive aspect (or "perfect continuing aspect" as it's sometimes called) is the aspect of a verb that expresses the end of an ongoing action.

In other words, "perfect progressive aspect" is the collective term for verbs (in the past tense, present tense, or future tense) in a perfect progressive tense.

Table of Contents

The Three "Perfect Progressive (or Perfect Continuing) Aspect" Verb Tenses
Examples of Verbs in the Perfect Progressive Aspect
Forming the Perfect Progressive Aspect
Verb Tenses Showing the Perfect Progressive Aspect
Verb Tense Widget
Why the Perfect Progressive Aspect Is Important
Test Time!

The Three "Perfect Progressive (or Perfect Continuing) Aspect" Verb Tenses

This lesson is about the three tenses (past, present, and future) in the perfect progressive (or perfect continuing) aspect. There are four aspects in total, each of which has three tenses. So, overall, there are 12 tenses.

The tables below show all 12 tenses categorized by aspect. The tenses in the perfect progressive (or perfect continuing) aspect are highlighted.

The "Simple Aspect" Tenses	Examples
The simple aspect is used to describe facts and habits.
Simple Present Tense	The octopus eats small crabs.
Simple Past Tense	The octopus ate small crabs.
Simple Future Tense	The octopus will eat small crabs.

The "Progressive (or Continuing) Aspect" Tenses	Examples
The progressive aspect expresses ongoing actions.
Present Progressive Tense	The octopus is eating small crabs.
Past Progressive Tense	The octopus was eating small crabs.
Future Progressive Tense	The octopus will be eating small crabs.

The "Perfect (or Complete) Aspect" Tenses	Examples
The perfect aspect expresses completed actions.
Present Perfect Tense	The octopus has eaten small crabs.
Past Perfect Tense	The octopus had eaten small crabs.
Future Perfect Tense	The octopus will have eaten small crabs.

The "Perfect Progressive Aspect" Tenses	Examples
The perfect progressive aspect expresses the end of an ongoing action.
Present Perfect Progressive Tense	The octopus has been eating small crabs.
Past Perfect Progressive Tense	The octopus had been eating small crabs.
Future Perfect Progressive Tense	The octopus will have been eating small crabs.

Examples of Verbs in the Perfect Progressive Aspect

Verbs in the perfect progressive aspect are recognizable by the word "have" (in one of its forms), "been," and a present participle (i.e., the word that ends "-ing"). Here are some examples of verbs in the perfect progressive aspect.

In the Past Tense

She had been dancing.
We had been fishing.

In the Present Tense

I have been playing.
She has been swimming.

In the Future Tense

They will have been flying.
She will have been acting.

Forming the Perfect Progressive Aspect

The perfect progressive aspect is formed using a form of the auxiliary verb "to have," "been," and the present participle. For example:

Forming the Past Perfect Progressive Tense

"had"

"been"

[present participle]

We had been writing.

Forming the Present Perfect Progressive Tense

"has" or "have"

"been"

[present participle]

She has been diving.
They have been eating.

Forming the Future Perfect Progressive Tense

"will have"

"been"

[present participle]

He will have been driving.

Verb Tenses Showing the Perfect Progressive Aspect

Here are the 12 tenses again. This time, the tenses are ordered under the headings past tense, present tense, and future tense. As before, the tenses in the perfect progressive aspect are shaded in yellow.

The 4 Past Tenses	Example
simple past tense	I went
past progressive tense	I was going
past perfect tense	I had gone
past perfect progressive tense	I had been going
The 4 Present Tenses	Example
simple present tense	I go
present progressive tense	I am going
present perfect tense	I have gone
present perfect progressive tense	I have been going
The 4 Future Tenses	Example
simple future tense	I will go
future progressive tense	I will be going
future perfect tense	I will have gone
future perfect progressive tense	I will have been going

Verb Tense Widget

Use this widget to learn about the different tenses. How do you use this widget? Well, if there's a button, a drop-down menu, or a

, then you can click it!

to base form

( verb)

Select the tenses.

Present Tenses

Simple Present Tense The simple present tense is mostly used to describe facts and habits. More...(opens new tab) I base form you base form he/she/it 3rd pers sing present we base form you base form they base form Present Progressive Tense The present progressive tense is used for an ongoing action in the present. More...(opens new tab) I am present participle you are present participle he/she/it is present participle we are present participle you are present participle they are present participle Present Perfect Tense The present perfect tense is used for actions that began in the past. (Often, the actions continue into the present.) More...(opens new tab) I have past participle you have past participle he/she/it has past participle we have past participle you have past participle they have past participle Present Perfect Progressive
Tense The present perfect progressive tense is used for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present, or a continuous activity that began in past but has now finished (usually very recently). More...(opens new tab) I have been present participle you have been present participle he/she/it has been present participle we have been present participle you have been present participle they have been present participle

Past Tenses

Simple Past The simple past tense is used to describe a completed activity that happened in the past. More...(opens new tab) I past tense you past tense he/she/it past tense we past tense you past tense they past tense Past Progressive Tense The past progressive tense is used to describe an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action. More...(opens new tab) I was present participle you were present participle he/she/it was present participle we were present participle you were present participle they were present participle Past Perfect Tense The past perfect tense is used to emphasize that an action was completed before another took place. More...(opens new tab) I had past participle you had past participle he/she/it had past participle we had past participle you had past participle they had past participle Past Perfect Progressive
Tense The past perfect progressive tense is used to show that an ongoing action in the past has ended. More...(opens new tab) I had been present participle you had been present participle he/she/it had been present participle we had been present participle you had been present participle they had been present participle

Future Tenses

Simple Future The simple future tense is used for an action that will occur in the future. More...(opens new tab) I will base form you will base form he/she/it will base form we will base form you will base form they will base form Future Progressive Tense The future progressive tense is used for an ongoing action that will occur in the future. More...(opens new tab) I will be present participle you will be present participle he/she/it will be present participle we will be present participle you will be present participle they will be present participle Future Perfect Tense The future perfect tense is used to describe an action that will have been completed at some point in the future. More...(opens new tab) I will have past participle you will have past participle he/she/it will have past participle we will have past participle you will have past participle they will have past participle Future Perfect Progressive
Tense The future perfect progressive tense is used for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future. More...(opens new tab) I will have been present participle you will have been present participle he/she/it will have been present participle we will have been present participle you will have been present participle they will have been present participle

Why the Perfect Progressive Aspect Is Important

If you're learning or teaching English, you must spend time learning the tenses because expressing when something occurs is a fundamental skill when communicating. Remember that tenses do not just state whether an action is a past, present, or future one. Tenses also state whether an action is habitual, completed, or ongoing. (These are called the aspects of the tenses.).

Here's a good tip to help you with mastering the tenses: Concentrate on the following:

The verb "to be" in all its forms (am, is, are, was, were, will be)
The verb "to have" in all its forms (has, have, had, will have)
Present participles, i.e., the "ing" form of verbs (e.g., dancing, knowing, eating)
Past participles (e.g., danced, known, eaten)