Why have you been standing there?
The phrase "have been searching" is in the present perfect continuous tense. It indicates an action that started in the past, is still ongoing in the present, and may continue into the future.
A tense is a way of referring to a time (past, present or future) in language. Eg. if you say 'I have walked half a mile today', you are using the past tense because you have finished walking at the moment of speaking. Within each tense, there is a further subdivision: simple and continuous. If you want to stress the duration of the action of which you speak (the fact that it is/was/will be going on), you use the continuous. Here are some examples of every tense and its variations: present simple: I walk present continuous: I am walking present perfect simple: I have walked present perfect continuous: I have been walking past simple: I walked past continuous: I was walking past perfect simple: I had walked past perfect continuous: I had been walking future simple: I will walk future continuous: I will be walking future perfect: I will have walked future perfect continuous: I will have been walking
Here are the nine verb tenses paired with examples using the verb drive:Present (I am driving)Perfect (I drove)Imperfect (I was driving)Pluperfect (I had driven)Future Simple (I will drive)Future Simple (I will have driven)Present active (driving)Perfect active (having driven)Perfect passive (having been driving)
Yes, with the addition of "not." For example, "You have not been waiting here for two hours with a salami in one hand a come-hither look in your eyes."
'You are replying' is Present (Simple) Continuous.If you want to retain the 'continuous' and the 'simple' sense, ...'You were replying' is the Past (Simple) Continuous.But if you want to include both continuous and 'non-continuous' senses etc, here are a few more 'past' options:You replied - Past SimpleYou have replied - A past action that has a present result ('Present Perfect' tense)You had replied e.g. "I was going to write again and ask you to reply, but then I realised that you had replied already." - A past action that happened before another past action ('Past Perfect' tense)You had been replying - Past Perfect ContinuousYou have been replying - e.g. "I like the way you work. You've been replying very promptly to all those enquiries." - A continuous or repeated activity that has been engaged in before the present, is relevant to the present, and which has continued. - Present Perfect Continuous
The present perfect continuous tense is used to describe an ongoing action that began at some time in the past, is continuing in the present, and may continue into the future. It is formed with "have/has been" + present participle (verbs ending in -ing).
If you mean Present Continuous Tense here is what it is-We use the Present Continuous Tense to talk about activities happening now..ExamplesThe kids are watching TV. I am sitting down, because I am tired
Future: She is going to be here on Thursday. We will go there as soon as possible. It will be dark before you get to Jane's house. You will be sorry! Jack and Susan are getting married next May. Present Perfect: Your cousin has recommended this book. The Liberals have promised to pas this law. Mary has broken her left ankle. We have been living here since 1973. - (this is present perfect continuous) She has studied German for 7 years.
Present Continuous
present perfect tells us about the past and the present.
I had been watching television.I had been listening to music.I had been doing my homework.I had been working.The past perfect continuous tense follows this structure:Subject + Had + Been + Present Participle.
The present continuous/it's also called present progressive. (At the moment , here and now + you can use it for picture descriptions.)