present perfect

[hela]

Dear teachers,

Is the following stce referring to a present action taking place at the moment of speaking or is it referring to a past event?

“How long have they waited for the doctor ?”
“They’ve waited for him for two hours."

i.e. Are they still waiting or have they got back home?

Many thanks,
Hela

[Natalie27]

Dear teachers,

Is the following stce referring to a present action taking place at the moment of speaking or is it referring to a past event?

“How long have they waited for the doctor ?”
“They’ve waited for him for two hours."

i.e. Are they still waiting or have they got back home?

Many thanks,
Hela

Yes, unfortunately they are still in the office and waiting....(happens all the time :wink: ).

[hela]

Dear teachers,

The difference between:

"They have waited for the doctor for 2 hours." and
"They have been waiting for the doctor for 2 hours."

is it that the first question is asking, in all their visits to the doctor (with future visits assumed), what is the most time they have ever spent waiting?

Many thanks,
Héla

[Francois]

No. It's neither the cumulative waiting time, nor the maximum waiting time (maybe it is, but we don't know)

FRC

[Tdol]

It could be your question, but without further information from context, there could be other interpretations.