How long have you been living/have you lived here?

[Rachel Adams]

Can I use the present perfect in these examples to ask about an ongoing action, or if I use the present perfect will the meaning of each sentence change?


1. "How long have you been living/have you lived here?"

2. "How long have you been studying/have you studied here?"

3. "How long have you been learning/have you learnt English?"

4. "How long have you been studying/have you studied English?"

5. "How long have you been teaching/have you taught English?"

6. "How long have you been working/have you worked here?"

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Can I use the present perfect in these examples to ask about an ongoing action,

Sometimes.

or if I use the present perfect, will the meaning of each sentence change?

The facts will remain the same. If there are other differences, I'll let someone else can explain them.

1. "How long have you been living/have you lived here?"

Yes to both.

2. "How long have you been studying/have you studied here?"

Yes to both.

3. "How long have you been learning/have you learnt English?"

Yes to the first, no to the second.

4. "How long have you been studying/have you studied English?"

Yes to the first. I don't like the second.

5. "How long have you been teaching/have you taught English?"

Yes to both.

6. "How long have you been working/have you worked here?"

Yes to both.

It depends.