I have waited / have been waiting for you all day long.

[Tan Elaine]

I have waited for you all day long.
I have been waiting for you all day long.

Is there any difference in meaning between the sentences?

Thanks.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I have waited for you all day long.
I have been waiting for you all day long.

Is there any difference in meaning between the sentences?

Thanks.

No difference for me, Elaine.

 

[probus]

I think there is a slight difference depending on the context, which of course we lack.

The past continuous is preferable when the waiting is still going on or has just ended. Perhaps the person awaited has finally shown up, or perhaps you are talking to him or her on the phone.

The past perfect is preferable when an interval has elapsed since the waiting ended. Perhaps you are talking the following day to the person who never showed up.

 

[Tan Elaine]

I think there is a slight difference depending on the context, which of course we lack.

The past continuous is preferable when the waiting is still going on or has just ended. Perhaps the person awaited has finally shown up, or perhaps you are talking to him or her on the phone.

The past perfect is preferable when an interval has elapsed since the waiting ended. Perhaps you are talking the following day to the person who never showed up.[/QUOTE I I have (had) been waiting for you all day long. ( If the person never showed up, shouldn't we use 'had' instead of 'have'?)

 

[probus]

If speaking to the person you might say "I have waited for you all day, and now I'm just fed up" or "I waited for you all day." Had would be used in reported speech, e.g. "I told John that I had been waiting for him all day."

 

[probus]

Sorry all, I did a poor job of expressing my opinion on this. I should have said:

"I have been waiting for you all day" suggests that I am still waiting, while
"I have waited for you all day" suggests that I have decided not to wait any longer.

 

[emsr2d2]

If you were talking to the person the next day, you would say "I waited for you all day [yesterday] ...", not "I have waited for you all day [yesterday] ..."