ever+present perfect progressive never+present perfest

[ostap77]

"Have you ever been hiking in the mountains?" We may use the present perfect progressive with 'ever'.

"I've never hiked in the mountains! not "I've never been hiking in the mountains." Correct?

 

[Khosro]

How have you come to such a conclusion? I am afraid it isn't right. I found many examples of "I have never been hiking" and two examples of "I have never been hiking in the mountains" and I guess they were from native speakers.

Furthermore, I still don't consider "hiking" here as the present participle of a present perfect continuous tense structure. I think of it as a present perfect structure. I remember I put a comment on a similar sentence in one of your previous threads. There was also a discussion about "been" between engee, fivejedjon and others but I am not sure if they have discussed this point directly.

 

[ostap77]

How have you come to such a conclusion? I am afraid it isn't right. I found many examples of "I have never been hiking" and two examples of "I have never been hiking in the mountains" and I guess they were from native speakers.

Furthermore, I still don't consider "hiking" here as the present participle of a present perfect continuous tense structure. I think of it as a present perfect structure. I remember I put a comment on a similar sentence in one of your previous threads. There was also a discussion about "been" between engee, fivejedjon and others but I am not sure if they have discussed this point directly.

That's why I put the question mark. I thought I might use it but wasn't sure. Indeed we were talking about the present perfect progressive. I guess we mainly refered to the use of "been" with "ever". I would be appreciative if you commented on the following one as well.

"How many times a week have you been taking German classes?"


"I'm a bit adventurous, so I said why not, even though I'd never been hiking , let alone really been to the wilderness before. Yes, I'd been car camping but a long... long time ago and I wouldn't call those populated camp grounds the wilderness."

I pulled it up from the blog and it got me wondering why the past perfect progressive is used here not the present perfect progressive?

 

[5jj]

"How many times a week have you been ta[STRIKE]l[/STRIKE]king German classes?"

That's acceptable.

"I'm a bit adventurous, so I said why not, even though I'd never been hiking , let alone really been to the wilderness before. Yes, I'd been car camping but a long... long time ago and I wouldn't call those populated camp grounds the wilderness."

I pulled it up from the blog and it got me wondering why the past perfect progressive is used here not the present perfect progressive?

Because the time period ends at the past time the speaker is talking about, not the present moment.

 

[Khosro]

That's why I put the question mark. I thought I might use it but wasn't sure. Indid we were talking about the present perfect progressive. I guess we mainly refered to the use of "been" with "ever". I would be appreciative if you commented on the following one as well.

"How many times a week have you been talking German classes?"


"I'm a bit adventurous, so I said why not, even though I'd never been hiking , let alone really been to the wilderness before. Yes, I'd been car camping but a long... long time ago and I wouldn't call those populated camp grounds the wilderness."

I pulled it up from the blog and it got me wondering why the past perfect progressive is used here not the present perfect progressive?

Considering "I'd been car camping":
Someone invited him to hiking. Some time in the past. Before that time in the past "he had been car camping".
Since he adds "but a long ... long time ago" again I don't think of it as a past perfect continuous, but a past perfect.
I am sure about why it should be past perfect and not present perfect but not about it's progressive aspect as an inherent part of "past perfect continuous".

 

[5jj]

In my last post I should have mentioned that it is not a continuous form.

If we wish to say that a person is not here because he left sometime ago for a camping holiday, we can say, "he has gone camping".

If we wish to say that camping holidays are part of his life experience, we can say, "he has been camping".

Neither of these is a continuous form. The word 'camping' is not the main verb.

 

[ostap77]

In my last post I should have mentioned that it is not a continuous form.

If we wish to say that a person is not here because he left sometime ago for a camping holiday, we can say, "he has gone camping".

If we wish to say that camping holidays are part of his life experience, we can say, "he has been camping".

Neither of these is a continuous form. The word 'camping' is not the main verb.

Getting back to what's already been said, when we talk about past experience, which one is liklier to be uttered "I've never smoked'' or ''I've never been moking."?

 

[Khosro]

Getting back to what's already been said, when we talk about about past experience, which one is liklier to be uttered "I've never smoked'' or ''I've never been moking."?

The first one I think.

 

[5jj]

I have never been smoking while having a shower.

That sounds most unnatural to me.

 

[Khosro]

That sounds most unnatural to me.

I took it back. Still I don't know why we need the present participle "smoking" in such cases! It's okay with "been camping" and some other been + present participle but why "been smoking" I have no Idea!

 

[5jj]

I took it back. Still I don't know why we need the present participle "smoking" in such cases! It's okay with "been camping" and some other been + present participle but why "been smoking" I have no Idea!

Most people do not consider smoking to be a leisure activity that you set aside time for, and or travel to.

If restrictions on smoking continue to expand, there may well come a time when people go away for the weekend to places where they can smoke. Then they will be able to say, "I am going smoking this weekend"; in answer to the question 'Where have you been for the last few days?" they can respond, "I have been smoking" as others might say, "I have been camping".

 

[Khosro]

Most people do not consider smoking to be a leisure activity that you set aside time for, and or travel to.

If restrictions on smoking continue to expand, there may well come a time when people go away for the weekend to places where they can smoke. Then they will be able to say, "I am going smoking this weekend"; in answer to the question 'Where have you been for the last few days?" they can respond, "I have been smoking" as others might say, "I have been camping".

The problem is that they already say it as google shows.

 

[5jj]

The problem is that they already say it as google shows.

I suspect that the forms you have discovered have been perfect continuous forms of the verb 'smoke'.

 

[Khosro]

I suspect that the forms you have discovered have been perfect continuous forms of the verb 'smoke'.

Sorry, you are right. Just one different example:

"I have never been smoking with a black woman before".

I guess it follows the same logic as:

"But other than that, I have never been riding around to hear a RAWR and then have a cougar tear my face off."

or:

"Seriously, I have never been riding in such a big group. It was really a great feeling to see small kids and old folks riding on their bikes."

 

[5jj]

"I have never been smoking with a black woman before".

That does not sound natural to me. I suspect that it is some form of slang and/or dialect, and that it may have something to do with sex. Have you any context?

 

[Khosro]

That does not sound natural to me. I suspect that it is some form of slang and/or dialect, and that it may have something to do with sex. Have you any context?

It could be a slang. But does it necessarily need to be slang?
I added some lines to my previous post.

 

[5jj]

It could be a slang. But does it necessarily need to be slang?

There is little point in guessing at anything without context.

 

[ostap77]

Sorry, you are right. Just one different example:

"I have never been smoking with a black woman before".

I guess it follows the same logic as:

"But other than that, I have never been riding around to hear a RAWR and then have a cougar tear my face off."

or:

"Seriously, I have never been riding in such a big group. It was really a great feeling to see small kids and old folks riding on their bikes."

Basically I may use the present perfect progressive to talk about past experience if I want to emphasize the duration of an activity or action?

 

[5jj]

Basically I may use the present perfect progressive to talk about past experience if I want to emphasize the duration of an activity or action?

You may - but I don't think that your last two examples are present perfect progressives. I think they are the same type as "I have been sailing and I have been skiiing. I like going skiing better."

Compare:
I have been riding for four hours, and my bottom is getting sore - present perfect progressive of ride.
I have been riding with my family, but I prefer to go riding on my own. present perfect of BE + riding (activity)