Thepresent perfect continuous is often used to show that something is temporary. 9. SOMETIMES THERE'S REALLY NO DIFFERENCE IN MEANING BETWEEN THE TWO TENSES. THIS IS ESPECIALLY THE CASE WITH VERBS SUCH AS 'LIVE', 'WORK' AND 'STUDY'. • I've studied French for ten years. • I've been studying French for ten years. Thepresent perfect continuous is also called present perfect progressive and it is used to talk about a finished activity in the recent past. These are some examples of present perfect continuous sentences: I have been playing soccer. I have been preparing for the game. AVAgj0.