Understanding “to have been doing”

What is “to have been doing”?

The form to have been doing is known as the perfect continuous infinitive. It combines the perfect aspect (have), the continuous/progressive aspect (been doing), and the infinitive marker (to).

Structure

to + have + been + present participle (verb + -ing)

to have been working
to have been studying
to have been waiting

When is it used?

• To express an action that was ongoing before another point or action in the past.
• Often follows verbs like seem, appear, believe, expect, etc., especially in passive constructions.
• Used to emphasize duration of a past action leading up to another past moment.

Examples

• She seems to have been working all night.
• They are believed to have been living in Paris for years before they moved.
• He claims to have been waiting since 8 a.m.

Common Mistakes

Learners sometimes confuse this form with the simple infinitive (to do) or the perfect infinitive (to have done). Remember:

• to do → general or future intention
• to have done → completed action before now or another past time
• to have been doing → ongoing action that continued up to a past point