Identify the tense of given sentence : They have been building the house for…

Answer: Present Perfect Continuous

Form: have/has + been + verb-ing

Why it is correct: This tense describes actions that began in the past and continue up to the present. The sentence contains the duration phrase "for several years" and uses the auxiliary structure that signals an ongoing action reaching the present, so the present perfect continuous is appropriate.

Example: They have been building the house for several years now.

• Present Continuous — describes an action happening at the present moment (e.g., "They are building the house") but does not emphasise a long action that started in the past and continues to now.

• Present Perfect — uses have/has + past participle and indicates a past action with present relevance, but it does not show the continuous, ongoing nature of the activity (e.g., "They have built the house").

• Past Continuous — refers to an action that was ongoing at a specific past time (e.g., "They were building the house last year") and does not connect the activity to the present time as required here.