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I have been working on The Present Perfect Continuous Tense recently, I saw the following

I have been traveling since I was ten years old.

I have been learning that the Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used to describe something that started happening in the past and continuously happened up to the present and still happens during the present.

I don't know what actually happens to the one in the following. In the past, one traveled and in the present, does one sometimes travel or always travel?

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With the verb "travel", both interpretions are possible.

Literally the continuous form of the verb suggests continuous travel, but pragmatically most people would understand it to mean "a continuous hobby" (but not a continuous action).

Similarly you might say, "I've been playing football since I was 10." Most would understand that to mean "my hobby has (continuously) been football" rather than "I've been on the pitch since I was 10". But if you say "I've been playing football since 2pm" (and the time is 3pm) You would interpret it differently.

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  • I understand. I knew the time reference word "recently". As you said above, I want to say "I have been playing football recently" is that correct? Because the time does not go for too long.
    – tcvduc
    Sep 29, 2022 at 6:41
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    "I have been playing football recently" suggests something you started to do regularly in the recent past. (For example, you started playing in weekly matches a few months ago.) Compare with "I played football recently", which means you played at least once recently, but without suggesting whether it was a one-time event.
    – chepner
    Sep 29, 2022 at 12:54

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