Have you been watching or Are you watching or

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi everyone !

Are you enjoying the Olympics ?

I’m wondering if I could use present perfect continuous for the situation
like this.

When I come across my friend on a street, and want to ask her
if she watches the Sochi Olympics on TV sometimes at home,
is it OK to use present progressive form or should I use
present perfect progressive form ? Which of the following
sentences is the best suit for this situation ? My confusion is
that is it all right to use present progressive because she is not
actually watching the TV right then on the street.

  1. Are you watching the Sochi Olympics (sometimes at home) ?

  2. Have you been watching the Sochi Olympics (sometimes at home) ?

  3. Do you watch the Sochi Olympics (sometimes at home )?

  4. Have you watched the Sochi Olympics ?

Thank you in advance.

2

They are all acceptable forms, Kumiko.Although she is not watching the Olympics at the moment that you speak to her, the Olympics is still running and it is reasonable to assume that she is continuing to watch it when she can.

I would not use the phrase ‘sometimes at home’. If I wanted to ask specifically about whether she was watching some of it, I would say:
Have you watched any/some of the Olympics this month/week/year?

3

Hi Beeeneees

Thank you for always answering my questions. I am sure some of them must be very
elementary and puzzling for you. And yet you always give me answers that are very easy to understand.

I understood the “sometimes at home” part. This must have sounded strange to you but I did not notice because if I translate literally from my language to Englis, it becomes something like this. I understood I should use “some of” or “any of” the Olympics instead.

Thanks again !

Kumiko