Present perfect simple vs. Present perfect continuous

Hi Omarrizk,

You can’t say with absolute certainty that the painting is not finished yet. The most you can say without additional context is that the use of the present perfect continuous tends to suggest that the painting is not yet finished. However, as Beeesneees has already mentioned, there is also a possibility that the activity has just finished. Here is an example:

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SITUATION: Mary has been waiting to be picked up by John. John was supposed to pick Mary up at the airport at noon. It is now 3 p.m. and John has just now arrived at the airport.

Mary: John! Finally! Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for three hours!
John: Sorry, honey. I got here as soon as I could. There was a gigantic accident on I95. They had to close the highway for a couple of hours, and traffic was backed up for 25 miles. It took me forever to get here.

[color=white].
As you can see in the context above, Mary has just now finished waiting for John.
The verb form (present perfect continuous) itself does not actually tell you anything about whether the activity is finished or not. Only the broader context can do that.

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[size=75]“I’ve been doing a lot of abstract painting lately, extremely abstract. No brush, no paint, no canvas, I just think about it.” ~ Steven Wright[/size]

Thanks ESL Expert. You have just refreshed my mind.