The present perfect continuous is used for an activity or process that has either just stopped or recently stopped. Sometimes it can mean something started earlier and is happening/continuing right now. It can also be used to express that something repeats over a period of time, such as an activity that someone started doing when they were a child and still do now.

Here are some examples of something that just stopped happening:

• “We’ll take the dog out for a walk later. It has been raining, so we want to wait for the street to dry.” = it started raining in the past and just finished now
• “She has been cooking for several hours but is finished now.” = the process of cooking just stopped now
• “Logan is having a cold drink because he’s hot and sweaty. He has been building our new garage.” = the process of building the new garage has just stopped for now, but isn’t finished

Here are some examples of activities that are still in process or continuing:

• “Alex has been studying hard for his final exams so we’re taking him out to dinner for a break.” = the process of studying is still happening
• “They have been cooking all afternoon and have until 6:30 pm to finish.” = the process of cooking is still happening
• “Mary has been writing her essay for hours now!” = the process of writing is still happening

Here are some examples of things that repeat over a period of time:

• “Pete and Patrick have been playing baseball since they were young.” = playing baseball is an activity that Pete and Patrick do over and over again
• “My grandmother has been planting flowers in her garden for many years.” = planting flowers is an activity that the speaker’s grandmother does over and over again
• “He has been bringing us fresh eggs since he bought more chickens.” = bringing fresh eggs is something that happens over and over again