Eli5. What’s the difference between “She has used the bag for three years” and “She has been using the bag for three years”.

Question

I encountered this earlier in my class and I can’t quite tell the difference. Please help. Non-native English speaker here 🥲

In: Other

Answer 1

Colloquially, they are often used interchangeably.

The technical difference is the verb tense and what that implies.

“She has used it” is the Present Perfect tense. The action happened in the past but is relevant to the present. It emphasizes a completed action.

“She has been using it” is the Present Perfect Continuous tense, where the action started in the past and has continued up until now. It emphasizes the ongoing action.