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

Three examples:

1) “She **had** used the bag for three years” indicates she has since stopped using the bag. We don’t know which three years she used the bag, but she has stopped. **had** = past tense.

2) “She **has** used the bag for three years” does not indicate she has stopped using the bag. It implies she started using the bag three years ago and is still using it. **has** = present tense.

3) “She **has been using** the bag for three years” also does not indicate she has stopped using the bag. It also implies she started using the bag three years ago and is still using it.

2 and 3 mean the same.