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Mexico has been growing into one of the world’s most dynamic economies. Foreign companies have been relocating their factories there. Tourism has been breaking records year after year. Did you notice what all those sentences have in common? They all use the present perfect continuous — and today you’re going to master it, using real, current facts about Mexico.
What is the present perfect continuous?
The present perfect continuous (also called the present perfect progressive) describes an action that began in the past and has been happening up to now — or stopped very recently and left a visible result. It puts the spotlight on the process and duration of an activity, not just its end result.
The golden rule: use the present perfect continuous when you want to say how long something has been happening, or when the ongoing activity matters more than whether it is finished.
How to form it
| Subject | have / has | been | verb -ing | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I / you / we / they | have | been | working / growing | We have been studying Spanish for two years. |
| he / she / it / Mexico | has | been | working / growing | Mexico has been attracting foreign investment. |
In negatives: haven’t / hasn’t been + verb-ing.
In questions: Have you been + verb-ing? / How long has she been + verb-ing?
The three main uses
1. An ongoing action with for or since
The action started in the past and is still happening now.
Mexico has been producing more avocados every year since the 1990s.
The company has been manufacturing in Monterrey for a decade.
2. A recent activity with a visible result now
The activity may have just stopped, but we can still see or feel the effect.
Tourist numbers have been rising — the airports are overcrowded.
He’s exhausted. He’s been travelling all day.
3. Emphasis on duration or effort
You want to highlight that something has taken time and energy.
Scientists have been studying the Monarch butterfly migration for decades.
Present perfect continuous vs present perfect simple
This is the distinction that really matters at B2. If you want to review the present perfect vs the past simple, our earlier guide covers the foundations — come back to this post after.
| Present perfect simple | Present perfect continuous |
|---|---|
| Focus on result / completion | Focus on process / duration |
| Often used with a specific number: I’ve read three reports. | Used when the number is unknown or unimportant: I’ve been reading reports all morning. |
| Stative verbs (know, love, believe): I’ve known her for years. | Stative verbs do NOT use -ing in standard English. |
| The activity is complete: She has written the email. | The activity may still be ongoing: She has been writing the email. |
Mexico: a country that has been making history
The present perfect continuous is perfect for talking about trends — and Mexico has plenty of them right now.
The nearshoring revolution. Since around 2019, Mexico has been attracting manufacturing companies from the United States, Germany, Japan, and beyond. As trade tensions between the US and China have been growing, firms are moving production closer to the American border. Manufacturing foreign direct investment has been rising by an average of 20% per year since 2019 — more than double the global average. In 2023, Mexico became the US’s largest trading partner, with exports reaching a record $475 billion.
The avocado story. Mexico has been dominating global avocado production for decades. The state of Michoacán alone produces around 92% of Mexico’s avocados, from roughly 106,000 hectares of orchards. Exports have been climbing to record levels: in 2024, avocado shipments reached $3.79 billion — a 20% increase on 2023 — and 2025 is projected to hit a new record of $4 billion. Mexico supplies nearly 90% of all avocados imported into the United States.
A clean-energy push. Mexico has been expanding its solar and wind capacity rapidly. Between 2019 and 2023, the country’s solar generation almost tripled, growing from 9.96 TWh to 27.14 TWh. The government has been targeting 45% renewable electricity by 2030. Just between December 2025 and January 2026, more than 2,300 MW of new renewable projects were submitted for environmental permitting — a sign that investment has been accelerating.
Record tourism. Tourists have been arriving in ever-greater numbers. Mexico welcomed 47.8 million overnight international visitors in 2025 — a 6.1% increase on 2024 — generating $31.7 billion in tourism revenue. Destinations like Cancún, Mexico City, and Oaxaca have been attracting travellers from all over the world.
Fintech and digital growth. Mexico’s technology sector has been transforming at speed. The fintech industry has been growing by around 20% per year, and now counts nearly 1,000 active companies. The broader digital transformation market, valued at $40 billion in 2025, has been projected to reach $88 billion by 2030.
Common mistakes for Spanish speakers
Watch out for these
Spanish uses llevar + gerundio to express ongoing duration: “Llevo viviendo en México dos años.” Many Spanish speakers translate this literally, dropping the perfect auxiliary entirely.
✗ I am living in Mexico City for two years.
✓ I have been living in Mexico City for two years.
Confusing for (duration) and since (starting point). In Spanish, desde hace covers both ideas, which creates interference.
✗ Mexico has been leading avocado exports since decades.
✓ Mexico has been leading avocado exports for decades.
✓ Mexico has been leading avocado exports since the 1990s.
(since + a point in time; for + a length of time)
Forgetting been — the most common structural error. Without it, the sentence collapses.
✗ The economy has growing for three years.
✓ The economy has been growing for three years.
Using stative verbs in the continuous. Verbs like know, believe, own, like, understand do not normally take -ing in standard English, even when talking about ongoing states. This is the same rule as with the present continuous.
✗ She has been knowing about the nearshoring trend for years.
✓ She has known about the nearshoring trend for years.
(know = stative → use present perfect simple)
Using the present perfect continuous with a finished, countable result. If you have a number or a complete achievement, use the simple form instead.
✗ Mexico has been receiving 47.8 million tourists in 2025.
✓ Mexico received 47.8 million tourists in 2025. (specific number + finished year → past simple)
✓ Tourist numbers have been rising steadily. (process, no specific count)
Example bank
Study these 16 sentences — all set in Mexico. Notice for, since, and the focus on ongoing process in each one.
- Mexico has been attracting foreign manufacturers since trade tensions between the US and China began.
- The government has been investing in solar energy for several years.
- How long have you been studying Spanish?
- Tourist arrivals have been growing steadily — the hotels in Cancún have been running at full capacity.
- Avocado farmers in Michoacán have been expanding their orchards to meet global demand.
- Our team has been working on the new fintech app since January.
- She looks tired — she has been travelling all week.
- The company hasn’t been making enough profit to expand yet.
- Have they been negotiating the trade agreement for long?
- Mexico City has been building new metro lines to ease traffic congestion.
- Renewable energy projects have been receiving more government support since 2024.
- Why has the price of avocados been rising in Europe?
- I have been reading about Mexico’s nearshoring boom — it’s fascinating.
- The fintech sector has been growing by around 20% a year.
- We have been trying to make progress on the project all morning.
- Has Mexico been performing well economically? Yes — especially in manufacturing exports.
Quick quiz
Choose the correct form: present perfect continuous, present perfect simple, or past simple.
- Mexico ______ (attract) record numbers of tourists in 2025. Hint: specific finished year.
- She ______ (live) in Guadalajara ______ two years, and she loves it. Hint: still living there now.
- The engineers ______ (work) on the solar farm since last autumn — it’s nearly ready.
- How long ______ they ______ (negotiate) the new trade deal?
- I ______ (read) three reports this morning. Hint: countable, finished result.
Show answer key
- attracted — past simple (specific finished year: 2025)
- has been living … for — present perfect continuous + “for” (ongoing action, still true now)
- have been working — present perfect continuous (emphasis on the ongoing process, started in the past)
- have they been negotiating — present perfect continuous question (duration of an ongoing process)
- have read — present perfect simple (countable, completed result: three reports done)
Sources:
Nearshoring FDI figures (20% annual growth since 2019, $475 bn exports 2023): BCG — Shifting Dynamics of Nearshoring in Mexico.
Avocado exports ($3.79 bn 2024 record, $4 bn 2025 projection, Michoacán 92%): Blue Book — Mexican avocado exports to reach $4 billion in 2025.
Solar energy growth (9.96 TWh 2019 → 27.14 TWh 2023, 45% target 2030): PVknowhow — Renewable Energy Mexico 2025.
Tourism (47.8 m overnight visitors 2025, 6.1% growth, $31.7 bn revenue): Mexico News Daily — International tourism to Mexico grew 6.1% in 2025.
Digital/fintech (market $40 bn 2025, 20% fintech growth, ~1,000 companies): HireinSouth — Technology Sector in Mexico 2026.