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If I have just walked and now I am at home, can I say:

  1. I have been walking, so now I am very tired (I think yes)
  2. I have walked, so now I am very tired (I do not know)

If it lasted 3 hours can I say:

  1. I have been walking for 3 hours (I do not think because this tense is used for ongoing action and here walking is finished)
  2. I have walked for 3 hours (I think it's OK)
  3. I walked for 3 hours (Ok too)

I ask that because It's what I have been doing/ I have done (here both should work) :)

tkp
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safarie
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1 Answers1

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Given the context all look fine to me, except perhaps for #2 (which you already suspect). Taking them in turn:

  1. No issues with this.
  2. The problem is not so much the "have [past participle]" form in general, but rather its use with this specific verb, and even there I can think of situations where it could make sense. But in this context, I would not tend to use it.
  3. This is fine, even if the walk is over. Suppose you have just arrived back from your walk and someone tells you to come to dinner right away. You might respond, "Really!? I have been walking for three hours. At least give me a chance to shower!"
  4. Yes it's fine.
  5. Yup, OK too. But it would tend to be the choice if the walk had finished at some time ago.

Aside: it's interesting to notice the difference in nuance if the word "just" is added immediately after "have" (or immediately before "walked" in sentence #5).

tkp
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