I had always known that we generally use the present perfect simple for things that we do for the first time. Here is a classic example from the English Grammar in Use self-study book by Cambridge University Press:
We say: lt's the (first) time something has happened. For example:
Don is having a driving lesson. It's his first one.
It's the first time he has driven a car.
But now I found the following in a supplementary exercises book:
Tick (✓) the sentence which means the same as the first sentence.
This is the first time I've been skiing.
- I've been skiing once before.
- I haven't been skiing for a long time.
- I've never been skiing before. ✓
This suggests that we can use the present perfect continuous in some cases for things that we do for the first time but it seems like both of the examples are about an ongoing activity which makes both of them look very similar even though tenses used are different.
When do we prefer the present perfect continuous to present perfect simple and vice versa for things that we do for the first time?
Best Answer
Common collocations are: to go skiing, to go swimming, etc. Thus, we say:
In the last two examples been was used as the past participle of go. We use it to mean that somebody has gone somewhere and come back.
Here, therefore, have been skiing is not the present perfect continuous form of ski, but rather the present perfect simple of go skiing.
Special credits go to @Lambie and @userr2684291 for leading me in the right direction (see comments below the main post).