English question?

Question

Your friend asks why you are out of breath. You say:
Option 1: 'I have just been exercising.'
Option 2: 'I am just exercising.'
For correct answer,I chose option2.Having refered to the key,I find it was a wrong option,I should have chosen option 1 for a correct answer instead.But,I am still confused,I think they both work here.

What do you think of it?Please help.

Answer 1

There is nothing wrong with the sentence "I am just exercising" but it isn't usually a good answer to the question the friend asked. First of all, if you were still exercising and the friend saw you, there's no reason why he would need to ask why you were out of breath. Secondly, "just" with the present progressive (aka present continuous, am/are/is + -ing form) can't refer to the very recent past so it must mean "only", like "nothing more interesting than".

"Just" in option one with the present perfect progressive (have/has been + -ing form) means that the exercising happened in the very recent past, and the effects are still lingering, so it is a very good explanation for your being out of breath.

Now if this was a phone call (so the friend can hear your breathing but can't see the reason), and your friend thought the reason you'd be out of breath was that you were having sex, and you understood that meaning when he asked, AND you still were exercising, then you could appropriately answer "I am just exercising". Another context might be if the friend was concerned that you were having an asthma attack, again if it was a phone call. In that case the "just" would mean "nothing to worry about, it's only that", again minimizing the interest factor. So I'd say your answer is not impossible, but not very likely.

Answer 2

Im an english teacher and i agree with the two guys who said that both are possible. Option 1 is the prefered or more typical answer as the state of being 'out of breath' is typical as a result of exercise. Present perfect progressive (have been exercising) focuses on an activity that started in the past and continued for some time till very recently. It is used to explain present results (out of breath). The present continuous, does, as has been said, mean the perosn is still exercising and should probably stop or slow down.

Answer 3

Both are correct gramatically. However "just" in 2 is not quite correct in usage.
If you have completed exercising '1' is correct and this would appear to be the case as your friend would see you exercising and would not ask the question. Logically '1' is the only answer if your friend is there and has a brain.

Answer 4

The 2 answers mean different things. You would say option 1 if you had finished exercising and you would choose option 2 if you were still exercising.

Answer 5

Option 2- it means that, you are doing it right now. You are continuing doing it while the conversation goes. It can't be possible while the conversation goes. But, option 1-it means that you have already done exercising and after it your friend can ask about it.
So, option 2 is grammatically wrong. It would be better if you say ''I have just been exercising''.
May I have ten points?

Answer 6

both could work. Option 1 is past tense meaning I was recently exercising. Option 2 is present tense meaning that I am only exercising right now. Hope this helps

Answer 7

The question would be: Why are you out breath? ( you are )
Since the question is Why= Because I have just been exercising explains that this action followed the other one. If they asked you: Are you doing anything exciting? You can answer-No, I am just exercising. That is the only thing you are doing.

Answer 8

it depends on whether you have ceased exercising, in which case option 1 is relevant
or if you are actually still exercising whilst the question is being asked, option 2
You must be australian

Answer 9

You are talking about past progressive. It should be option 1

Answer 10

I am just exercising is just poor english. I have just been exercising states that you are finished with exercising, and would be out of breath from being finished.