Questions to elicit information like the one above carry the same word order as in a
statement but with the rising intonation, or else are introduced by a phrase such as
¿Cuánto tiempo hace que... ?, ‘How long have you/has he/she... ?’.¿Hace mucho rato que esperas?
Have you been waiting long?¿Cuánto tiempo hace que está así? (or, ¿Hace cuénto tiempe que.. .?)
How long has he/she been like this?When the period of time refers to an action which has not yet taken place, we may use
either the present or the perfect tense.Hace muchísimo tiempo que no nos llaman/han llamado.
They haven’t called us for a very long time.Hace casi seis meses que no me escribe/ha escrito.
He/she hasn’t written for almost six months.17.1.1 (p. 72)
71.7.2 Present tense +desde+hace+ time phrase
This construction, which starts with the verb phrase, is an alternative to the one in
71.7.1 above. Here, the emphasis is on the action or the state, while in the previous
example the stress is on the period of time during which the action or state has been
in progress.
Espero desde hace mucho rato.
I’ve been waiting for a long time.Está así desde hace una hora.
He/she’s been like that for an hour.Vivo aquí desde hace dos años.
I’ve been living here for two years.17.1.1 (p. 72); 25.1.11.2 (p. 123)
71.7.3 Llevar+ time phrase + gerund/llevar+ gerund + time phrase
These constructions with llevar, which are interchangeable, are used specifically with
actions, not with states, and they stress the fact that the action has been in progress for
some time. The construction with hace is also valid in this context.Llevo mucho rato esperando. (Hace mucho rato que espero.)
Llevo esperando mucho rato.
I’ve been waiting for a long time.Llevo dos años viviendo aquí. (Hace dos años que vivo aquí.)
Llevo viviendo aquí dos años.
I’ve been living here for two years. 20.3 (p. 97); 26.3 (p. 140); 71.7.1 (p. 406)
For the use of llevar+ time phrase to refer to states see 71.7.5 below.TALKING ABOUT THE PRESENT 71.7