How long have you...?

Talking about how long we have been doing something can cause problems for learners of English.

In German, it's quite easy to express this concept as follows:-

• Ich wohne in Zürich seit 21 Jahre.

Here, the use of a present tense (wohne) shows that the speaker still lives in Zurich and the word 'seit' shows that this period started in the past. Simple!

Showing a connection to the present

In English we express this concept differently. We use the present perfect (have + past participle) to show that there is a connection to the present and refer to the length of time using the word 'for'. To translate the German sentence above, we get;

• I have lived in Zurich for 21 years

Unfortunately many of my students say 'I live in Zurich since 15 years' which is not correct. Often this doesn't cause big problems but if you are writing your CV or are doing a Cambridge exam then it is worth trying to get it right.

For or since

I told you that we refer to the length of time using for. We can use the word since if we are talking about a point in time.

• I have lived in Zurich since 2003.

Past simple or present perfect?

Read the following sentences about me to see some examples using past simple and present perfect.

Past simple

I lived in Manchester for 10 years. (I don't live there now)

Present perfect

1. I have lived in Zurich since 2003. (I still live here)

2. I have worked as a teacher for 10 years. (I still do this)

3. I have been waiting for the bus for 10 minutes. (It still hasn't arrived)

4. I have been playing the piano since I was a child. (I still play the piano)

Present perfect simple or present perfect continuous?

You might have noticed that I used the present perfect continuous (have been +'ing) in the final two sentences. This is our first choice when talking about how long we have been doing something. However, we can't use this continuous form for state verbs (verbs like 'see', 'own' and 'know').

It is also worth remembering that for some verbs like 'live' or 'work' it doesn't make a big difference whether we use present perfect simple or present perfect continuous.

Both the following sentences are fine:

• I've been working here for 12 months.

• I've worked here for 12 months.

The continuous option might sound more temporary but many listeners probably wouldn't notice this!

Talking about what you haven't done

Another interesting point concerns the word haven't. Consider the following sentences:

• I haven't ridden my bike at all recently.

• I haven't been riding my bike much recently.

Both sentences suggest a length of time of inactivity so arguably our first choice should be continuous. However, the first sentence uses simple. Here is a rule to help you choose the best option in an exam!

If the activity hasn't been done at all, use simple.

If the activity hasn't been done much, use continuous.

How to practice

Now try to make sentences about yourself to practice giving information about how long something took. Answer the following questions in writing, then read the tip below.

1. How long have you known your best friend?

2. How long have you lived in ....?

3. How long have you been learning English?

4. How long have you been working as a ....?

5. Think about something you haven't done for a while.

6. Think about something you haven't been doing much recently

Tip

Hopefully (most of) your answers were formed with the same tense used in the question. Here are some suggested answers.

1. I've known Jess since I moved to Zurich.

2. I've lived in Zurich for more than 20 years.

3. I've been learning English my whole life.

4. I've been working as an English teacher for more than 10 years.

5. I haven't been on a long-haul flight for a while.

6. I haven't been swimming much recently.

Did you find this useful? If so, read more of my grammar posts here or contact me about lessons.