Understanding Spanish Accounts of How Long Activities Have Continued
Understanding Spanish Accounts of How Long Activities Have Continued
In this listening lesson, you will identify when an activity started, how long it has continued, and whether it is still continuing now. Pay close attention to hace, desde, desde hace, seguir, and llevar.
Listen for three pieces of information
- the starting point
- the duration
- whether the activity continues now
Listening Task 1: desde hace
Listen first:
Before checking, decide whether the job continues now and identify the duration.
Check
— I have worked at this hotel for two years.
The activity continues now. The duration is two years.
Listening Task 2: desde
Listen first:
What is the starting point, and does the residence continue?
Check
— I have lived in Valencia since 2023.
The starting point is 2023, and the present tense shows that the residence continues now.
Listening Task 3: llevar
Listen first:
What activity is continuing, and for how long?
Check
— I have been studying Spanish for six months.
The ongoing activity is studying Spanish. The duration is six months.
Listening Task 4: seguir without duration
Listen first:
Can you identify an exact duration?
Check
— I am still working in the same office.
The activity clearly continues, but no exact duration is stated.
Listening Task 5: hace for a completed starting event
Listen first:
What happened three years ago?
Check
— I started this job three years ago.
The sentence tells you when the starting event happened. It does not by itself prove whether the speaker still has the job.
Do not assume continuation from a past event alone
Compare:
- — I started this job three years ago.
- — I have worked here for three years.
The second sentence explicitly presents the work as continuing now.
Listening Task 6: current status stated separately
Listen first:
Check
— I started working here four years ago and I am still working here.
The first clause dates the start. The second clause confirms continuation.
Listening Task 7: match the number to the right unit
Listen first:
Do not attach both number twos to the same unit.
Check
— Ana has been studying for two months and Carlos has been working for two years.
Ana's duration is two months. Carlos's duration is two years.
Listening Task 8: several time expressions
Listen first:
Check
— I have lived here since January.
— Two months ago I started a course.
— I have been studying every day for eight weeks.
The residence and study activity continue. Empecé describes the completed starting event.
Listening Task 9: a stopped activity is stated explicitly
Listen first:
Check
— I worked there for two years, but I no longer work there.
The activity has stopped because ya no makes that current status explicit.
Do not assume stopping just because a past tense appears
A past form can describe the starting event while another clause confirms continuation. Reconstruct the complete current situation from all the evidence.
A practical listening method
- Identify the activity.
- Mark any starting point after desde.
- Mark any duration after desde hace or llevar.
- Interpret hace + duration with a past event as how long ago that event happened.
- Use seguir or a present-tense continuing statement as evidence that the activity still continues.
- Match every number to the correct unit: hours, weeks, months, or years.
- Do not infer that an activity stopped unless the speaker actually indicates that it stopped.
From Duration Accounts to Habit Structures
You can now reconstruct when an activity started, how long it has continued, and whether it is still continuing. The next lesson teaches soler and acostumbrar a for current and past habits and distinguishes habit from the process of getting used to something.