# è da tanto tempo che



## snatchsnow

*C*iao,
come potrei tradurre in inglese
*"è da tanto tempo che voglio venire a Roma"*
"it's been a long time that I want to visit Rome?"
e:
*"in questo momento a Roma si sta vendendo*(cioè adesso, in questi giorni) *il mio cibo preferito*"

*G*razie.


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## kaiarea

The first one is:
"It's been a long time since I've wanted to visit Rome", or even better
"...since I've been wanting to visit Rome".

I'm not sure I understand the second one - 
"At this moment my favorite food _is coming_ to Rome" ??? 

I wish could have helped out more... at least you've got the first part!


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## kan3malato

kaiarea said:


> The first one is:
> 
> I'm not sure I understand the second one -
> "At this moment my favorite food _is coming_ to Rome" ???


Ciao.
 Because I suppose you have messed up vendendo con venendo=selling with coming
I hope this help.


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## baldpate

Ciao snatchsnow ,

nei tuoi thread futuri, ti prego di ricordare la nostra regola : *un solo argomento per ogni discussione*.  Linee guida qui

Grazie


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## gmambart

kaiarea said:


> The first one is:
> "It's been a long time since I've wanted to visit Rome", or even better
> "...since I've been wanting to visit Rome".
> 
> I'm not sure I understand the second one -
> "At this moment my favorite food _is coming_ to Rome" ???
> 
> I wish could have helped out more... at least you've got the first part!



I think, right now or in this period.. at Rome.. they are selling her favorite food.


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## kaiarea

gmambart said:


> I think, right now or in this period.. at in Rome.. they are selling her favorite food.



Or could it be the passive then, instead of "They are selling..",: 
"My favorite food is being sold in Rome right now." 
The passive is quite common in English...

I definitely missed the letter in vendendo before  - silly me


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## miri

"It's been a long time since *I've been wanting* to visit Rome" sounds a bit weird to me ... Are we sure it is correct?


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## raisetheflavour

It's been a long time that I wanted to visit Rome


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## You little ripper!

_*It has/It's been quite a while/a long time that I've wanted to visit Rome.*_
_*I have/I've wanted to visit Rome for quite a while/a long time.*_

_*At the moment in Rome my favourite food is being sold.*_
_*My favourite food is being sold in Rome at the moment.*_


P.S. When would this second sentence ever be used in conversation? Or is it purely an exercise in grammar?


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## giovannino

Charles, _I've been wanting..._ is correct though, isn't it? (Google)

Can _such _be used for _tanto? I've been wanting to visit Rome for such a long time_.


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## london calling

giovannino said:


> Charles, _I've been wanting..._ is correct though, isn't it? (Google)
> 
> Can _such _be used for _tanto? I've been wanting to visit Rome for such a long time_.


_I've been wanting to visit Rome for a long time_ is indeed correct.

_It's been a long time sice I've been wanting..._ definitely isn't, miri! And neither' is _It's been a long time that_....SS and RTF!


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## You little ripper!

giovannino said:


> Charles, _I've been wanting..._ is correct though, isn't it? (Google)
> 
> Can _such _be used for _tanto? I've been wanting to visit Rome for such a long time_.


Yes, but I would say, _*It's a long time (that) I've been wanting to visit Rome.*_ (to answer miri's question)


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## gmambart

I've been wanting to visit Rome since a long time ago ?


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## You little ripper!

giovannino said:


> Can _such _be used for _tanto? I've been wanting to visit Rome for such a long time_.


 Yes, it can.


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## coppergirl

"I've been wanting to visit Rome for a very long time" mi sembra il modo più colloquiale in inglese di dirlo. 

In Italian then, you use the present tense "Che voglio . .  " in Italian after "`e da tanto tempo"?  Is this a rule?  Just checking.


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## brian

Charles Costante said:


> Yes, but I would say, _*It's a long time (that) I've been wanting to visit Rome.*_ (to answer miri's question)


Uhh... that sounds like something I'd say in English after speaking Italian for 3 weeks.  I.e. it doesn't sound natural to me. Would you actually say that?

More natural for me: _I've been wanting to visit Rome for a long time (now)._

I don't even think I would say, "_I've wanted..._"



gmambart said:


> I've been wanting to visit Rome since a long time ago ?



Nope sorry. It's got to be, "..._for a long time_."



			
				coppergirl said:
			
		

> In Italian then, you use the present tense "Che voglio . . " in Italian after "`e da tanto tempo"? Is this a rule? Just checking.



Hi.  Well I hate saying "yes" when people ask if things are rules because there always seems to be exceptions, but I guess I'll say it here and see what happens.  You can also shift the time back and say: *Era*_ da tanto tempo che *volevo*... = I *wanted / had been wanting* ... for a long time._


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## london calling

gmambart said:


> I've been wanting to visit Rome since a long time ago ?


 
...for a long time!

Coppergirl, yes, although it sounds more AE to me (surprise, surprise!). And yes, "da" takes the present tense (like French).

Charles, we've had a little disagreement here: I'd never say that, it sounds totally wrong to me, but if you thinks it's ok, then it must be!

Sorry, Bri! Missed that one...


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## giovannino

coppergirl said:


> In Italian then, you use the present tense "Che voglio . . " in Italian after "`e da tanto tempo"? Is this a rule? Just checking.


 
Yes, you need to use the present tense after "è da tanto tempo che...":

_E' da tanto tempo che sogno di andare a lavorare all'estero_

_I had been dreaming etc...for a long time,_ on the other hand_,_ requires the imperfect:

_Era da tanto tempo che sognavo di comprare una casa in campagna_

_Da _can be omitted (_è/era tanto tempo che..._), though I don't know if it's strictly correct.

EDIT: Sorry, Brian. I didn't see your post.


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## coppergirl

Cheers, lc (how's that for BE? )

Thanks too to you and Brian for "Da Rule"  I also like the fact that I can change it to the imperfect when I fancy it, as long as I stay consistent. Isn't Italian great? 

Thanks again (and to you, giovannino!)


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## neuromatico

I'd also say, "I've been wanting to visit Rome for a long time".

But bear in mind that English phrasing varies regionally, certainly globally. What I'd say might sound unnatural in Australia. (In fact, I'm sure it would!)


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## gmambart

london calling said:


> ...for a long time!
> 
> Coppergirl, yes, although it sounds more AE to me (surprise, surprise!). And yes, "da" takes the present tense (like French).
> 
> Charles, we've had a little disagreement here: I'd never say that, it sounds totally wrong to me, but if you thinks it's ok, then it must be!



Era un tentativo per vedere se in questo caso potevo usare la forma, "since a long time ago", dato che non ho ben capito come va usata.


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## You little ripper!

brian8733 said:


> Uhh... that sounds like something I'd say in English after speaking Italian for 3 weeks.  I.e. it doesn't sound natural to me. Would you actually say that?


When I said "I would say" I didn't mean it literally. That sentence is perfectly acceptable though. I was trying to kill two birds with one stone by answering miri's question.



> "It's been a long time since *I've been wanting* to visit Rome" sounds a bit weird to me ... Are we sure it is correct?


*That* and not *since *would be used in that sentence.


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## coppergirl

Ciao gmambart!

Non ho mai usato "since a long time ago". Non si usa neanche nel caso dato, come "I've been wanting to visit Rome since a long time ago"---questa frase non mi sembra per niente giusta in inglese, ma aspetta gli esperti! Secondo me, uso sempre "for a long time" 

e.g. "I have wanted to see Paris for a long time." 

"I haven't eaten onion soup for a long time"

"I haven't thought about that picnic in the park for a long time" etc

PS Sarei grata per le correzioni. Grazie


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## london calling

coppergirl said:


> Cheers, lc (how's that for BE? ) VERY good...but I never say it! One of my quirks....don't like it!
> 
> Thanks too to you and Brian for "Da Rule"  I also like the fact that I can change it to the imperfect when I fancy it, as long as I stay consistent. Isn't Italian great? Era da tanto che lo pensavi, vero?
> 
> Thanks again (and to you, giovannino!)


Charles, sorry, me brain ain't workin' this evenin'....so that sentence sounds wrong to your Aussie ears as well?


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## You little ripper!

london calling said:


> Charles, sorry, me brain ain't workin' this evenin'....so that sentence sounds wrong to your Aussie ears as well?


Yes. The *since* in that sentence doesn't fit.


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## giovannino

Some examples of the controversial sentence structure from Google:

(BE) Announcing his decision, he said: "*It's been a long time that I've been* eating, sleeping and living rugby every day of my life..." (BBC Sport)

(AE) "*It's been a long time that I've been* playing this sport," said Nurminen (USA Today)

It does seem to be used -- or does it maybe only sound unnatural with "I've been wanting"?


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## You little ripper!

neuromatico said:


> I'd also say, "I've been wanting to visit Rome for a long time".
> 
> But bear in mind that English phrasing varies regionally, certainly globally. What I'd say might sound unnatural in Australia. (In fact, I'm sure it would!)


 Actually, I can't remember anything you've written sounding strange to my ears, neuro. Maybe it's because Canada and Australia are part of the Commonwealth.


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## coppergirl

Ciao giovannino

Well, I think this proves that you can find anything on the net and, yes, it probably IS used by some people in colloquial English. HOWEVER, it still goes "CLANG" to my ears.

I checked this one out on my BE husband and it goes "CLANG" to his too. 

We both prefer "I've been playing this sport for a long time" to "It's been a long time that I've been playing this sport."

Is it wrong? Well . . . that depends on how technical you want to get. Language is a fluid thing and so some people may be saying it like this. Maybe it's a matter of tastes, but I'd be surprised if you found the rugby player's version in a grammar book. 

That doesn't mean it isn't used though. 

Just my two cents.


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## You little ripper!

giovannino said:


> Some examples of the controversial sentence structure from Google:
> 
> (BE) Announcing his decision, he said: "*It's been a long time that I've been* eating, sleeping and living rugby every day of my life..." (BBC Sport)
> 
> (AE) "*It's been a long time that I've been* playing this sport," said Nurminen (USA Today)
> 
> It does seem to be used -- or does it maybe only sound unnatural with "I've been wanting"?


These are from Google:

I met Mark Shreeve thanks to Stephen Falken and it's been *a long time that I've been wanting* to present his work

It's been *a long time that I've been wanting* to draw this dress....

...... it's been *a long time that I've been wanting* to go to Japan and I will stick to my dreams....

It’s been quite *a long time that I’ve been wanting* to go to Samal Island. I always wanted to visit those famous white sand beaches. *...*


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## miri

Friends, what about the rule you can find in lots of grammar books saying that verbs like "want, know, believe, understand, realize etc." cannot be used in the progressive form? Does it have to be thrown in the bin? Or is it not as strict as they put it?


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## london calling

coppergirl said:


> I checked this one out on my BE husband and it goes "CLANG" to his too. And to mine! But people use it....
> 
> We both prefer "I've been playing this sport for a long time" to "It's been a long time that I've been playing this sport." Ditto, and I think most native speakers would, really.
> 
> Is it wrong? Well ...That's the problem, isn't it!  It probably isn't, but it sounds wrong and it's not something I would teach (or if I did I'd say: Please avoid using this construction!) .
> 
> Just my two cents Pence, you mean, of course!! .


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## brian

miri said:


> Friends, what about the rule you can find in lots of grammar books saying that verbs like "want, know, believe, understand, realize etc." cannot be used in the progressive form? Does it have to be thrown in the bin? Or is it not as strict as they put it?


Uh.. let's see if I can remember my English grammar terminology. So I agree that those words are hardly ever used in the _present progressive_, i.e. "I am wanting/knowing/believing/understanding/realizing/etc." 

But they _can_ be used in the.. erm.. _present perfect continuous_ ("I have been -ing"), not to be confused with the.. ehhh.. _past progressive_ ("I was -ing").

But the only reason why the present perfect continuous is allowable is because it's *formulaic* when we want to say, "I've been doing X for Y amount of time." Examples:

_I've been wanting to quit my job for three years now!
I've been knowing him for a few months.
I've been believing in God since appeared to me in a dream two weeks ago.
_etc.

Some are harder than others, like "have been realizing" and "have been understanding," and maybe impossible, but you get the idea.


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## You little ripper!

miri said:


> Friends, what about the rule you can find in lots of grammar books saying that verbs like "want, know, believe, understand, realize etc." cannot be used in the progressive form? Does it have to be thrown in the bin? Or is it not as strict as they put it?


Miri, I would say _*It's been a long time that I have known / believed /understood / realized....... *_

But I think it's perfectly acceptable to say* It's been a long time that I have been wanting.....* I don't necessarily think that you must say *It's been a long time that I have wanted.....*


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## giovannino

Miri, most grammar books just give that as a general rule, without mentioning exceptions, but advanced grammar books like Swan's _Practical English Usage _do mention that there are exceptions to the "rule":

"Many 'non-progressive' verbs are occasionally used in progressive forms in order to emphasize the idea of change or development: _These days, more and more people are preferring to take early retirement; The water's tasting better today_".

_Love _is also listed as a verb that is not used in the progressive form in the textbooks used in our schools, and yet I've often heard _I'm loving it. _Another one is _like. _Again, I've heard people say _How are you liking your new job?_


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## You little ripper!

brian8733 said:


> Uh.. let's see if I can remember my English grammar terminology. So I agree that those words are hardly ever used in the _present progressive_, i.e. "I am wanting/knowing/believing/understanding/realizing/etc."
> 
> But they _can_ be used in the.. erm.. _present perfect continuous_ ("I have been -ing"), not to be confused with the.. ehhh.. _past progressive_ ("I was -ing").
> 
> But the only reason why the present perfect continuous is allowable is because it's *formulaic* when we want to say, "I've been doing X for Y amount of time." Examples:
> 
> _I've been wanting to quit my job for three years now!_
> _I've been knowing him for a few months._
> _I've been believing in God since appeared to me in a dream two weeks ago._
> etc.
> 
> Some are harder than others, like "have been realizing" and "have been understanding," and maybe impossible, but you get the idea.


*I've been knowing him *sounds the sort of thing an Indian or Pakistani would say, Brian. It sounds very strange to me.


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## coppergirl

Charles Costante said:


> *I've been knowing him *sounds the sort of thing an Indian or Pakistani would say, Brian. It sounds very strange to me.  *And to me too Charles!  *


 
Ditto "I've been believing in God since . . . "  

It sounds more natural to say "I have believed in God ever since . . . "

However "I've been wanting to quit my job . . . " sounds fine.

I think this might be harder to put into a rule.


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## miri

Yes Giovannino, they do mention exceptions  but not with the verbs I selected above 

@ Brian, they say that it does not depend on the tense, those verbs are just not used in all the tenses in which you should put them in the continuous form 

Of course Charles and Coppergirl, a native's feeling is much better than a grammar book!!! ))


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## coppergirl

giovannino said:


> _Love _is also listed as a verb that is not used in the progressive form in the textbooks used in our schools, and yet I've often heard _I'm loving it. _Another one is _like. _Again, I've heard people say _How are you liking your new job?_


 
"I'm loving it"  is the McDonald's slogan in English.  Aside from McDonald's, we do sometimes use it in a slangy way, although it is more common to hear "I love it".

"How are you liking your new job"  - Very commonly heard, as is "How are you enjoying your holiday?" etc


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## gmambart

coppergirl said:


> Ciao gmambart!
> 
> Non ho mai usato "since a long time ago". Non si usa neanche nel caso dato, come "I've been wanting to visit Rome since a long time ago"---questa frase non mi sembra per niente giusta in inglese, ma aspetta gli esperti! Secondo me, uso sempre "for a long time"
> 
> e.g. "I have wanted to see Paris for a long time."
> 
> "I haven't eaten onion soup for a long time"
> 
> "I haven't thought about that picnic in the park for a long time" etc
> 
> PS Sarei grata per le correzioni. Grazie



Ok. But I'm a little confused..

I found this : http://www.answers.com/topic/from-way-back

What does it mean?
Can anyone explain me ?

Thanks a lot


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## giovannino

miri said:


> Yes Giovannino, they do mention exceptions but not with the verbs I selected above


 
Well, the exception mentioned by Swan (when there is emphasis on change or development) might well also apply to at least two of the verbs you listed, _realize _and _understand:_

_I'm understanding _309,000 results on Google

_I'm realizing _171,000

I think that this area of usage is more complicated than "rules" make it out to be.


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## miri

Giovannino, su Google trovi anche 13.300 risultati per "a me preoccupa" 
In ogni caso, sono solo contenta che ci sia questa elasticità e soprattutto, più che di Google, mi fido moltissimo dei nostri amici natives!


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## You little ripper!

giovannino said:


> Well, the exception mentioned by Swan (when there is emphasis on change or development) might well also apply to at least two of the verbs you listed, _realize _and _understand:_
> 
> _I'm understanding _309,000 results on Google
> 
> _I'm realizing _171,000
> 
> I think that this area of usage is more complicated than "rules" make it out to be.


 It's definitely more complicated than the rules (which I have little time for unless they make sense) make out.

I would use _*I'm understanding my finances better,*_ but I wouldn't use _*If I'm understanding your question correctly,*_ both of which are from the first page of those Google listings.


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## snatchsnow

*G*razie per le risposte, si è scatenata una bella discussione istruttiva


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## coppergirl

Ciao gmambart!

I looked at your link and your question is about this, I think:

The _adverb_ has one meaning:
*Meaning #1**:* since long ago
Synonym: since a long time 

We DO say "Since long ago" in sentences like 

*"Since long ago, man has used fire as a way to keep warm in winter". *

I think the meaning they gave of "since a long time" was to define the meaning of "Since long ago" and if I were to use "Since a long time" in place of "Since long ago" I suppose you would have to say "Since a long time ago".

I don't ever really use "Since a long time ago" to replace "for a long time" in a sentence because they are used slightly differently.

Here are some examples

*"Since long ago, the Inuit peoples have been ice fishing for their food"*

*"Since long ago, the riverbed has deepened to form tall cliffs."*

"Since long ago" tends to be used historically, when talking about something that happened over a long period of time.

It DOESN'T get used to replace "for a long time" in personal experience terms. 

*"George loved Sarah for a long time before he proposed to her."*

*"For a long time, I have thought that pizza was the world's greatest food."*

*"For a long time I've wanted to move to Paris, but we just haven't found the right house yet."*

In these examples, you can't have "Since long ago" because the meanings are different and they can't be used interchangeably. 

Does that help? If you want more examples, please feel free to send me a PM and I'll be happy to discuss it more at length if you like.


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## wonderment

giovannino said:


> Miri, most grammar books just give that as a general rule, without mentioning exceptions, but advanced grammar books like Swan's _Practical English Usage _do mention that there are exceptions to the "rule":
> 
> "Many 'non-progressive' verbs are occasionally used in progressive forms in order to emphasize the idea of change or development: _These days, more and more people are preferring to take early retirement; The water's tasting better today_".
> 
> ...Well, the exception mentioned by Swan (when there is emphasis on change or development) might well also apply to at least two of the verbs you listed... I think that this area of usage is more complicated than "rules" make it out to be.


More _and_ less  (The 'exception' applies to all.) There's an old discussion on this topic in the EHL forum here. You can find a long detailed answer there. The short answer (secondo me) is that there is no hard and fast rule (no AE native speaker I know of has ever heard of this rule). It all depends on context, if the verb in question is being used as a 'static' or 'dynamic' verb.


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## You little ripper!

wonderment said:


> More _and_ less  (The 'exception' applies to all.) There's an old discussion on this topic in the EHL forum here. You can find a long detailed answer there. The short answer (secondo me) is that there is no hard and fast rule (no AE native speaker I know of has ever heard of this rule). It all depends on context, if the verb in question is being used as a 'static' or 'dynamic' verb.


 
As I said earlier, I have little time for rules unless they make sense, and in this case the rule (even though it's one very few know about) does.


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