# давно/надолго/долго



## Memphis9489

давно/надолго/долго

I've always had great difficulty with these three words. I always seem to pick the wrong one.

Could somebody use each of these in a sentence? I would prefer sentences that are _*specifically *_constructed such that the word chosen could  _*not*_ be substituted by one of the other two words and retain the same meaning.

Also, could somebody give me the best translation for the following sentences:

1. I lived there for a long time.
2. I lived there a long time ago.
3. I spent a long time working on the project.
4. The project took a long time to complete.
5. I haven't seen you for a long time.


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## morzh

Давно: 
Я давно не видел родителей (I haven't seen my folks for a while).
Это - давно забытая история (This is a long-forgotten story).
Давно я такого не ел! - I hadn't eaten anything like it for quite a while!

Надолго:
Я уезжаю надолго - I am going away for a long time.
Ты это надолго запомнишь - You will remember this for a long time.

Долго:
Он долго говорил - he was speaking at length
Тебя долго не будет дома? - Are you going to be away from home for long?
Нам еще долго ехать - we have a long way to go.

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Your sentences:

1. Я там долго жил.
2. Я давно там жил (я жил там давно).
3. Я потратил много времени, работая над (этим) проектом.
4. Потребовалось много времени, чтобы завершить проект. (Проект занял много времени).
5. Я давно тебя не видел.


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## Natalisha

morzh said:


> 4. Потребовалось много времени, чтобы завершить проект. (Проект занял много времени).


One more variant: _На проект ушло много времени._


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## Sobakus

Давно is long *ago*, it's associated not with length, but with past in Russian.
*На*долго is *for* long.
Долго is long.


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## morzh

Natalisha said:


> One more variant: _На проект ушло много времени._



Yes, I was trying to remember that but couldn't. I knew there was something shorter. Lack of practice, I guess. Or a brainfart .


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## Memphis9489

Sobakus said:


> Давно is long *ago*, it's associated not with length, but with past in Russian.
> *На*долго is *for* long.
> Долго is long.



I can see where давно seems to be in a seperate category and is more unique; however, долго and надолго seem to be much more closely related.

Can you think of a sentence in the PAST tense that uses the word надолго?


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## morzh

Они тогда надолго уехали, и вернулись, помнится, через несколько лет.


PS. Can you explain me, what is it with Americans and "sepErate"? Probably half of us write it this way. It is "sepArate".


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## Saluton

Sobakus said:


> Давно is long *ago*, it's associated not with length, but with past in Russian.


Давно does not necessarily mean "long ago": я давно работаю над этим проектом - I have been working on this project for a long time. Using долго in this sentence is also possible, but not надолго. Anyway, Memphis, it will help if you look the words up.


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## jazyk

> I can see where давно seems to be in a seperate category and is more  unique; however, долго and надолго seem to be much more closely related.


Hадолго extends into the future.


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## Memphis9489

Saluton said:


> Давно does not necessarily mean "long ago": я давно работаю над этим проектом - I have been working on this project for a long time. Using долго in this sentence is also possible, but not надолго. Anyway, Memphis, it will help if you look the words up.



Oh, believe me, I've looked these words up many times. Their translations are very similar. What I really need is many more examples of their usage in order to develop a feel of when one is used and not the other. I think you have to agree, they have very similar meanings.

I find your example sentence, "Я давно работаю над этим проектом," interesting because you use the verb in the present tense and translate it in the _past _tense ... "have been working" ... makes it seems like it should be рaботал. 

Yet, I have seen this construction before (using давно), where its inclusion has a connotation of the PAST although the verb is used in the present.

Thanks!


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## Saluton

Memphis9489 said:


> the _past _tense ... "have been working" ...


Uhh... in fact it's the PRESENT Perfect Continuous tense.
"I have been working for a long time" can also be translated as я давно работа*л*, but that's if you aren't working on it any longer.


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## rusita preciosa

Saluton said:


> "I have been working for a long time" can also be translated as я давно работа*л*, but that's if you aren't working on it any longer.


I don't think it can. *I have been* by definition implies that the work (or its resut) still continues.
*Я давно работал* = *I worked long time ago*
*Я давно работаю* = *I've been working for a long time*.


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## Ben Jamin

Memphis9489 said:


> I find your example sentence, "Я давно работаю над этим проектом," interesting because you use the verb in the present tense and translate it in the _past _tense ... "have been working" ... makes it seems like it should be рaботал.


 
When I learned English as a second language my teachers always repeated: *present perfect* is not a past tense! It is always related to the present. It is actually even called PRESENT perfect, and denotes a completed action that extends somehow into the present.


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## morzh

Ben Jamin said:


> When I learned English as a second language my teachers always repeated: *present perfect* is not a past tense! It is always related to the present. It is actually even called PRESENT perfect, and denotes a completed action that extends somehow into the present.



It is a mistake.

Present perfect in Slavic (or at least, in Russian) IS past.
Present perfect *continuous* IS indeed present.

Examples:

OK, I have done this job - Я сделал работу. (прошедшее - past)

I have been doing this job for the last few months - Я делаю эту работу последние несколько месяцев. (настоящее - present.)

PS. By "past" in Russian I mean that the verb itself uses past tense. It does indeed relates to the present moment, but it actually ENDS at the present moment.


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## morzh

Memphis9489 said:


> I find your example sentence, "Я давно работаю над этим проектом," interesting because you use the verb in the present tense and translate it in the _past _tense ... "have been working" ... makes it seems like it should be рaботал.
> 
> 
> Thanks!



I am not sure I fully understood the "interesting" part. First of, "have been working" is not past at all in English - it means "I am still working on it", plus "I also worked on it for some time prior to this moment" (I intentionally used simple past here, not PPC). So the action starts in the past BUT it continues now, so it is, in essence, present, as the present continuous is by its nature.
This is why it translates in Russian also as present - "Я давно работаю над этим проектом". "Я работаю" part points to the continuous present, and "давно" brings the "past" part that makes it "perfect", implying the work has been going on for some time to the point of discussion.

Also keep in mind that Russian verbs, while having the implied perfect and continuous times, formally have just past, present and future. So when translating a time called "present perfect" you get Russian past; Presen perfect continuous gets you Russian present and so on, with auxiliary means indicating whether it is a continuous action, or repeated action, or one-time action, and so on.


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## estreets

I agree with Sobakus


> Давно is long *ago*, it's associated not with length, but with past in Russian. (_in some way_  )
> *На*долго is *for* long.
> Долго is long.


I would add, давно can also mean since long ago
Я давно работаю над этим проектом - I have been working on this project since long ago
Я долго работаю над этим проектом - I have been working on this project for a long time


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## Ben Jamin

morzh said:


> It is a mistake.
> 
> Present perfect in Slavic (or at least, in Russian) IS past.
> Present perfect *continuous* IS indeed present.
> 
> Examples:
> 
> OK, I have done this job - Я сделал работу. (прошедшее - past)
> 
> I have been doing this job for the last few months - Я делаю эту работу последние несколько месяцев. (настоящее - present.)
> 
> PS. By "past" in Russian I mean that the verb itself uses past tense. It does indeed relates to the present moment, but it actually ENDS at the present moment.


 Sorry, it is not a mistake. I wrote about English, not Russian. Russian has not a present perfect tense, it has only an indefinite past tense, as all other Slavic languages except Bulgarian. The Slavic indefinite past tense is, however, formed as compound tense, with the auxiliary verb *to be* and *past participle*. Some time in the past it might have the same function as English present perfect, but now it is not so.


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