# Estoy de novia hace tres años



## ayenir84

I would like to translate this sentence= Estoy de novia hace tres años, thanks!!


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## aleksk

My attempt:

I've been in a relationship for three years.


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## ayenir84

Thank you!it was a good answer


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## elrayonegro456

or 

I´m in love since 3 years


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## Milton Sand

Hi,
What do you mean with "novia", a girlfriend or a bride?
Is that a complaint or just a statement. It seems to me it is very colloquial this usage of simple present "estoy" to refer to a past action that has to do with present time ("he estado/sido").

Since "estar de" means kind of "to play the role of; to act as; to be working as", I would suggest these other options:

I've been playing the girlfriend/bride during three years. <—_A bit rude speech, a sarcasm, a complaint or a joke._
_He estado haciendo de novia por tres años._


I've played the girlfriend/bride for three years. <—A simpler version.
_He hecho de novia por tres años._

I've been a girlfriend/bride for three years. <—A version with no nuances.
_He sido novia por tres años._

However, I like Aleksk's suggestion too.

Bye


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## elrayonegro456

que venga un nativo a hacer esto mas facil


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## expatriotlaguy

elrayonegro456 said:


> que venga un nativo a hacer esto mas facil



*I've been in a relationship for three years* is the most natural way to say it that I can think of. Aleksk had it right.


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## Tacherie

Not a native, pero he aquí otras opciones que podrían aplicarse dependiendo del tipo de "novia" en cuestión:

I've been dating  (X) for 3 years   ...(some people do...)
I've been seeing X/someone for the past 3 years

(De todas maneras creo que la de Aleksk es la más exacta)

TC


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## jana.bo99

Hola,

I have heard that "novia" means like she is engaged with someone (like fiance!).

Estoy su novia hace muchos años!


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## Tacherie

Bok!! Kako si? 
In my home town we use it for formal/semi-formal relationships (usually depends on the age of who's using the word), prior to the engagement. After you get engaged you are "la prometida", but since that is sort of archaic people willd still call the girlfriend "la novia". And finally, in Spanish, "novia" can also be used for "bride".

Doviđenia, Jana.bo99


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## mari alicante

Hola a todos, 

En español, la palabra "novia" tiene más importancia que "girlfriend", es más parecido a "bride". De hecho, no se suele considerar a alguien "su novi@" antes de llevar ya tiempo con la persona, es una palabra muy fuerte, que conlleva el sentido de compromiso...
Estar de novios, para mí, es estar viviendo juntos, o que la cosa va en serio, por lo que diría "engaged".

Espero haber ayudado

Saludos


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## NewdestinyX

I can't agree with those translations to English. Grammtically speaking.. 'hace tres años" in that sentence is '3 years ago'. For the expressions that translate to 'for 3 years' in English you need 'desde hace' or you have to put the 'hace 3 años' at the beginning and add 'que'. 

Hace 3 años que estoy de novia. = I've been a serious girlfriend for 3 years.
Estoy de novia desde hace 3 años. = I've been a serious girlfriend for 3 years.

Estoy de novia hace [3 años]. Doesn't make sense.. ("I've been a serious girlfriend 3 years ago. ?!?!?)
____________________________________
1- Hace + time expression + que + present tense ______ = have been_____for + time expression

2- ___________ + desde hace + time expr = have been_____for + time expression

3- __________ hace + time expression = _________ + time expr + ago

Grant


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## ayenir84

I think you are correcting my spanish.Here in Argentina when somebody asks you if you are "de novia" you can answer estoy de novia hace tres años.(is very frequent) What I want to clear is that my "relationship" is very formal but we are not living together.

So...what do you think? this is what I want to translate.


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## CarolMamkny

NewdestinyX said:


> Estoy de novia hace [3 años]. Doesn't make sense.. (&quot;I've been a serious girlfriend 3 years ago. ?!?!?)
> Grant


 
Well... It does not make sense to you... but it does to us! People DO speak like that. I understand the sentence in Spanish without any problem. I guess you're confused because you cannot find this type of sentence in a dictionary. Saludos XD


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## ayenir84

Yes, I agree with Carol. Bye!


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## Ynez

I'd use it exactly the way you said, NewdestinyX


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## Milton Sand

Hi,
Although it is quite common to drop the "desde" from "desde hace tres años", it doesn't mean it is correct.

And that about "novia" refering only to a commitment is not that strict, at least in Colombia. When I was a teenager I had half a dozen "novias" (one after another, of course; I can't brag about it) and I didn't had the intention to marry at least one of them or to live with one of them, just hanging out.

My main doubt is related to the various senses for "novia (_enamorada, pareja, compañera, prometida, futura, mujer que se está casando_)", then I'm asking Ayenir once again to be specific about it.

When I first read her sentence I wasn't sure if I should imagine:
1. a girl/woman who has been in love with a man for three years or...
2. a girl/woman who has been dating a guy over the last three years or...
3. a girl/woman in her wedding dress for three years (figurative for 'about to get married'), or...
4. a girl/woman/actress that is perfoming the role of being a girfriend and started doing so three years ago.

Bye


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## cabrachica

Hi, there.

Listen to Aleksk: "I've been in a relationship for three years" is the best way to translate this sentence.

Si hubieras tenido la boda hace tres años, sería "I've been married for three years."

Espero que eso ayude...


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## Arrius

Even I have noticed (in Spain) this habit of dropping the _desde_ from _desde hace tres años _and thought it rather odd at first.


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## NewdestinyX

CarolMamkny said:


> Well... It does not make sense to you... but it does to us! People DO speak like that. I understand the sentence in Spanish without any problem. I guess you're confused because you cannot find this type of sentence in a dictionary. Saludos XD



I was simply trying to make clear to the students of Spanish here that the 'dropping' of the 'desde' is not something they should imitate. It is not the 'correct' Spanish -- though it is something a native can use without any trouble. This structure is already hard enough for students to learn without them seeing coloquialisms and getting more confused.

I meant no disrespect -- just to point out that it's not a grammar style that should be imitated when learning Spanish and isn't prescribed as correct by the RAE nor taught in the schools as correct.

The original request was for a good translation to English. 'hace 3 años' without 'desde' = "ago". That's what I was pointing out.

It is good to also learn that natives drop the 'desde'. But students, unless they're moving to a place where it's common shouldn't imitate it.

Thanks,
Grant


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## Tacherie

You all make excellent points and I certainly don't want to cause any further discussion. But just keep in mind, even though we have an institution like RAE, *el uso determina la regla *(use of language determines the rules)*. *Not the other way around.

With regard to the english translations, as a translator I can assure, except for "I'm inlove since three years"*, they were all correct. And the first one suggested, the most apprpiate for Ayenin84.

Saludos

*lo que vale es la intención


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## aloner

mari alicante said:


> En español, la palabra "novia" tiene más importancia que "girlfriend", es más parecido a "bride". De hecho, no se suele considerar a alguien "su novi@" antes de llevar ya tiempo con la persona, es una palabra muy fuerte, que conlleva el sentido de compromiso...


¿Eso se aplica a España también? Porque estoy seguro de que he oído (bueno, leído) a españoles usar la palabra novio/a más o menos de la misma manera en que se usa "boy/girlfriend" en inglés.


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## sadlymistaken

Yo soy español.
Y creo que aquí la palabra novia, se dice tanto a la que se está casando, como al rollete de turno con cuatro o cinco semanas de verse amenudo. Pero esto es muy personal. 

De todos modos, a todo esto, como diferencian coloquialmente estas frases ellos?
Mi amiga lleva una camiseta roja = Mi friend wears a red bed.
Y luego te sueltan, que puedes decir . My girlfriend wears a red bed. Si quieres denotar el sexo del amigo. 
¿Veis como tambien se lian ellos solitos? Primero le dan importancia a la palabra girlfriend como una persona con la que te has citado en diversas ocasiones, y ahora le dan un toque más coloquial y de colegueo...


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## Arrius

*Mi amiga lleva una camiseta roja = Mi friend wears a red bed.* *sadlymistaken*

Si se trata de una broma, perdoname si no veo la gracia:* bed* significa *cama,* no *camiseta* ni siquiera *camisa*, y *my *se escribe con *Y*.


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## ayenir84

Miltonsand mentioned I should be more specific, so I will write in spanish more specifically:

Estoy de novia hace tres años (o desde hace tres años...). Esta es una relación formal, estamos enamorados, pensamos en casarnos, pero aun no estamos comprometidos ni vivimos juntos. 

This is what i really want to express with the sentence. I think that after reading the messagges the best answer must be " I´ve been in a relationship for three years" But is this sentence refering to a formal relation?


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## Tacherie

Yes, *a relationship *implies formality... That is what you want you say
Saludos, nuevamente


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## sadlymistaken

Arrius said:


> *Mi amiga lleva una camiseta roja = Mi friend wears a red bed.* *sadlymistaken*
> 
> Si se trata de una broma, perdoname si no veo la gracia:* bed* significa *cama,* no *camiseta* ni siquiera *camisa*, y *my *se escribe con *Y*.


 
Ha sido sin querer, me puse nervioso por alguna razon, y al estar escribiendo rápido cometí esos fallos, lo siento, no volverá a ocurrir.
No me burlo de nada.


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## Arrius

Comprendo, no pasa nada, pero  tampoco he hablado de burlarse. A veces hay bromas en los hilos, incluso unas gastadas por yo mismo.


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## elrayonegro456

me gusto de una frase tasn diminuta todo lo que se desglosó.... Fantástico asi deberian ser todos los topicos y maravillado por que como se dice arriba  "bride" es muy diferente a girlfriend y en Ingles si se diferencia, en el Español no.


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## Arrius

_Bride _se dice el día de la boda y poco tiempo antes y después de la fecha de esa. Un mes antes, por ejemplo, se habla de _the bride-to-be_ o, por supuesto, _fiancée_ (sin acento en americano a que idioma no le gusta los tildes).


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## Ynez

Arrius said:


> Even I have noticed (in Spain) this habit of dropping the _desde_ from _desde hace tres años _and thought it rather odd at first.



Arrius, that is normal at the beginning of the sentence:

Hace 2 años que vivo en Madrid. (= Vivo en Madrid desde hace 2 años)
Hace dos horas que estoy esperando el autobús. (= Estoy esperando el autobús desde hace dos horas)

Pero en el medio de la frase no es normal con este significado, sino con el de "ago":

Llegué a Madrid hace 2 años.
El autobús pasó hace 15 minutos.


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## Arrius

Ya lo sé. Me estaba referiendo a la frase del hispanohablante nativo  *ayenir84*, *Estoy de novia hace tres años (o desde hace tres años...)* en mensaje #25*.*


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## Ynez

Vale, lo decía por si acaso.


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## NewdestinyX

ayenir84 said:


> Miltonsand mentioned I should be more specific, so I will write in spanish more specifically:
> 
> Estoy de novia hace tres años (o desde hace tres años...). Esta es una relación formal, estamos enamorados, pensamos en casarnos, pero aun no estamos comprometidos ni vivimos juntos.
> 
> This is what i really want to express with the sentence. I think that after reading the messagges the best answer must be " I´ve been in a relationship for three years" But is this sentence refering to a formal relation?



I agree with 'a relationship', Ayenir. You can add the word 'serious' if you want -- and it sounds perfectly natural. 'Girlfriend' alone is not specific enough. But the term 'in a relationship' is the most common and natural way in English to express 'de novia' in Spanish. It conveys the exact same 'level of seriousness' as the Spanish version.

Grant
--I should add some examples:
la mujer/esposa de uno = one's wife
el esposo/marido de uno = one's husband
prometida = fianceé
prometido = fiance
novia/-o = girlfriend/boyfriend (casual o serio)
de novia = in  a (serious) relationship


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## NewdestinyX

Tacherie said:


> You all make excellent points and I certainly don't want to cause any further discussion. But just keep in mind, even though we have an institution like RAE, *el uso determina la regla *(use of language determines the rules)*. *Not the other way around.


Sorry to disagree - but that's not the case. Those who prescribe 'las reglas' are basing their assertions upon similar Latin based languages and the commonalities in all syntactic structures in similar languages. There are many things natives 'say' in any language  that are 100% incorrect grammatically.

In English.. "for you and I".. -very common and 100% incorrect. Has to be "for you and me"

In Spanish.. Espero que te gustara.. -very common and 100% incorrect. has to be: Espero que te haya gustado.



> With regard to the english translations, as a translator I can assure (*you that*), except for "I'm in love since three years"*, they were all correct. And the first one suggested, (*is*) the most apprpiate for Ayenin84


With respect,_ hace_, alone, when '_desde hace_' is needed is 'not' correct according to grammarians and careful speakers of the language.

Grant


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## Nuclear Terrorist

Here in Chile we use the word "novia" when talking about (a) your girlfriend and (b) the bride, indistinctively. Moreover "novia" is considered a little bit formal (or even old-fashioned) when you refer to your girlfriend. It is more common to say "polola".

So given the context I think that "I've been in a relationship for 3 years" would be acceptable. Also using "since" in this case wouldn't be correct because you are talking about a period of time (3 years) and not a starting point (since 2005).
In addition, when we're engaged, we also refer to our fiancee as "novia".


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## Arrius

There is also the expression, *I've been going steady (with X) for three years*.  This implies a serious relationship with marriage in mind, or increasingly, unsolemnised co-habitation as man and wife (_married before the altar of nature_, as the French used to say).


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## expatriotlaguy

Arrius said:


> There is also the expression, *I've been going steady (with X) for three years*.  This implies a serious relationship with marriage in mind, or increasingly, unsolemnised co-habitation as man and wife (_married before the altar of nature_, as the French used to say).



*Going steady* is certainly another possibility.  To me, though, it has a distinctly teenage connotation.  It would sound strange to hear people in their 20s or older  use it.  In addition, I think it enjoyed more popularity from about 1950 to 1970 than afterward...or maybe I just don't hear enough teenagers talking these days.


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## Arrius

I thought the phrase "going steady" might possibly be archaic by now. It was an Americanism imported to Britain in my long distant youth. Its use was definitely not restricted to teenagers, and the suggestion, "Let's go steady" was also used by mature adults contemplating marriage. 
The last time I heard a young British person talk about such matters, she used the rather misleading phrase, "I am going out with X", which these day is apparently a euphemism for carnal relations that may well not involve thoughts of marriage. 
"I am seeing X" doesn't necessarily go so far.


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## Magmod

ayenir84 said:


> Estoy de novia desde hace tres años


 
  I've been courting for 3 years


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## Arrius

*I've been courting for 3 years*  (*Magmood*) is very common in the British Midlands, where "_Are you courting?"_ is used for "_Have you got a (steady) girlfriend_?"


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## mhp

NewdestinyX said:


> In Spanish.. Espero que te gustara.. -very common and 100% incorrect. has to be: Espero que te haya gustado.


   Both sentences are completely correct.
  For a previous discussion see: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=633397

  It may also be a good idea to post matters regarding this issue in that thread since this thread is about a different topic.


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## aloner

Arrius said:


> *I've been courting for 3 years*  (*Magmood*) is very common in the British Midlands, where "_Are you courting?"_ is used for "_Have you got a (steady) girlfriend_?"


I agree, but I'd say that both those expressions are quite old-fashioned. I remember aunties asking me if I was "courting" when I was a teenager in the 90s and it seemed out of date to me even back then. "Going steady" sounds like something from an American film from the 50s to me.


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