# cuánto tiempo hace que estudias inglés



## dragon8

Hola
Me podrian decir cuando se usa el present perfect y el present perfect progessive tense.
Segun he leido que el present perfect se usa con un evento que empezo en el pasado pero que ha terminado en el presente entonces no se puede decir:
How long have you lived in USA. Aun estoy viviendo en usa pero com dicen que el presente perfecto se usa con algo que empezo en el pasado pero que ha terminado en el presente.

Si quiero preguntar "cuanto tiempo hace que estudias Ingles" y aun en la actualidad sigo estudiando.

How long have you studied English.
How long have you been studying English.
How long have you study english.

Tengo unas graficas donde me dice la estructura de los verbos de cada tiempo del presente pero aun no logro entender en que situacion se usa el presente perfect o present perfect progessive.
Desde ya gracias.


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## chileno

dragon8 said:


> Hola
> Me podrian decir cuando se usa el present perfect y el present perfect progessive tense.
> Segun he leido que el present perfect se usa con un evento que empezo en el pasado pero que ha terminado en el presente entonces no se puede decir:
> How long have you lived in USA. Aun estoy viviendo en usa pero com dicen que el presente perfecto se usa con algo que empezo en el pasado pero que ha terminado en el presente.
> 
> Si quiero preguntar "cuanto tiempo hace que estudias Ingles" y aun en la actualidad sigo estudiando.
> 
> How long have you studied English.
> How long have you been studying English.
> How long have you study english.
> 
> Tengo unas graficas donde me dice la estructura de los verbos de cada tiempo del presente pero aun no logro entender en que situacion se usa el presente perfect o present perfect progessive.
> Desde ya gracias.



EDIT:

Yo pienso que la única que coincide exactamente es a la que le puse el visto bueno. 

La primera podría ser que estudió en algún momento y dejó de estudiar  o que sigue estudiando.


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## donbill

dragon8 said:


> Hola
> Me podrian decir cuando se usa el present perfect y el present perfect progessive tense.
> Segun he leido que el present perfect se usa con un evento que empezo en el pasado pero que ha terminado en el presente entonces no se puede decir:
> How long have you lived in USA. Aun estoy viviendo en usa pero com dicen que el presente perfecto se usa con algo que empezo en el pasado pero que ha terminado en el presente.
> 
> Si quiero preguntar "cuanto tiempo hace que estudias Ingles" y aun en la actualidad sigo estudiando.
> 
> How long have you studied English.
> How long have you been studying English.
> How long have you study english.
> 
> Tengo unas graficas donde me dice la estructura de los verbos de cada tiempo del presente pero aun no logro entender en que situacion se usa el presente perfect o present perfect progessive.
> Desde ya gracias.



Las dos oraciones significan que empezaste a estudiar inglés en el pasado y que sigues estudiándolo. En mi opinión la diferencia entre las dos es casi nula.


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## dragon8

Hola
Muchas gracias por sus respuestas.
Pregunte a un americano y me dijo tecnicamente la correcta es "how long have you been studying English."
Que la sentence "how long have you studied English" es cuando ya termino de estudiar.


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## donbill

dragon8 said:


> Hola
> Muchas gracias por sus respuestas.
> Pregunte a un americano y me dijo tecnicamente la correcta es "how long have you been studying English."
> Que la sentence "how long have you studied English" es cuando ya termino de estudiar.



No estoy de acuerdo con mi compatriota que te ha dicho eso. "How long have you studied English" = "¿Cuánto tiempo hace que estudias inglés?" Es posible que sigas estudiándolo.

"How long did you study English" = "¿Por cuánto tiempo estudiaste inglés?"

Saludos


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## Mexico RV'er

dragon8 said:


> Hola
> Muchas gracias por sus respuestas.
> Pregunte a un americano y me dijo tecnicamente la correcta es "how long have you been studying English."
> Que la sentence "how long have you studied English" es cuando ya termino de estudiar.



I'm going to disagree with your American friend.  To put it in the past you would say "How long did you study English?"  I agree with donbill on this.


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## donbill

Mexico RV'er said:


> I'm going to disagree with your American friend.  To put it in the past you would say "How long did you study English?"  I agree with donbill on this.



A lot has to do with context. If I know that you study English but I don't know for how long, I'd probably say* "How long have you been studying English?"* But I might just say, *"How long have you studied English."* I really think they're just about the same in meaning. I would say, however, that "how long have you been studying" is a bit more specific and more limited in its use. I would use it only if I know that you are involved in studying English now and if I wanted to know how long it has been going on.


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## Mexico RV'er

donbill said:


> A lot has to do with context. If I know that you study English but I don't know for how long, I'd probably say* "How long have you been studying English?"* But I might just say, *"How long have you studied English."* I really think they're just about the same in meaning. I would say, however, that "how long have you been studying" is a bit more specific and more limited in its use. I would use it only if I know that you are involved in studying English now and if I wanted to know how long it has been going on.



I agree totally.  All I meant with my previous post was that there is a different way we would word it if we were wanting to put it in the past.


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## donbill

Mexico RV'er said:


> I agree totally.  All I meant with my previous post was that there is a different way we would word it if we were wanting to put it in the past.



Exactly!


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## Aidanriley

donbill said:


> No estoy de acuerdo con mi compatriota que te ha dicho eso. "How long have you studied English" = "¿Cuánto tiempo hace que estudias inglés?" Es posible que sigas estudiándolo.
> 
> "How long did you study English" = "¿Por cuánto tiempo estudiaste inglés?"
> 
> Saludos



I agree.


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## Istriano

_Por cúanto tiempo_ is not used in Spain, I believe they use _Durante cúanto tiempo._..


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## Agró

Istriano said:


> _Por cúanto tiempo_ is not used in Spain, I believe they use _Durante cúanto tiempo._..


Also, we usually leave out "durante".

_¿Cu*á*nto tiempo hace...?_ (accent mark on 'a').


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## donbill

Istriano said:


> _Por cúanto tiempo_ is not used in Spain, I believe they use _Durante cúanto tiempo._..





Agró said:


> Also, we usually leave out "durante".
> 
> _¿Cu*á*nto tiempo hace...?_ (accent mark on 'a').



¡Muy agradecido a los dos!


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## Forero

¡Hola, Dragon8!

"Have you study" no vale. El _perfect_ requiere un participio.

Hablando formalmente, ninguna de las versiones nos dice francamente que sigues estudiando inglés, pero generalmente lo suponemos, más fácilmente con "have been studying". Creo que es lo mismo como para "has estudiado" v. "has estado estudiando." Todo el tiempo en cuestión está en el pasado, pero si usamos la forma _continuous_, es más fácil pensar que los estudios continúan en el presente.

Lo diferente entre el inglés y el español es que "How long?" no tiene verbo, y de ahí no especifica un tiempo, pero el uso de _hace_, tiempo presente, lo pone todo en presente. Creo que lo más parecido en inglés sería:

_How long has it been that you study English?_

Pero "How long have you been studying English?" es más común y corriente.


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## jose-carlos

Agró said:


> Also, we usually leave out "durante".
> 
> _¿Cu*á*nto tiempo hace...?_ (accent mark on 'a').



Siento corregir, pero...   

_*"How long did you study English?" *_= ¿(durante) *Cuánto tiempo estudiaste inglés?

*"¿cuánto tiempo hace ...?" = How long ago


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## Agró

jose-carlos said:


> Siento corregir, pero...
> 
> _*"How long did you study English?" *_= ¿(durante) *Cuánto tiempo estudiaste inglés?
> 
> *"¿cuánto tiempo hace ...?" = How long ago



"_¿*Cuánto tiempo hace* que estudias inglés?_"


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## jose-carlos

Agró said:


> "_¿*Cuánto tiempo hace* que estudias inglés?_"


Ya me parecía raro.... perdona, es correcto. Sólo que pensaba en el uso del mismo tiempo del verbo: "¿Cuánto tiempo hace que estudiaste inglés?= How long ago did you stud*y* English?"


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## chileno

jose-carlos said:


> Ya me parecía raro.... perdona, es correcto. Sólo que pensaba en el uso del mismo tiempo del verbo: "¿Cuánto tiempo hace que estudiaste inglés?= How long ago did you study English?"


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## jose-carlos

upps, pensando en el tiempo del verbo ... lo corrijo. Gracias chileno.


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## donbill

Agró said:


> "_¿*Cuánto tiempo hace* que estudias inglés?_"



Agró, para mí _"Cuánto tiempo hace que estudias inglés?"_ no significa _"How long did you study English?",_ sino _"How long have you studied English?_". Es posible que no haya entendido tu post o que me haya perdido entre las opiniones, y si esto es el caso, te pido perdón. 

Lo veo de esta manera:

A: _How long did you study English?_ = "¿Cuánto tiempo estudiaste inglés?"
B: _I studied English for three years before I decided to stop [studying it]_.  = "Lo estudié tres años, [pero ya no lo estudio]".

A: _How long have you studied English? =_ ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que estudias inglés?'
B: _I've studied English for three years now [and I plan to continue studying it]._ = "Hace tres años que lo estudio [y pienso continuar estudiándolo]."

Saludos


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## Agró

donbill said:


> A: _How long have you studied English? =_ ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que estudias inglés?'
> B: _I've studied English for three years now [and I plan to continue studying it]._ = "Hace tres años que lo estudio [y pienso continuar estudiándolo]."
> 
> Saludos



Eso es exactamente lo que quería transmitir.
Cuando decimos '¿Cuánto tiempo hace que estudias inglés?' o '¿Desde cuándo estudias inglés?', lo que comunicamos (implícitamente) es que la acción sigue teniendo lugar en el presente, es decir, _Present Perfect_ en inglés.


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## donbill

Agró said:


> Eso es exactamente lo que quería transmitir.
> Cuando decimos '¿Cuánto tiempo hace que estudias inglés?' o '¿Desde cuándo estudias inglés?', lo que comunicamos (implícitamente) es que la acción sigue teniendo lugar en el presente, es decir, _Present Perfect_ en inglés.



De acuerdo, 100%.


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## Forero

Para mí no es totalmente correcto decir que "How long have you studied English?" equivalga exactamente a "¿Cuánto tiempo hace que estudias inglés?" porque la versión inglesa no presupone ni que todavía estudias inglés ni que ya no estudias inglés. Pero sirve, pues es simplemente una manera natural de preguntar algo bastante semejante.

No hay contradicción si digo "I have studied English three years, but I am not studying it now." Significa que he estudiado inglés tres años, pero no lo estudio ahora. La acción (el estudio) mencionada en "I have studied English for three years" queda tanto en el pasado como la mencionada en "I studied for three years", pero es diferente la énfasis.

Similarmente las dos frases "How long have you studied English?" y "How long did you study English?" preguntan acerca de una duración de tiempo enteramente en el pasado, no en el presente, pero es que no diríamos ésta a menos que creyéramos que tu curso de estudios ya hubiese terminado. Aquélla podemos decir no importa si creemos algo así o no.

[Por favor corríjanme el español, como siempre.]


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## Mexico RV'er

Forero said:


> Para mí no es totalmente correcto decir que "How long have you studied English?" equivalga exactamente a "¿Cuánto tiempo hace que estudias inglés?" porque la versión inglesa no presupone ni que todavía estudias inglés ni que ya no estudias inglés. Pero sirve, pues es simplemente una manera natural de preguntar algo bastante semejante.
> 
> No hay contradicción si digo "I have studied English three years, but I am not studying it now." Significa que he estudiado inglés tres años, pero no lo estudio ahora. La acción (el estudio) mencionada en "I have studied English for three years" queda tanto en el pasado como la mencionada en "I studied for three years", pero es diferente la énfasis.
> 
> Similarmente las dos frases "How long have you studied English?" y "How long did you study English?" preguntan acerca de una duración de tiempo enteramente en el pasado, no en el presente, pero es que no diríamos ésta a menos que creyéramos que tu curso de estudios ya hubiese terminado. Aquélla podemos decir no importa si creemos algo así o no.
> 
> [Por favor corríjanme el español, como siempre.]



I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you. "How long have you studied/have you been studying . . . " implies a present and on-going activity. I would never say that and expect someone to believe I was talking about a past and discontinued activity. "How long did you study/had you been studying . . . " is how I would express a past and discontinued activity. 

As this thread continues, I find myself wanting to ask, "How long have we been beating this dead horse?" and I am talking about a present and on-going activity, one in which I am participating, so no offense is intended toward anyone.


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## chileno

Mexico RV'er said:


> I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you. "How long have you studied/have you been studying . . . " implies a present and on-going activity. I would never say that and expect someone to believe I was talking about a past and discontinued activity. "How long did you study/had you been studying . . . " is how I would express a past and discontinued activity.
> 
> As this thread continues, I find myself wanting to ask, "How long have we been beating this dead horse?" and I am talking about a present and on-going activity, one in which I am participating, so no offense is intended toward anyone.




I have beaten this dead horse for ten years, then I stopped 20 years ago.

Is that ok?


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## sound shift

chileno said:


> I have beaten this dead horse for ten years, then I stopped 20 years ago.
> 
> Is that ok?


No. It would have to be "I beat [simple past] this dead horse for ten years, then I stopped twenty years ago."


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## donbill

sound shift said:


> No. It would have to be "I beat [simple past] this dead horse for ten years, then I stopped twenty years ago."



Poor horse! It deserves something better.

_Have you beaten dead horses?_ (relevance to the present moment)
_Have you beaten dead horses for 20 years?_ (relevance to the present)
_Have you stopped beating dead horses?_ ( relevance to the present)

_Did you beat dead horses?_ (The question implies no connection to the present)
_Did you stop beating dead horses 20 years ago?_ (no direct connection to the present)

I promise to beat this one no more! Although it makes no sense to say that something is 'almost infinite', we are tempted to say it about the myriad possibilities that language subtleties and nuance present. We cannot imagine all of the contexts that call for one specific construction and not a closely related alternative, but it's entertaining and instructive to ponder the possibilities!

Saludos


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## Jim2996

chileno said:


> I have beaten this dead horse for ten years, then I stopped 20 years ago.
> 
> Is that ok?



No. It should be: "I had beaten that dead horse for ten years, then I stopped"  The tenses support the relation that two things happened in the past, with one before the other.  I would write it this way.

Sound Shift's use of the simple past is also fine, and is probably what I would say.  "Then" gives the information needed to know that one thing happened before the other.  

Note that I changed your "this" to "that."  The common this/that distinction that is made for spacial relations also applies in time.  Unless the dead horse is still around—dead for 20 years—there is no "this horse" to point at.  If the corpse is still around, "this dead horse" is fine; perhaps you are standing next to its grave.


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## chileno

So, I cannot say ''I have beaten this horse in the past, but I stopped/am still continued to do so.''


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## donbill

chileno said:


> So, I cannot say ''I have beaten this horse in the past, but I stopped/am still continued to do so.''




This context seems plausible to me: _I have beaten that horse--the one that we are talking about now, the one to which my past actions have relevance now. Nevertheless, I no longer beat the poor critter._

I would not object to either of your sentences:

I have beaten this horse, but I stopped. (We're looking at the beast now. It is relevant to our present conversation.)
I have beaten this horse and continue to do so.

_I have beaten this horse for three years, but I stopped a year ago_. (I would not say this. The specific time reference, beginning and end, is incompatible with the present perfect. There is a complete disconnect with the present moment [of speaking])

I think context is all important. If there is even an implication of connection to the present, I find the present perfect generally acceptable. My brain can't deal with all of the possibilities! 

Saludos


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## Mexico RV'er

chileno said:


> So, I cannot say ''I have beaten this horse in the past, but I stopped/am still continued to do so.''



That is correct. You cannot say that. You can say "I beat *that* poor miserable horse in the past, but I stopped."  The only thing you can continue to do at this point is to "*refrain from* any further beating of the aforementioned horse."  

_I have never figured out how people cross out words on here, but you need to get rid of the am.
_


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## chileno

Mexico RV'er said:


> That is correct. You cannot say that. You can say "I beat *that* poor miserable horse in the past, but I stopped."  The only thing you can continue to do at this point is to "*refrain from* any further beating of the aforementioned horse."
> 
> _I have never figured out how people cross out words on here, but you need to get rid of the am.
> _



No kidding!

I had a couple of choices and got mixed up. That's all. Thank you for pointing that out.



donbill cought my drift.


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## Forero

chileno said:


> I have beaten this dead horse for ten years, then I stopped 20 years ago.
> 
> Is that ok?


That sounds OK to me, but the word _then_ is a bit of a stumbling block. I would use _but_.

I seem to be outnumbered, but to me "I have beaten this dead horse for ten years" means "I have spent ten years beating this dead horse", and it remains true after I stop beating the horse in question. If I did beat a dead horse for ten years, then that particular dead horse has indeed been beaten for ten years and that fact will never change, whether or not I am still beating it, and whether or not it has relevance at a given point in the future. The fact that I have studied English for however many years I have studied it is another thing that will never change, even if I stop studying English and never pick it up again.

In fact, I have a degree in mathematics, so I have passed some math tests, but I have not taken a single math test since 1977. I do not feel compelled to change "have passed" to just "passed" in the preceding sentence.

Some more examples that illustrate what I am saying:

_I’ve been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king._
_I've been a puppet for two years, a  pauper for three, a poet for a while, a pawn for a really long time, and most recently a king for a day or so._
_I have spent some time studying English, three years I think, and I believe this is relevant to my present situation even though it was five years ago._
_I did spend some time studying English, and it was because of this that I can write this sentence now._

As I see it, the same events or sequences of past events can be reported in past tense using present perfect without regard to anything that may have happened afterwards. The difference between past simple and present perfect is real, but it is in how we look at the events or sequences of events that makes the difference, not how long ago they may have happened. Present perfect looks at the past as something like a permanent possession, whereas past tense looks at the past as something no longer available, but it is nevertheless the same past.

My main point, and the reason I am surprised at our disagreement, is that I really think there is no innate difference between the meaning of present perfect in English and in Spanish, but our choice of tense is affected by the fact that "hace" is present tense and "how long" has no tense at all. I may be wrong, but this is how I see it today.


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## Mexico RV'er

Forero said:


> Some more examples that illustrate what I am saying:
> 
> _I’ve been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king._ No ending time is mentioned and therefore it is open to interpretation.
> _I've been a puppet for two years, a pauper for three, a poet for a while, a pawn for a really long time, and most recently a king for a day or so. Same_
> _I (have) spent some time studying English, three years I think, and I believe this is relevant to my present situation even though it was five years ago._
> _I did spend some time studying English, and it was because of this that I can write this sentence now._


In my humble opinion . . .


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## chileno

Forero said:


> That sounds OK to me, but the word _then_ is a bit of a stumbling block. I would use _but_.
> 
> I seem to be outnumbered, but to me "I have beaten this dead horse for ten years" means "I have spent ten years beating this dead horse", and it remains true after I stop beating the horse in question. If I did beat a dead horse for ten years, then that particular dead horse has indeed been beaten for ten years and that fact will never change, whether or not I am still beating it, and whether or not it has relevance at a given point in the future. The fact that I have studied English for however many years I have studied it is another thing that will never change, even if I stop studying English and never pick it up again.
> 
> In fact, I have a degree in mathematics, so I have passed some math tests, but I have not taken a single math test since 1977. I do not feel compelled to change "have passed" to just "passed" in the preceding sentence.
> 
> Some more examples that illustrate what I am saying:
> 
> _I’ve been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king._
> _I've been a puppet for two years, a pauper for three, a poet for a while, a pawn for a really long time, and most recently a king for a day or so._
> _I have spent some time studying English, three years I think, and I believe this is relevant to my present situation even though it was five years ago._
> _I did spend some time studying English, and it was because of this that I can write this sentence now._
> 
> As I see it, the same events or sequences of past events can be reported in past tense using present perfect without regard to anything that may have happened afterwards. The difference between past simple and present perfect is real, but it is in how we look at the events or sequences of events that makes the difference, not how long ago they may have happened. Present perfect looks at the past as something like a permanent possession, whereas past tense looks at the past as something no longer available, but it is nevertheless the same past.
> 
> My main point, and the reason I am surprised at our disagreement, is that I really think there is no innate difference between the meaning of present perfect in English and in Spanish, but our choice of tense is affected by the fact that "hace" is present tense and "how long" has no tense at all. I may be wrong, but this is how I see it today.




Thank you Sir.


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## Forero

Mexico RV'er said:


> Forero said:
> 
> 
> 
> _I’ve been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king._  No ending time is mentioned and therefore it is open to interpretation.
> _I've been a puppet for two years, a  pauper for three, a poet for a while, a pawn for a really long time, and most recently a king for a day or so._  Same
> 
> 
> 
> In my humble opinion . . .
Click to expand...

It looks to me that others in this thread have been claiming that each of these two sentences implies the speaker is at present simultaneously a pawn and a king, among other things. I don't see that as a likely intended meaning of either sentence.

Similarly I can say "I have studied English for three years, and Spanish for four" without meaning that I now study both. No ending time here either, right?





> _I (have ) spent some time studying English, three years I think, and I believe this is relevant to my present situation even though it was five years ago._
> _I did spend some time studying English, and it was because of this that I can write this sentence now._
Click to expand...

Both these sentences imply relevance in the present of a past activity, making both of them candidates for the use of present perfect according to Donbill, if I understand him correctly. I consider the first a candidate for the present perfect, regardless of whether it implies relevance to the present. I would accept _I have spent_ in the last sentence too, but only if we change _was_ to _is_.


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## L'Inconnu

dragon8 said:


> How long have you studied English.
> How long have you been studying English.



You have touched upon a tricky topic. When dealing with the present perfect, English verbs come in three 'flavors'.

(1) Those where you use the present perfect continuous, e.g., 'have been doing'.
(2) Those where you _normally_ use the simple present perfect, e.g., 'have been', 'have had'
(3) Those where you can use either construction in most cases. 

Most English verbs are in category (1). It just so happens that <to study> is a category (3) verb, as are the verbs <to work> and <to teach>. If you want more detailed information on this topic, try the following link:

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfect.html


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## L'Inconnu

*For activities that began in the past and STILL continue in the present. *​ 
I'm going to 'go out on a limb' and boast that if you follow these rules, you will be right 99% of the time. 

1) Use the present perfect continuous for most English verbs. 

_How long have you been running?
¿Cuánto hace que corres?_

2) Use the simple present perfect when the main verb is <to be> or <to have>.

_"For how years have you_* been*_ married?"
"¿Cuántos años estás casado?" 
_
_"How long have you _*had*_ this computer?"
"¿Cuánto hace que tienes este computador?"  _

There is an important exception to this rule. In the above sentences the verbs <to be> and <to have> describe a *state* or a *condition*. Social status, physical and/or mental states come under this category. Having something in your possession also counts as a state. 

_"He has been sick/mad/married for a long time." 
"Hace tiempo desde que está enfermo/enojado/casado."_

However, when the verbs <to be> or <to have> describe some ongoing ACTION or ACTIVITY the present perfect continuous is normally used. 

_"It has been snowing all day."
"Nieva durante todo el día ."
_
_"We have been having this debate for two hours." 
"Hace dos horas tenemos un continuo debate."
_
Going back to your initial example, notice that if you follow my suggestions you would be saying"

_"How long have you been studying?" _

Some verbs like <to study>, <to work>, or <to live> give you the option of using the simple present perfect, but since the present perfect continuous is also correct, this distinction needn't worry you.


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## Istriano

*¿Cuánto tiempo llevas estudiando español?* should work in Spain (don't know about other countries)*

¿(Por) cuánto tiempo has estudiado español? *should work in Mexico
_pretérito perfecto compuesto _corresponds to _present perfect progressive_ in Mexican Spanish (=how long have you been studying?)


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## L'Inconnu

Istriano said:


> *
> ¿(Por) cuánto tiempo has estudiado español?*



I take it the person is *still* studying Spanish at the time you ask. Is there some reason why a Spanish speaker may prefer the pretérito perfecto instead of the presente in this case?


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## _SantiWR_

L'Inconnu said:


> I take it the person is *still* studying Spanish at the time you ask. Is there some reason why a Spanish speaker may prefer the pretérito perfecto instead of the presente in this case?



None, not that I can think of.


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## alanla

dragon8 said:


> Hola
> Me podrian decir cuando se usa el present perfect y el present perfect progessive tense.
> Segun he leido que el present perfect se usa con un evento que empezo en el pasado pero que ha terminado en el presente entonces no se puede decir:
> How long have you lived in USA. Aun estoy viviendo en usa pero com dicen que el presente perfecto se usa con algo que empezo en el pasado pero que ha terminado en el presente.
> 
> Si quiero preguntar "cuanto tiempo hace que estudias Ingles" y aun en la actualidad sigo estudiando.
> 
> How long have you studied English.
> 
> How long have you been studying English.= ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que estudias inglés?
> 
> How long have you study english.    [Not a grammatically correct English sentence??]
> 
> Tengo unas graficas donde me dice la estructura de los verbos de cada tiempo del presente pero aun no logro entender en que situacion se usa el presente perfect o present perfect progessive.
> Desde ya gracias.



_How long have you been studying English?_
Trato de ir al grano. Lo veo así de esta manera:

Alguien empezó a estudiar inglés en el pasado y continúa estudiándolo.
Lo que digo aquí digo con todo respecto a todos, pero no hay otra maner de expresarlo. Estoy de acuerdo con *chileno*. Hay una sola oración correcta. Sólo hay que buscarlo en cualquier libro de gramática Inglés-Español. No cabe duda. Puedo decírtelo con precisión porque era profesor (otra vez con el debido respecto a todos para que no haya ningún malentendido).

It is a very fine point of grammar, with a very definite, narrow translation. And it does make a difference about exactly what you are trying to say, as far as I am concerned. The reverse is a fine point of Spanish grammar that also presents a problem for us English speakers. There is only sentence that can convey that. Again, I say this with the utmost respect for everyone who contributes. After all, that's what it's all about.I hope everyone understands the way this is all intended.  

Alan


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## Forero

Welcome to the forum, Alan.

I agree that the version you have checked is probably the most appropriate and natural of the choices in context. However, most grammar references on the subject come short when it comes to explaining the reason for our choice and why the Spanish and English sentences use different aspects of the present tense to express what seems to be the same idea.

All three forms— present simple, present perfect, and present perfect continuous— have multiple interpretations, especially when the context is removed. In particular the form "have you studied" does not assert that the studying is still going on now. Even taking the continuous form "have you been studying" to have this meaning would be a surmise. In contrast, the present tense in the Spanish question does refer directly to studying in the here and now.

I do think the "have you studied" form is workable, in spite of the ambiguity, when studying is taken as a "state" (see L'Inconnu's write-up on the meaning of this category). Since "I study English" can mean that I am a student of English or I am enrolled in an English course (these are states), we could ask "How long have you studied English?" to mean "How long have you been a student of English or enrolled in an English course?".

I am not a native, but this "state" meaning may actually fit the Spanish sentence better than the active meaning of _estudiar_.


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## alanla

Forero

I get what you are trying to say. But to me, personally, there are no two ways about. And I absolutely respect your input.
But in most any Spanish book, you find this to be spomething that is not subject to opinion: it is black and white. If I'm not mistaken, I saw in *chileno's *bio that he is putting together a grammar book or something like that. He seems to see it this way, too. I respect most of his other posts. He seems to be bilingual.
Try looking it up under _have been_...(and then the participle _*-ing*_ ending of a verb). Usually, there is a time word [long, for a long time , for 3 days, etc.] which is part of that whole construction and is really what drives the meaning. It's all kind of a long discussion. I am going to go to the library and try to locate that exact reference and try to post something later. Maybe you could try, too.
I am new to this. I wish they had a grammar reference right on this site to help answer these questions. It would make things a lot easier. Maybe they will some day.
It's always good to hear from another Spanish _aficionado_.

Alan   lol


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## L'Inconnu

alanla said:


> How long have you been studying English?
> Sólo hay que buscarlo en cualquier libro de gramática Inglés-Español. No cabe duda.



http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfect.html

Scroll to the bottom of the page, where it says:

*USE 2 Duration From the Past Until Now*

It will list the verbs, <to live>, <to work>, <to teach>, and <to study> among a small number of _continuous_ English verbs that are _sometimes_ used in simple present perfect mode. Continuous means that the verbs describe an action/activity that "está pasando." 

Personally, I am recommending that you use the present perfect  continuous for all continuous verbs, if only because it would mean fewer  rules to remember, and you won't get an argument from your English teacher.


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## L'Inconnu

Forero said:


> All three forms— present simple, present perfect, and present perfect continuous— have multiple interpretations, especially when the context is removed. In particular the form "have you studied" does not assert that the studying is still going on now.



That is to say, you don't necessarily have to have a book in your hand at the moment the question is asked. If you did, it seems to me that "how long have you been studying" is more suitable.



Forero said:


> I do think the "have you studied" form is workable, in spite of the ambiguity, when studying is taken as a "state" (see L'Inconnu's write-up on the meaning of this category). Since "I study English" can mean that I am a student of English or I am enrolled in an English course (these are states), we could ask "How long have you studied English?" to mean "How long have you been a student of English or enrolled in an English course?".



Agreed.

The Spanish equivalent of this argument would be something similar to a comparison between 

¿Qué pasa? and ¿qué está pasando?

Or in other words, imagine that "¿qué estudias?" means "What is your major?" 
and, "¿Qué estas estudiando?" means "What book are you reading at the moment?"

Chances are a native Spanish speaker might not bother to make this distinction. Likewise, an English speaker might not always distinguish between "How long have you been studying?" and "How long have you studied?"


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## dragon8

Aun no me queda bien claro cuando usan present perfect o present perfect progressive.
Dejo una situacion para haber si me pueden ayudar.

Es  lunes por equivocacion entro a un salon de clases de una escuela de  Idioma Ingles. En el salon encuentro un muchacha que ha estudiado Ingles  en esa escuela desde 2005 al 2006. Cuando yo entro al salon la muchacha  se encuentra estudiando Ingles. Yo no se cuanto tiempo ha estudiado  Ingles en esa escuela ni tampoco se el tiempo que ha estudiado el lunes.  Como le pregunto en Ingles paraque me diga solo el tiempo que ha estudiado  Ingles el Lunes.
Gracias.


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## PichaPuerto

Hola


How many hours have you been studying today? 
What time did you start studying English today?


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## Rondivu

dragon8 said:


> Aun no me queda bien claro cuando usan present perfect o present perfect progressive.
> Dejo una situacion para haber si me pueden ayudar.
> 
> Es  lunes por equivocacion entro a un salon de clases de una escuela de  Idioma Ingles. En el salon encuentro un muchacha que ha estudiado Ingles  en esa escuela desde 2005 al 2006. Cuando yo entro al salon la muchacha  se encuentra estudiando Ingles. Yo no se cuanto tiempo ha estudiado  Ingles en esa escuela ni tampoco se el tiempo que ha estudiado el lunes.  Como le pregunto en Ingles paraque me diga solo el tiempo que ha estudiado  Ingles el Lunes.
> Gracias.



Lo siento pero no entiendo nada


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## dragon8

dragon8 said:


> Aun no me queda bien claro cuando usan present perfect o present perfect progressive.
> Dejo una situacion para haber si me pueden ayudar.
> 
> Es  lunes por equivocacion entro a un salon de clases de una escuela de  Idioma Ingles. En el salon encuentro un muchacha que ha estudiado Ingles  en esa escuela desde 2005 al 2006. Cuando yo entro al salon la muchacha  se encuentra estudiando Ingles. Yo no se cuanto tiempo ha estudiado  Ingles en esa escuela ni tampoco se el tiempo que ha estudiado el lunes.  Como le pregunto en Ingles paraque me diga solo el tiempo que ha estudiado  Ingles el Lunes.
> Gracias.


PichaPuerto dice que para lo que pregunto en este post seria correcto usar pregunta 1, podria tambien usar 2, 3 y 4 o serian incorrectas.

1.How many hours have you been studying today?

2.How many hours have you been studying English today?
3.How long have you studied English today?
4.How long have you studied English?

Gracias.


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## PichaPuerto

1. Correct
2. Correct
3  Sounds a bit strange to me. 
4  Grammatically correct but implies length of time studying English in general.


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