Common Expressions Flashcards
To say how long someone has been doing something (hacer)
hace + time + que + verb (present tense)
To say how long something had been going on (hacer)
hacía + time + que + verb (imperfect)
To say how long ago something happened (hacer)
hace + time + que + verb (preterit)
To say how long someone has or had been doing something (llevar)
llevar (present or imperfect) + time + gerund (ando/iendo)
To say how long someone has or had been something (llevar)
llevar (present or imperfect) + time + de (or como) + what he/she has or had been
I’ve been a missionary for three months.
Hace tres meses que soy misionero.
They have been members for three and a half years.
Son miembros desde hace tres años y medio.
They had been going to Church for a year when they went to the temple.
Hacía un año que iban a la iglesia cuando fueron al templo.
I had known the area for three months.
Hacía tres meses que conocía el área.
I received the Aaronic Priesthood eight years ago.
Hace siete años que recibí el Sacerdocio Aarónico.
My family was baptized two years ago.
Hace dos años que mi familia se bautizó.
We’ve been contacting people for three hours.
Llevamos tres horas contactando gente.
I’ve been studying grammar for 30 minutes.
Llevo 30 minutos estudiando gramática.
He has been a bishop for five years.
Él lleva cinco años de obispo.
I had been a member for a year when I received my mission call.
Yo llevaba un año como miembro cuando recibí mi llamamiento misional.
How long have you (sing. formal) been a member of the Church?
¿Hace cuánto que usted es miembro de la iglesia?
How long ago did you (sing. formal) receive the priesthood.
¿Hace cuánto que recibió el sacerdocio?
We have been visiting you (pl. formal) for a month.
Hace un mes que los visitamos.
How long has your (sing. formal) friend been interested in the gospel?
¿Hace cuánto que su amigo está interesado en el Evangelio?
How long had you (pl) lived here when the missionaries knocked on your door?
¿Hacía cuánto que vivían aquí cuando los misioneros tocaron su puerta?
We’ve been teaching your (pl) neighbors for several months.
Hace varios meses que enseñamos a sus vecinos.
How long did you (pl) know your friend when he started asking about the Church?
¿Hacía cuánto que conocía a su amigo cuando empezó a hacer preguntas sobre la iglesia?
Your (sing.) friend has known about the Church for several years.
Hace varios años que su amigo sabe de la Iglesia.
How long have you (sing.) been reading the Book of Mormon?
¿Hace cuánto que lee el Libro de Mormón?
Joseph Smith had been searching for the truth for a long time.
Hacía mucho tiempo que José Smith buscaba la verdad.
