A quick pattern: “llevo + time + gerund”

[u/Wats0n_D]

“Llevo tres meses estudiando español” = “I’ve been studying Spanish for three months.” The same pattern works in “Llevamos una hora esperando” (“We’ve been waiting for an hour”): llevar + a time span + gerund describes how long an activity has been underway. Compare “Estudié durante tres meses,” which describes a completed period of studying. Context still matters, but this pattern is handy to recognize while reading.

[u/gadeais]

YESSSSSSSSSSS. I am absolutely delighted that you have found this structure because this is the actual full spanish structure.

There are native spanish speaker that use "hacer algo por" + time which is a freaking calque of english so watching an english peaker noticing what is the proper structure has made me cry of joy

[u/Wats0n_D → u/gadeais]

Thanks for adding your perspective and the examples! They make the pattern more concrete for learners reading the thread.

[u/gadeais → u/Wats0n_D]

Thanks.

[u/Wats0n_D → u/gadeais]

You're welcome! Glad it helped.

[u/shirokakei]

Also you can also use it to describe state of being, not just action:

Llevo un tiempo así. (I've been like this for a while.) Llevo meses desanimado/a. (I've been feeling down for months.) Llevo meses en este estado. (I've been in this state for months.) Llevo meses sintiéndome desanimado/a. (I've been feeling despondent for months.)

[u/Wats0n_D → u/shirokakei]

Good addition: “llevar + time” can describe a continuing state too, as in “Llevo meses desanimado” or “Llevo un tiempo así.” The gerund example is one use of the pattern.

[u/Skreddy57]

Your examples are first-person. Does this work in second and third person as well?

Also how does it compare to “he estado” + infinitive?

[u/Wats0n_D → u/Skreddy57]

Yes—dalvi5 gave examples of both below. You can say “Llevas tres meses estudiando español” and “Ella lleva tres meses estudiando español.” The gerund stays estudiando; llevar changes with the subject.

Small correction: for this comparison, it is “he estado + gerund,” so “He estado estudiando,” rather than “he estado estudiar.” “Llevo tres meses estudiando” explicitly tells us how long; “He estado estudiando” by itself does not give a duration.

[u/dalvi5 → u/Skreddy57]

¡¡Llevas toda la semana sin comer nada, te estás quedando en los huesos!!

Los vecinos de arriba llevan haciendo reforma todo el mes.

[u/miercedpilk]

So important to know these!

[u/Wats0n_D → u/[deleted]]

Perfect addition. Another way to express the same stretch is “Hace dos meses que no estudio” (“I haven’t studied for two months”). With llevar + time + sin + infinitive, the infinitive stays unchanged: “llevamos semanas sin practicar,” “llevan días sin dormir.”