Using 'Desde Hace' with the Present Tense in Spanish

This section explains Using 'Desde Hace' with the Present Tense in Spanish. In Spanish, ‘desde hace’ is used to indicate how long something has been happening or how long it has been since something started. It is often used in combination with the present tense to describe actions or situations that began in the past and are still ongoing in the present.

What does ‘Desde Hace’ Mean?

• ‘Desde hace’ literally means "since" or "for" in English, depending on the context.
• It is used to talk about how long something has been happening from the past up to the present moment.

Structure of ‘Desde Hace’

The structure of ‘desde hace’ is quite simple. It’s followed by a time expression (such as "two years", "a week", "five months") that tells us how long something has been happening.

Formula:
[Action in Present Tense] + desde hace + [Time Expression]

Example:

• Vivo aquí desde hace dos años
  (I’ve been living here for two years)
• Estudio español desde hace seis meses
  (I’ve been studying Spanish for six months)

Using ‘Desde Hace’ with the Present Tense

When using ‘desde hace’ with the present tense, we are talking about actions or situations that started in the past and continue in the present.

Examples:

• Trabajo en esta tienda desde hace tres años
  (I’ve worked in this shop for three years)
• Vivo en Londres desde hace un mes
  (I’ve been living in London for a month)
• Estudiamos juntos desde hace dos semanas
  (We’ve been studying together for two weeks)

Time Expressions with ‘Desde Hace’

Common time expressions used with ‘desde hace’ include:

• un mes (a month)
• dos años (two years)
• cinco semanas (five weeks)
• una hora (an hour)
• tres días (three days)
• mucho tiempo (a long time)

Examples:

• Hace tres años que estudio en esta universidad (I’ve been studying at this university for three years)
• Hace un mes que trabajo aquí (I’ve been working here for a month)

Foundation Tier Examples with ‘Desde Hace’

Here are some basic examples using ‘desde hace’:

• Vivo en Madrid desde hace un año
  (I’ve been living in Madrid for a year)
• Ella come pizza desde hace dos días
  (She has been eating pizza for two days)
• Hace tres meses que vamos al gimnasio
  (We’ve been going to the gym for three months)

Higher Tier Examples with ‘Desde Hace’

At the higher tier level, more complex sentences can be formed using ‘desde hace’ with a variety of time expressions and a wider range of verbs.

• Mis padres trabajan en la misma empresa desde hace diez años
  (My parents have been working at the same company for ten years)
• Estudio en esta escuela desde hace mucho tiempo, y me encanta
  (I have been studying at this school for a long time, and I love it)
• Hace dos años que no voy a la playa
  (I haven’t been to the beach for two years)

Negative Form with ‘Desde Hace’

To make a sentence with ‘desde hace’ negative, place ‘no’ before the verb in the present tense.

Examples:

• No trabajo en esa oficina desde hace seis meses
  (I haven’t worked in that office for six months)
• No estudio español desde hace mucho tiempo
  (I haven’t studied Spanish for a long time)
• Hace tres años que no viajamos a España
  (We haven’t travelled to Spain for three years)

Key Points to Remember

• ‘Desde hace’ is used to talk about an action or situation that started in the past and is still continuing in the present.
• It is always followed by a time expression (e.g., ‘two weeks’, ‘a year’, ‘a few months’).
• The verb that follows ‘desde hace’ is in the present tense.
• To form negative sentences, simply place ‘no’ before the verb.

Summary of ‘Desde Hace’ Usage

Conclusion

Using ‘desde hace’ with the present tense allows you to describe actions that began in the past and are still ongoing in the present. It’s a very useful structure for talking about durations, whether in terms of months, years, or other time expressions. Practise using it in both positive and negative sentences to express how long something has been happening.