Learn French: Ils sont musiciens depuis longtemps. - They have been musicians for a long time.

Ils sont musiciens depuis longtemps.

They have been musicians for a long time.

Breakdown of Ils sont musiciens depuis longtemps.

être

to be

ils

they (masculine/mixed)

Questions & Answers about Ils sont musiciens depuis longtemps.

Why does the French sentence use the present tense (sont) when the English translation says "have been"?

In French, when an action started in the past and is still happening right now, you use the present tense with depuis. So, ils sont literally means "they are", but combined with depuis, it means "they have been".

Does depuis mean "since" or "for"?

It can mean both! You use depuis for a starting point in time (like "since 2010") and also for a length of time (like "for a long time"). In this sentence, depuis longtemps means "for a long time".

Why is there no word like des before musiciens?

In French, when you state someone's profession using the verb être (to be), you drop the article (words like un, une, or des). You just use the noun directly, treating it a bit like an adjective.

Can I use pour instead of depuis to say "for a long time" here?

No, and this is a common trap! Pour is used for a duration that is planned for the future (like going on vacation for two weeks). For an ongoing action that started in the past, you must use depuis.