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Depuis quand est-ce que vous jouez dans cet orchestre ?

Depuis quand est-ce que vous jouez dans cet orchestre ?
Since when have you been playing in this orchestra?
From Lesson 98:Ongoing duration (depuis)·French

Questions & Answers about Depuis quand est-ce que vous jouez dans cet orchestre ?

Why is the present tense word jouez translated as "have you been playing"?
In French, when an action started in the past and is still happening right now, you use depuis (since/for) with the present tense. English uses the present perfect continuous ("have been playing"), but French keeps it simpler: because you are still playing in the orchestra today, the verb stays in the present tense!
Can I use Depuis quand to ask "For how long"?
Yes! While Depuis quand literally means "Since when", it is very often used to ask "For how long" an ongoing action has been happening. You might also hear Depuis combien de temps, which means "For how much time", but both work perfectly here.
Why is it cet orchestre instead of ce orchestre?
Orchestre is a masculine word, so normally you would use ce to say "this". However, because orchestre starts with a vowel, ce changes to cet to make it flow better when spoken. If it were a feminine word, it would be cette.
Do I always use dans when talking about playing in a musical group?
Yes, just like in English, you play "in" an orchestra or band (jouer dans un orchestre). Just remember that if you want to name the specific instrument you play, you must use de, for example: Vous jouez du piano (You play the piano).

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