Breakdown of Ça fait longtemps que j'ai la nostalgie de mon pays.
je
I
avoir
to have
le pays
the country
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
mon
my (mon, ma, mes)
longtemps
for a long time
que
that (introducing a clause)
ça fait
it has been
la nostalgie
the nostalgia
Questions & Answers about Ça fait longtemps que j'ai la nostalgie de mon pays.
Why is the verb j'ai in the present tense when the English translation says 'I have been'?
In French, when an action started in the past and is still happening now, you use the present tense with Ça fait ... que. English uses the present perfect ('have been'), which makes this tricky. Because you are still feeling nostalgic right now, French requires the present tense j'ai.
Can I use Il y a instead of Ça fait to start this sentence?
Why does this sentence use j'ai la nostalgie instead of an adjective like je suis nostalgique?
You could definitely say je suis nostalgique, but using the noun phrase avoir la nostalgie de (literally 'to have the nostalgia of') is a very natural French phrasing. It works similarly to other expressions you have seen like avoir faim (to be hungry) or avoir peur (to be afraid), but notice this one keeps the definite article la.
Does avoir la nostalgie de mon pays just mean general nostalgia, or does it mean homesickness?
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