Breakdown of Le problème de voisinage continuait depuis des mois.
des
some (plural indefinite)
le problème
the problem
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
le mois
the month
Questions & Answers about Le problème de voisinage continuait depuis des mois.
Why is continuait in the imparfait when the English translation says "had been continuing"?
This is the core rule for using depuis in past narratives. In English, we use the past perfect continuous ("had been continuing") for an action that started in the past and was still happening at a specific past moment. In French, you simply use the imparfait (continuait) plus depuis. The imparfait shows the action was ongoing, and depuis tells us for how long up to that point.
Why do we use depuis here instead of pendant to mean "for"?
The choice between depuis and pendant depends on whether the action was still ongoing at the time of the story. Because the problem was still happening at that past moment, we use depuis. If the problem had already completely finished after lasting for months, you would use the passé composé with pendant instead: Le problème a continué pendant des mois.
Does problème de voisinage literally mean "problem of the neighborhood"?
Why do we say des mois instead of just mois?