Learn Hardcore Hungarian: Mióta tanulsz magyarul? - Since when have you been learning Hungarian?

In English, though, a sentence with mióta often translates more naturally as how long when you are asking about something that started in the past and is still continuing now.

So:

Mióta tanulsz magyarul? = literally Since when do you learn Hungarian?
natural English = How long have you been learning Hungarian?

Why is Hungarian using a present-tense verb here, when English uses have you been learning?

Because Hungarian normally uses the present tense for an action that began earlier and is still going on, as long as the time expression makes that clear.

So in this sentence:

tanulsz = you learn / you are learning
mióta tells you the action started in the past

Together, they express the idea that English often puts into the present perfect continuous:

Mióta tanulsz magyarul? = How long have you been learning Hungarian?

Hungarian does not need a special verb form equivalent to English have been learning here.

What does tanulsz break down into?

Tanulsz comes from the verb tanul, meaning to learn or to study.

Breakdown: