Frequento la palestra da sei mesi, eppure sono ancora principiante.

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Breakdown of Frequento la palestra da sei mesi, eppure sono ancora principiante.

• essere: to be
• il mese: the month
• da: for

Questions & Answers about Frequento la palestra da sei mesi, eppure sono ancora principiante.

Why does Italian use the present tense in Frequento la palestra da sei mesi to mean “I have been going to the gym for six months”?

Italian expresses an action that started in the past and is still true now with the present tense + da + duration. So frequento … da sei mesi = “I have been attending … for six months.” It’s the normal way; you don’t need a past tense here.

Can I use per instead of da for the duration?

• da + length of time = an action that began in the past and continues now: Frequento la palestra da sei mesi.
• per + length of time = a completed or planned block of time:
  
  • Completed: Ho frequentato la palestra per sei mesi (I attended for six months, but not anymore).
  • Planned/future: Frequenterò la palestra per sei mesi.
    So in your sentence you want da, not per.

Why is it frequento la palestra and not something like frequento in palestra or vado la palestra?

• frequentare = “to attend” (regularly). It’s a transitive verb, so it takes a direct object with the article: frequento la palestra. No preposition.
• andare = “to go.” With places like gym/school, use a preposition: vado in palestra (idiomatic).
  So: attend = frequentare + articolo; go = andare in + luogo.

Is Vado la palestra ever correct?