Question 1

What does the verb durar mean, and why is it used in La película dura dos horas?

Accepted Answer

Durar means “to last” or “to span” in terms of time. In this sentence, it’s conjugated in the third person singular present tense (dura) to agree with la película (the movie). So “La película dura dos horas” literally translates as “The movie lasts two hours.”

Question 2

Why can’t I say La película tiene dos horas instead?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, tener expresses possession (“to have” something), not duration. To talk about how long something lasts, you use durar. Saying La película tiene dos horas would sound like the movie “has” two hours in its possession, which is unnatural. If you really want to use tener, you must include the noun duración:  
• La película tiene una duración de dos horas.

Question 3

Can I insert a preposition like por or de, as in “La película dura por dos horas” or “durar de dos horas”?

Accepted Answer

No. The correct structure is durar + [time period] without any preposition.  
Incorrect: La película dura por dos horas.  
Incorrect: La película dura de dos horas.  
Correct: La película dura dos horas.

Question 4

Why is there no definite article before dos horas (i.e., why not “las dos horas”)?

Accepted Answer

When stating an unspecified duration, Spanish omits the article before the time expression. You use number + time unit directly: dos horas. If you were referring to those specific hours (e.g. “Las dos horas que filmamos fueron emocionantes”), you’d use las dos horas, but not for a general duration.

Question 5

How do I ask “How long is the movie?” in Spanish?

Accepted Answer

You say: ¿Cuánto dura la película?  
Literally “How much does the movie last?” Here cuánto functions like an adverb asking about extent (duration); it does not change to cuánta.

Question 6

How would I say “It lasted two hours” in the past tense?

Accepted Answer

Conjugate durar in the preterite for third person singular:  
La película duró dos horas.  
That means “The movie lasted two hours.”

Question 7

What’s the difference between durar and tardar?

Accepted Answer

• Durar describes how long something lasts or continues (duration).  
  Example: “La obra de teatro dura tres horas.”  
• Tardar expresses how much time someone or something takes to perform an action (delay or required time).  
  Example: “Tardo media hora en llegar.” (“It takes me half an hour to get there.”)

Question 8

Is it correct to say La película tiene una duración de dos horas? How does that compare with La película dura dos horas?

Accepted Answer

Yes, La película tiene una duración de dos horas is grammatically correct and more formal. It literally means “The movie has a duration of two hours.”  
• La película dura dos horas. (Concise, everyday speech)  
• La película tiene una duración de dos horas. (More formal, emphasizes the noun “duración.”)

Question 9

Can I use filme instead of película in Latin American Spanish?

Accepted Answer

In Latin America, película is overwhelmingly preferred. While filme is understood, it’s less common in everyday conversation; stick with película for natural-sounding Latin American Spanish.

La película dura dos horas.

Breakdown of La película dura dos horas.

Questions & Answers about La película dura dos horas.

More from this lesson

Master Spanish — from La película dura dos horas to fluency