Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Ella lleva dos años estudiando español y yo llevo seis meses practicando. - She has been studying Spanish for two years, and I have been practicing for six months.

It expresses how long an action has been going on up to now, roughly matching English have been + -ing. So Ella lleva dos años estudiando ≈ “She has been studying for two years,” and yo llevo seis meses practicando ≈ “I have been practicing for six months.”

Is this the same as English present perfect continuous?

Functionally, yes. Llevar + gerund conveys ongoing duration from the past up to the present, like “has/have been -ing.” The difference is that Spanish uses llevar as an auxiliary instead of haber + estado + gerundio. In Latin American Spanish, llevar + gerundio is very natural for this meaning.

Can I say this another way without llevar?

Yes. Two very common alternatives:

Hace dos años que estudia español. / Hace seis meses que practico.
Estudia español desde hace dos años. / Practico desde hace seis meses. All three options are idiomatic in Latin America.

Should I use por to say “for two years”?

Not when the action continues up to now. Say:

Ongoing: Lleva dos años estudiando. / Estudia español desde hace dos años.
Finished in the past: Estudió español por dos años. (He/She studied for two years, but not anymore.)

Why is it estudiando/practicando (gerund) and not estudiar/practicar (infinitive)?

With this periphrasis, llevar must be followed by a gerund to indicate the ongoing action. Using an infinitive after llevar for duration is ungrammatical: ✗ lleva dos años estudiar. You need lleva dos años estudiando.

Can I change the word order, like Llevo practicando seis meses?

Yes. Both are used:

Most common: Llevo seis meses practicando.
Also acceptable: Llevo practicando seis meses. Placing the time period right after llevar is the default pattern.

Do I need to include the subject pronouns Ella and yo?

No. Spanish usually drops subject pronouns: Lleva dos años estudiando español y llevo seis meses practicando. Including Ella and yo adds contrast/emphasis (“She… and I…”).

Does llevar still mean “to carry/wear” here?

No. Here llevar is an auxiliary in a verbal periphrasis that measures elapsed time spent on an action. It doesn’t mean “carry,” “wear,” or “take” in this usage.

What tense is lleva/llevo? Can I put it in the past or future?

It’s present indicative. You can shift it:

Past ongoing reference: Llevaba dos años estudiando cuando se mudó.
Past completed span: Llevó dos años estudiando antes del examen.
Future point: Para diciembre, llevaré seis meses practicando.

Is llevar + gerundio commonly used in Latin America?

Yes, it’s widely used and understood. Another colloquial alternative you’ll hear in parts of Latin America (especially Mexico/Central America) is tener + time + gerundio: Tiene dos años estudiando. It’s common in speech, though some teachers prefer llevar, hace… que, or desde hace in formal contexts.

Why is there no article before español?

Names of languages are usually not used with an article after certain verbs like hablar, estudiar, aprender, enseñar, saber. So estudiar español is normal. With other structures, the article can appear: El español es difícil, but Estudia español (no article).

Can I add ya to say “already”?

Yes; it’s very natural for emphasis:

Ella ya lleva dos años estudiando español y yo ya llevo seis meses practicando. This highlights that the time has already accumulated.

Can I replace español with a pronoun, like “studying it”?

Yes. Attach the pronoun to the gerund:

Lleva dos años estudiándolo.
Llevo seis meses practicándolo. Note the accent mark to preserve stress: estudiándolo, practicándolo.

Could I use estar + gerund with a time phrase instead?

You’ll hear sentences like Está estudiando desde hace dos años, and they’re understandable. Still, for stating “have been doing X for [time],” Spanish prefers:

Llevar + time + gerundio, or
Hace + time + que + present, or
Present + desde hace + time. These are more idiomatic for duration up to the present.

Is there a difference between Llevo seis meses practicando and just Practico desde hace seis meses?

Both mean the same in context. Llevar + gerundio sounds a bit more like you’re tallying elapsed time; desde hace is a straightforward “since/for” construction. Both are fine in Latin American Spanish.

How do I say “only six months”?

Use solo/solamente or apenas:

Yo llevo solo seis meses practicando.
Yo apenas llevo seis meses practicando. (often implies “that’s not much”)

Is it okay to leave practicar without an object?

Yes. Practicar can be intransitive when the context makes the object clear. If you want to be explicit: practicando español or practicándolo.

Any pronunciation tips for llevar in Latin America?

Most regions pronounce ll like a “y” sound (yeísmo): roughly [ye-VAHR]. In parts of Argentina/Uruguay you may hear a “sh/zh” sound: [she-VAHR]/[zhe-VAHR]. All are normal regional variants.

Any pitfalls with spelling or accents here?

años must have the ñ; anos is a different word and wrong here.
Language names like español are lowercase in Spanish.
If you add pronouns to gerunds, keep the accent: estudiándolo, practicándolo.