Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Llevamos esperando cinco minutos junto a la fuente. - We have been waiting for five minutes by the fountain.

It’s a very common way to express how long an action has been going on up to now. Llevar + time + gerund = have/has been doing something for [time]. So Llevamos cinco minutos esperando ≈ “We have been waiting for five minutes,” and it implies the action is still in progress.

Can I switch the word order to Llevamos cinco minutos esperando?

Yes. Both Llevamos esperando cinco minutos and Llevamos cinco minutos esperando are correct. The second order (time after llevar) is a bit more common and often sounds slightly smoother: Llevo dos años estudiando español is the textbook pattern, but both orders are acceptable.

Could I just use the present progressive instead?

You can, but you need a duration phrase: Estamos esperando desde hace cinco minutos or Hace cinco minutos que estamos esperando. On its own, Estamos esperando only means “We are waiting,” with no duration.

Is Hemos estado esperando cinco minutos also correct? Any difference?

Yes, Hemos estado esperando cinco minutos is fine. Compared with Llevamos… esperando, it’s a bit less explicit about the action continuing now; it can be read as recent past (we were waiting for five minutes, possibly not anymore). Llevar + gerund more strongly implies the action is still ongoing.

Why not say Estamos esperando por cinco minutos?

In Spain, using por for duration here is not idiomatic. Prefer desde hace (for ongoing durations) or the llevar + gerund structure. Por to mark duration is common in English but not in peninsular Spanish in this context.

What’s the difference between junto a, al lado de, and cerca de?

Junto a: right next to/adjacent to (often a bit formal or written, but very common).
Al lado de: next to/beside (very common and neutral).
Cerca de: near/close to (not necessarily immediately next to). All three could work, with slight nuance: junto a/al lado de la fuente ≈ “by the fountain,” cerca de la fuente ≈ “near the fountain.”

Do I need the a in junto a? Could I say junto la fuente?

You need the a. Junto a is a fixed preposition meaning “next to.” So: junto a la fuente, not ×junto la fuente.

Does esperando agree with nosotros? Should it be esperandos?

No. Spanish gerunds are invariable. It’s always esperando, regardless of number or gender: Estoy/Estamos esperando.

Why is it la fuente and not una fuente?

Use la when the fountain is specific or known in context (e.g., the one in the square you both know). Use una when it’s nonspecific: …junto a una fuente = “by a fountain (some fountain or other).”

Could fuente mean something other than fountain?

Yes. Fuente also means “source,” a serving platter/dish, a power supply (electronics), or a typeface (in computing: fuente tipográfica). In this sentence, la fuente is naturally understood as a water fountain from context.

Is llevamos ambiguous between present and past?

In isolation, llevamos can be present (“we carry/wear/take”) or preterite (“we carried/wore/took”). But with a gerund (llevamos esperando), it’s clearly a present-time periphrasis meaning ongoing duration.

How do I say we haven’t been waiting (for long)?

Use no before the verb: No llevamos esperando mucho or No llevamos mucho tiempo esperando. You can also use the “sin” pattern to say how long you haven’t done something: Llevo/Llevamos cinco minutos sin movernos (“We haven’t moved for five minutes”).

Where do object pronouns go if I add what we’re waiting for?

With periphrases, the clitic can go before the auxiliary or attached to the gerund:

Lo llevamos esperando cinco minutos.
Llevamos esperándolo cinco minutos. Both mean “We’ve been waiting for it/him for five minutes.”

Do I need a when waiting for a person?

Yes, because of the personal a: Llevamos cinco minutos esperando a María. If you’re waiting for an event, use a que + subjunctive: Llevamos cinco minutos esperando a que empiece (“…waiting for it to start”).

How does this compare to hace… que and desde hace?

All three express ongoing duration up to now:

Llevamos cinco minutos esperando.
Hace cinco minutos que estamos esperando.
Estamos esperando desde hace cinco minutos. They’re interchangeable in meaning; llevar + gerund is very idiomatic and compact.

Can I add ya or solo to nuance it?

Yes:

Ya llevamos cinco minutos esperando = “We’ve already been waiting five minutes.”
Solo llevamos cinco minutos esperando = “We’ve only been waiting five minutes.”

Is there any difference between junto a la fuente and al lado de la fuente in Spain?

Functionally, no. Both are standard and commonly used in Spain. Junto a can feel a touch more formal or written, but everyday speech uses both freely.

Could I say Llevamos cinco minutos a la espera?

Yes, but it’s more specific/register-bound. A la espera is often used for being “on hold” or “awaiting” (e.g., on the phone or awaiting a response): Llevamos cinco minutos a la espera = “We’ve been on hold for five minutes.” For physical waiting by a place, esperando is the most neutral choice.