Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Há duas semanas que o aprendiz estuda a técnica com ele. - The apprentice has been studying the technique with him for two weeks.

Há duas semanas que o aprendiz estuda a técnica com ele.

The apprentice has been studying the technique with him for two weeks.

Breakdown of Há duas semanas que o aprendiz estuda a técnica com ele.

Questions & Answers about Há duas semanas que o aprendiz estuda a técnica com ele.

Why does the Portuguese sentence use the present tense estuda when the English translation says "has been studying"?

In Portuguese, when an action started in the past and is still continuing right now, you use the present tense. The structure Há followed by a time expression and que tells us how long the action has been happening. English uses the present perfect continuous for this, but translating it literally into Portuguese would sound very unnatural.

What is the literal translation of Há duas semanas que?

Literally, it means "There are two weeks that". The verb Há comes from haver (meaning "there is" or "there are"). In Portuguese, we use this verb to measure the amount of time that "exists" since an ongoing action began.

Could I put the time expression at the end of the sentence instead?

Yes! You can say O aprendiz estuda a técnica com ele há duas semanas. Starting with Há duas semanas que is a special structure used to put extra focus on the duration of the action. Notice that if you move the time expression to the end, you must drop the word que.

How do we know the apprentice is male in this sentence?

We know because of the masculine article o in front of aprendiz. The noun aprendiz is the same for both men and women. If the apprentice were female, the sentence would use a aprendiz instead.