Breakdown of Hace un año que calculo el movimiento del planeta.
un
a, an (masculine)
el planeta
the planet
el año
year
del
from the / of the
Questions & Answers about Hace un año que calculo el movimiento del planeta.
Why is calculo in the present tense if the English translation says 'I have been calculating'?
In Spanish, when an action started in the past and is still happening right now, you use the present tense. The formula hace + [time] + que + [present tense verb] literally means 'it makes a year that I calculate'. Because you started a year ago and are still doing it today, you just use the present tense calculo.
Why is it del planeta? Doesn't planeta end in '-a' and therefore should be feminine?
Yes, it ends in '-a', but planeta is a classic exception to the rule! Many Spanish words of Greek origin ending in '-a' or '-ma' are actually masculine. Because it is el planeta, we must combine de (of) with el (the) to make the mandatory contraction del. Other common examples are el problema and el mapa.
Could I say this without using que?
Yes, but you have to change the word order! If you put the action first and the time expression at the end, you drop the word que. The sentence would be: Calculo el movimiento del planeta hace un año. Both structures are very common and mean the exact same thing.
How would I change this to say 'I have been calculating the planet's movement for TWO years'?