Learn Spanish (Latin America): Ustedes llevan cinco años tocando la guitarra. - You have been playing the guitar for five years.

Ustedes llevan cinco años tocando la guitarra.

You have been playing the guitar for five years.

Breakdown of Ustedes llevan cinco años tocando la guitarra.

to play (an instrument)

la guitarra

the guitar

Questions & Answers about Ustedes llevan cinco años tocando la guitarra.

Why do we use llevan instead of a form of haber when the English translation says "have been"?

To express how long an ongoing action has been happening, Spanish uses the verb llevar (conjugated) + an amount of time + a gerund (an -ando or -iendo word). While English uses "have been" plus an amount of time, Spanish relies on this llevar structure instead of the literal translation with haber.

Why does the sentence use tocando?

Tocando is the gerund of tocar. It is formed by taking off the -ar ending and adding -ando. In this sentence, it completes the llevar + time + gerund structure to mean "playing." Notice that tocar is used for playing instruments, while jugar is used for playing sports or games.

Is the word la required before guitarra?

Yes! In Spanish, you generally must use the definite article (el, la, los, or las) before the name of a musical instrument when you use the verb tocar. So it is always tocar la guitarra, not just tocar guitarra.

Does ustedes mean this sentence is formal?