ELONIO
Log inSign up

Ustedes llevan cinco años tocando la guitarra.

Ustedes llevan cinco años tocando la guitarra.
You have been playing the guitar for five years.
From Lesson 157:Duration (llevar + gerund)·Spanish (Latin America)

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?
Not necessarily. In Latin American Spanish, ustedes is the standard word used for "you" when addressing a group of people, whether you are talking informally to your best friends or formally to people you do not know.

Learn Ustedes llevan cinco años tocando la guitarra and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →