Learn Spanish (Latin America): Llevo quince años sin visitar la escuela y no la reconozco. - I haven't visited the school in fifteen years and I don't recognize it.

In Spanish, the most natural way to express how long you haven't done something is using the verb llevar (literally 'to carry') in the present tense, followed by the amount of time, sin (without), and an infinitive verb. So, llevo quince años sin visitar literally means 'I carry fifteen years without visiting,' which is how we say 'I haven't visited in fifteen years.'

Why is it sin visitar and not sin visitando?

In Spanish, after any preposition like sin (without), de (of/from), or para (for), you must always use the infinitive form of the verb (like visitar). While English often uses the '-ing' form ('without visiting') in these cases, Spanish requires the infinitive.

What does the la in no la reconozco refer to?

The la is a direct object pronoun meaning 'it.' It refers back to la escuela (the school) so that you don't have to repeat the word. Notice that object pronouns are placed directly before the conjugated verb.

Why is the 'yo' form of reconocer spelled with a 'z' (reconozco)?