Learn Spanish (Spain): ¡Nuestra amistad dura desde hace muchos años! - Our friendship has lasted for many years!

We use desde hace because muchos años is a duration or length of time ('many years'). If we wanted to point to a specific starting date, like 'since 2010', we would use just desde (desde 2010).

Why is dura in the present tense if the English translation says 'has lasted'?

In Spanish, when an action started in the past and is still happening right now, we use the present tense. Because the friendship is still lasting today, we say dura alongside desde hace. English uses the present perfect ('has lasted') for this, which can make it tricky!

How do we know to use the feminine nuestra with amistad?

Spanish nouns that end in -dad or -tad (like amistad, ciudad, or universidad) are almost always feminine. Because amistad is feminine and singular, the word for 'our' must match it as nuestra.

Could I drop the word desde and just say hace muchos años?

Not in this sentence! If you just say hace muchos años, it usually translates to 'many years ago', which points to a finished event in the past. To say that an ongoing action has been happening 'for' a certain amount of time, you need the full phrase desde hace.