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Llevo dos horas tocando el violín.

Llevo dos horas tocando el violín.
I have been playing the violin for two hours.
From Lesson 208:Ongoing duration (llevar)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Llevo dos horas tocando el violín.

Why does llevo mean "I have been" here? I thought it meant "I carry" or "I wear".
You are right about its usual meanings! However, this sentence uses a special formula: llevar + amount of time + gerund (an "-ing" word). In Spanish, this combination expresses an action that started in the past and is still happening right now. So llevo dos horas tocando translates to "I have been playing for two hours."
Why is the verb tocar used here instead of jugar for "playing"?
In Spanish, jugar is strictly used for playing games or sports. When you talk about playing a musical instrument, you must always use tocar (which literally means "to touch").
Do you always need the word el before violín?
Yes. When you use tocar with a specific instrument, you generally include the definite article (el, la, los, or las). So you will always hear tocar el violín or tocar la guitarra.
I previously learned to say "I have been doing X for two hours" using desde hace. Can I use that here instead?
Absolutely. You could also say Toco el violín desde hace dos horas. Both ways are perfectly correct, but using llevar with the gerund (tocando) strongly emphasizes the continuous, ongoing action of playing.

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