Breakdown of Mi abuela lleva un año sin fumar.
un
a, an, some
el año
the year
mi
my
la abuela
the grandmother
sin
without
fumar
to smoke
llevar
to have been (doing something for a period of time)
Questions & Answers about Mi abuela lleva un año sin fumar.
Why do we use the present tense lleva when the English translation says "has gone"?
In Spanish, when an action (or a non-action, like not smoking) started in the past and continues into the present, we use the present tense with llevar. English uses the present perfect ("has gone" or "hasn't smoked"), but in Spanish, the period of time is still ongoing right now.
Could I just translate the English directly and say Mi abuela no ha fumado durante un año instead?
You would be understood, but using llevar + amount of time + sin + infinitive is the most natural and common way to express how long someone has gone without doing something in Spain. It is the go-to structure for this meaning.
Why is it fumar (infinitive) and not fumando to mean "smoking"?
In Spanish, whenever a verb directly follows a preposition like sin (without), it must always be in the infinitive form. English often uses the "-ing" form after prepositions (like "without smoking"), but Spanish strictly uses the infinitive (sin fumar).
Does llevar literally mean "to carry" in this sentence?
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