How long

Learn how to talk about how long something happens for, and do the exercises to practise it.

Level: beginner

We use for to say how long:

We have been waiting for twenty minutes.
They lived in Manchester for fifteen years.

We can also use a noun phrase without for:

Let’s go. We’ve been waiting nearly an hour.
I’ve worked here twenty years.

We use since with the present perfect or the past perfect to say when something started:

I have worked here since December.
They had been watching since seven o’clock in the morning.

How long 1: MultipleSelection_MTU3OTY

We use from … to/until to say when something starts and finishes:

They stayed with us from Monday to Friday.
We will be on holiday from the sixteenth until the twentieth.

Be careful!
We can use to or until with a noun phrase: My great-grandmother lived in Liverpool from 1940 to her death. My great-grandmother lived in Liverpool from 1940 until her death. But we can only use until with a clause: ~~My great-grandmother lived in Liverpool from 1940 to she died.~~ My great-grandmother lived in Liverpool from 1940 until she died.

Be careful!

We can use to or until with a noun phrase:

My great-grandmother lived in Liverpool from 1940 to her death.
My great-grandmother lived in Liverpool from 1940 until her death.

But we can only use until with a clause:

~~My great-grandmother lived in Liverpool from 1940 to she died.~~
My great-grandmother lived in Liverpool from 1940 until she died.

How long 2: ReorderingHorizontal_MTU3NTM

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It's an helpful tip.

Hi, If someone will get holiday for 10 days, how can ask in proper way that “how many days/how long he got his holiday” and after passing his holiday “how long/how many days he had his holiday.”

Sir you didn't answer my question. Could you please answer my question. Thank you.

Hello amit_ck,

Please be patient when waiting for answers to questions. We are a small team here at LearnEnglish and we receive many questions every day. While we try to answer as quicky as we can, sometimes it can take a few days. Posting messages asking us to respond more quickly only slows the process down.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

I'm really really sorry sir I couldn't understan. Thank you for helping me.

Hi amit_ck,

I'm not sure I entirely understand the context here, but I'll try to answer.

I think the best option for the first question would be:

How long will the holiday last?

How long will the holiday be?

For the second question I would say:

How long did the/his/your holiday last?

How long was the/his/your holiday?

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team