Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 18

CEFR A2-B1

3 min read

Test yourself (24 questions)

Hace, Desde, Desde Hace in Spanish: For, Since and Ago

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

For something still going on, Spanish uses the present tense where English uses a perfect. alone takes a starting point, and with a past verb means ago:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

for, a stretch still goingsince, a starting pointago, a finished pointWhat do the colours mean?
  • . - I' lived here for two years.
  • . - I arrived two hours ago.

For, since and ago at a glance

MeaningSpanishEnglish
for (still going) .I' lived here for two years.
for (still going) .I' lived here for two years.
since (a point) 2020.I' lived here since 2020.
ago (finished) .I arrived two hours ago.
how long?¿ ?How long have you lived here?

  • hace dos años que vivo aquí (for: still going)

  • desde 2020 (since: where it began)

  • llegué hace dos horas (ago: finished)

Timeline from past to now, with now marked.

The first two rows mean the same thing. The verb is , present, because I still live here.

For: hace ... que and desde hace

Two orders, one meaning. Put first with , or the verb first with :

OrderSpanishEnglish
... .I' been waiting for an hour.
.I' been waiting for an hour.
... .I haven't seen her for ages.
.I haven't seen her for ages.

English says have been waiting and haven't seen. Spanish says and no : the present, because it has not stopped. Ask the question the same way:

  • ¿ ? - How long have you been studying Spanish?
  • . - I' been studying Spanish for six months.

says the same with a gerund: . The present progressive page has it. One step back in the past, becomes :

  • . - I had been living there for two years.

Since: desde + a point

on its own takes the moment it started:

Starting pointSpanishEnglish
a year 2020.I' lived here since 2020.
a day .I' worked here since Monday.
a time .I' been waiting since three.
an event .I haven't seen her since summer.
a clause .I' been studying since I arrived.

The test is what follows. A point in time takes ; a length of time takes :

  • - since Monday (a point)
  • - for three days (a length)

Ago: hace + a past verb

for, a stretch still goingsince, a starting pointago, a finished pointWhat do the colours mean?

The same means ago when the verb is in the past and the action is over:

  • . - I arrived two hours ago.
  • . - I saw her a week ago.
  • Madrid. - A year ago I went to Madrid.
  • . - We finished a moment ago.

The tense of the verb decides, not the word :

VerbSpanishEnglish
present .I' been waiting for an hour.
past .I arrived an hour ago.

A past verb can also take the ... order, still meaning ago:

  • . - He/she arrived an hour ago.
  • ¿ ? - How long ago did you arrive?

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
... .for a stretch:
a length takes
2020 2020a point takes
... .you still live there: the present
.ago is plain

What to do next

  1. Say how long you have lived, worked and studied where you are, with ... .
  2. Do the story and sort drills below.
  3. The present progressive has + gerund, a third way to say for.

Practise: test yourself

Complete the story

0/5

Choose the right time word for each gap.

My life in numbers

Vivo en esta ciudad 2019. Trabajo en un hospital tres años. Conocí a mi novio cinco años, en una fiesta. un mes que estudio inglés. Y no veo a mi familia el verano.

Gap 1 of 5

Sort into groups

0/8

Which goes in front of each time: desde or desde hace?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

Pick the right one

0/5

Choose the words that fit.

  1. Trabajo aquí el lunes. (since Monday)

  2. Hace dos años vivo aquí. (I've lived here for two years)

  3. La vi una semana. (a week ago)

  4. Espero tres horas. (for three hours)

  5. ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que aquí? (have you lived)

Put the words in order

0/2

Put the words in order.

  1. I've lived here for two years.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. I arrived two hours ago.

    Your sentence is empty.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I have lived here for two years' in Spanish?
, or . Both use the present tense, , because you still live there. English uses a perfect (have lived); Spanish uses the present for anything that started in the past and is still going on.
What is the difference between and ?
takes a starting point: a year, a day, a time, an event. 2020 (I' lived here since 2020). takes a length of time: (I' lived here for two years). answers since when, answers for how long.
How do you say 'ago' in Spanish?
plus the length of time, with a past verb: (I arrived two hours ago), (I saw her a week ago). The same means for with a present verb, so the tense of the verb tells you which one it is.
How do you ask 'how long have you…' in Spanish?
¿ ? (How long have you lived here?), with the verb in the present. ¿ ? asks since when. For a finished event, the past turns it into how long ago: ¿ ? (how long ago did you arrive?).
What about 'I had been living there for two years'?
Move everything one step back: instead of , and the imperfect instead of the present. (I had been living there for two years). works too: means I' been living here for two years.