he estado haciendo algo
/e estado aθjendo alɡo/from spelling rules
The phrase "I have been doing something" in Spanish is translated as he estado haciendo algo.
This phrase describes an action that started in the past and is still continuing in the present.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase he estado haciendo is composed of the auxiliary verb haber (he), the past participle of estar (estado) and the gerund of the main verb (haciendo).
Which one should you use?
Use he hecho to describe a completed action in the past, whereas he estado haciendo emphasizes the ongoing nature of the action.
How do you pronounce it?
/e estado aθjendo alɡo/
Did you know?
- The component estado shares a history with a way to measure distance, as it once referred to a distance roughly equal to the height of a man.
- While you might learn he estado haciendo in a classroom, a native speaker is much more likely to simply use the present tense and desde hace to say they have been doing something.
Examples in context
- Llevo trabajando en esta empresa por cinco años.I have been working in this company for five years.
- Hace tiempo que estudio español.I have been studying Spanish for a while.
- Está lloviendo desde esta mañana.It has been raining since this morning.
- Últimamente, he estado trabajando mucho tiempo extra.Lately, I have been working a lot of overtime.
- Los niños llevan jugando en el parque desde la mañana.The children have been playing in the park since morning.
- He estado estudiando mucho últimamente.I have been studying a lot lately.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries algo, estado, he, CC BY-SA 4.0.
