hace mucho tiempo
/aθe mut͡ʃo tjempo/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "it has been a while" is expressed as hace mucho tiempo.
This phrase is used to say that a long period of time has passed since something last happened. You can also use hace tiempo to say "it's been a while" without emphasizing that the duration was specifically 'a long' time.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'it has been a while since [event]', you use the structure hace mucho tiempo que followed by the event.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Estimado Sr. García, ha pasado tiempo desde nuestra última reunión. Me gustaría discutir los avances del proyecto.Dear Mr. García, it has been a while since our last meeting. I would like to discuss the project's progress.
- ¡Hola! Hace rato que no nos vemos. ¿Cómo ha estado todo?Hi! It's been a while since we last saw each other. How have you been?
- Hace mucho tiempo que no voy al cine.It has been a long time since I went to the cinema.
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía run into each other at a café.
- Javier¡Hola, Lucía! Hace mucho tiempo que no te veo.Hello, Lucía! It has been a long time since I saw you.
- Lucía¡Hola, Javier! Es verdad, ha pasado mucho tiempo.Hello, Javier! It is true, a lot of time has passed.
- Javier¿Cómo has estado?How have you been?
- LucíaMuy bien, gracias por preguntar.Very well, thanks for asking.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hace, mucho, tiempo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
