how long have you been vs how long had you been

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'How long have you been' is used to ask about the duration of an action or state that started in the past and continues up to the present. 'How long had you been' is used to ask about the duration of an action or state that started in the past and continued up to a specific point in the past.

Last updated: March 30, 2024 • 2658 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to ask about the duration of an action or state that started in the past and continues up to the present.

"how long have you been"

This phrase is used to inquire about the length of time someone has been doing something or experiencing a particular situation from the past up to the present.

Examples:

How long have you been studying English?
How long have you been living in this city?
How long have you been working at your current job?
How long have you been playing the piano?
How long have you been waiting for the bus?

Show examples from the web [+]

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Alternatives:

For how long have you been
Since when have you been
How long had you been
How long did you spend
How long were you

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to ask about the duration of an action or state that started in the past and continued up to a specific point in the past.

"how long had you been"

This phrase is used to inquire about the length of time someone had been doing something or experiencing a particular situation up to a specific point in the past.

Examples:

How long had you been studying English before you moved to the U.S.?
How long had you been living in that house before you decided to sell it?
How long had you been working at your previous job before you got promoted?
How long had you been playing the guitar before you joined a band?
How long had you been waiting for the train when it finally arrived?

Show examples from the web [+]

How long had you been gone?
And how long had you been in the room?
And how long had you been involved with her?
At the time you investigated the Harrot murder, how long had you been employed by Las Vegas PD?
And how long had you been renting a room from Edith?
So, how long had you been getting readings from Patrick Zelman, Dr. Newhall?
How long had you been seeing Mrs. Rheiman?
How long had you been using his service?
How long had you been in that cage?
How long had you been thinking about moving in, Gavin?
How long had you been engaged to Celia? - Couple of weeks.
How long had you been trying to find the author of that webpage?
How long had you been gone?
How long had you been seeing Doc?
How long had you been seeing Doc?
How long had you been doing this?
And how long had you been involved with her? O-Or him? Her.
How long had you been going to see Vivien?
How long had you two been home before you discovered her body?
And how long had you two been having trouble?

Alternatives:

For how long had you been
Since when had you been
How long have you been
How long did you spend
How long were you

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how long have you been vs how long had you been