How many years has it been? vs How long has it been?

Both phrases are correct and commonly used to inquire about the duration of time that has passed since a specific event. 'How many years has it been?' is more specific to asking about the number of years, while 'How long has it been?' is a more general question about the duration without specifying the unit of time.

Last updated: October 31, 2024 • 409 views

How many years has it been?

This phrase is correct and commonly used to inquire about the number of years that have passed since a specific event.

This phrase is used to ask specifically about the number of years that have elapsed since a particular event or point in time.

Examples:

How many years has it been since we last saw each other?
How many years has it been since you graduated from college?
How many years has it been since we moved to this city?

Show examples from the web [+]

How many years has it been?
How many years has this wig?
How many years has it been, Abraham?
How many years has it been?
How many years has humanity faced atomic death?
How many years has it been since I said,
How many years has it been, Yusuf?
How many years has it been?
How many years has it been since you returned to to the Celestial Hall?
How many years has EastEnders been running?
How many years has it been since you slept in your hut?
How many years has he been carrying it around wi' 'im?
How many years has our team been together now?
How many years has she been loafing around?
How many years has it been since someone was able to tell us apart?
How many years has it been since we had time alone?
CDV: How many years has this car-park been there?
[Morgan] How many years has this tannery been here?
How many years has it been since I last played Othello?
How many years has it been since I've laughed like this?
How many years has the Telecom Italia Group been measuring its own sustainability performance?

Alternatives:

How many years have passed?
How many years ago was that?
How many years have gone by?
How many years have elapsed?
How many years have transpired?

How long has it been?

This phrase is correct and commonly used to inquire about the duration of time that has passed since a specific event.

This phrase is a more general way to ask about the time that has elapsed since a particular event or point in time, without specifying the unit of time.

Examples:

How long has it been since we last met?
How long has it been since you started working here?
How long has it been since we went on vacation?

Alternatives:

How much time has passed?
How much time has gone by?
How much time has elapsed?
How much time has transpired?
How much time has lapsed?

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