Desde - Talk About Time Duration

 USING “DESDE” CORRECTLY IN SPANISH (B1)

These, “desde,” phrases can be tricky, because they all relate to time (and sometimes space), but they work in different ways. Let’s break them down in a clear, simple way:

✅ 1. DESDE

Meaning: “Since” or “from” (starting point in time or space).

📍 When to use: To indicate the starting point of an action that is still happening now.

📍 Structure: 

• Desde + specific point in time (date, day, year, etc.)

• Desde + place (for space meaning)

📍 Examples:

• "Vivo en Madrid desde 2015." → I’ve lived in Madrid since 2015.

• "Trabajo aquí desde el lunes." → I’ve been working here since Monday.

• "Desde la ventana se ve el mar." → From the window you can see the sea.


✅ 2. DESDE HACE

Meaning: “For” (duration of time).

📍 When to use: To express how long something has been happening (and is still happening).

📍 Structure:

• Desde hace + amount of time

📍 Examples:

• "Vivo en Madrid desde hace 8 años." → I’ve lived in Madrid for 8 years.

• "Estamos esperando desde hace media hora." → We’ve been waiting for half an hour.

NOTE" the desde is often dropped, so it is just, "hace" + the length of time.
📍 Example:

"Yo viví en París hace dos meses." → I lived in Paris for 2 months.

🔑 Rule of Thumb (Regla General):

• Use desde with a starting point (since 2010).

• Use desde hace with a duration (for 10 years).

"Desde" is sometimes dropped to just "hace" + duration.

✅ 3. DESDE ENTONCES

Meaning: “Since then” (refers back to a previous moment already mentioned).

📍 When to use: To refer to the period starting from a previously mentioned event until now.

📍 Structure:

• Usually comes after telling a past event.

📍 Examples:

• "Me mudé a Madrid en 2015 y desde entonces soy muy feliz." → I moved to Madrid in 2015 and since then I’ve been very happy.

• "Nos conocimos en la universidad y desde entonces somos amigos." → We met at university and have been friends since then.

✅ 4. DESDE QUE

Meaning: “Since (the moment when…)”

📍 When to use: To connect two clauses (with a verb in each one).

📍 Structure:

• Desde que + verb

📍 Examples:

• "Soy feliz desde que cambié de trabajo." → I’ve been happy since I changed jobs.

•" Desde que llegaste, todo es mejor." → Since you arrived, everything is better.

🤓

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