Talk about your studies and how long you've been doing things.
Describe a daily work/study routine
Use da to say how long
Ask da quanto tempo questions
Listen first
A student talks about her university routine.
🔊 Real audio — spoken by your browser in Italian. Tap any word below to hear it.
New vocabulary — tap to hear
studiareto study 🔊
l'universitàthe university 🔊
da quanto tempo?for how long? 🔊
da tre annifor three years 🔊
la riunionethe meeting 🔊
di solitousually 🔊
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« Studio italiano da due anni e di solito faccio i compiti la sera. » 🔊
I've been studying Italian for two years and I usually do my homework in the evening.
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Pronunciation
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Da quanto tempo studi all'università? 🔊How long have you been studying at university?
Studio architettura da due anni. Mi piace molto. 🔊I've been studying architecture for two years. I like it a lot.
Com'è la tua giornata di solito? 🔊What's your day usually like?
Di solito ho lezione la mattina e studio in biblioteca il pomeriggio. 🔊Usually I have class in the morning and I study in the library in the afternoon.
Grammar in focus · da for duration
To say how long an action has been going on, Italian uses the PRESENT tense + da: « Studio italiano da tre anni » (I have been studying Italian for three years). Ask with « Da quanto tempo…? »: « Da quanto tempo lavori qui? » Note the difference from English: Italian keeps the present, not a past tense, because the action continues now.
Write it yourself
Write 3 sentences about your studies or work routine, including one with da + time.
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Tip for this task
Ottimo! Keep the present tense with « da », e.g. « Lavoro qui da sei mesi. »
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