A few days ago I posted a lesson about how to use the verb Haver to indicate duration of time or elapsed time. Today you will learn how to say the same thing using the verb Fazer. I will even use the same examples to allow you to compare the uses of these two important verbs.
Dialogue: Janaína and Frank are chatting during their coffee break:
Frank: De onde você é?
= Where are you from?
= Where are you from?
Frank: Faz quanto tempo que você mora aqui?
= How long have you been living here?
= How long have you been living here?
Janaína: Faz dois anos que moro aqui.= I’ve been living here for two years.
Frank: Eu nasci em Curitiba. Faz seis anos que me mudei para São Paulo.
= I was born in Curitiba. I moved to São Paulo six years ago.
= I was born in Curitiba. I moved to São Paulo six years ago.
In Portuguese, we use the verb Fazer to indicate the duration of elapsed time. To express an ongoing action, use the main verb in the simple present (Eu moro) or in the present progressive (Estou morando). To indicate a past action, use the verb in the past tense (Eu me mudei).
Examples:
- Faz dois anos que moro aqui. = I’ve been living here for two years.
- Faz dois anos que estou morando aqui. = I’ve been living here for two years.
- Faz seis anos que eu me mudei para São Paulo. = I moved to São Paulo six years ago.
There are two ways to say this same thing: I can invert the sentence. Observe the use of “que” when I do that:
- Faz dois anos que moro aqui.
- Moro aqui faz dois anos.
- Faz 30 minutos que ele chegou.
- Ele chegou faz 30 minutos.
Speak Correctly:
In the previous post I promised to give you a tip to avoid a common mistake. Here it is: When used in this context, to indicate the duration of elapsed time, the verb Fazer is always used in the third person singular. You will hear people saying “Fazem dois anos”, but this is bad grammar. You, as a Street Smart learner, should always use the verb in the singular.
Let’s see additional examples:
1. Faz quanto tempo que vocês estão juntos?
= How long have you been together?
= How long have you been together?
2. Faz mais de dois anos que Teresa estuda inglês.
= Teresa has been studying English for more than two years.
= Teresa has been studying English for more than two years.
3. Faz quanto tempo que você conhece Kátia?
= How long have you known Kátia?
= How long have you known Kátia?
4. Eu conheço Kátia faz muito tempo.
= I have known Kátia for a long time.
= I have known Kátia for a long time.
5. Você parece exausta. Faz quanto tempo que você está trabalhando neste relatório?
= You look exhausted. How long have you been working on this report?
= You look exhausted. How long have you been working on this report?
6. Faz sete horas que estou trabalhando neste relatório sem parar.
=I’ve been working on this report for seven hours nonstop.
=I’ve been working on this report for seven hours nonstop.
7. Faz dois anos que Léo não mora em São Francisco.
= Léo hasn’t been living in San Francisco for two years.
= Léo hasn’t been living in San Francisco for two years.
8. Faz uma semana que não vejo o sol. Que horror!
= I haven’t seen the sun in a week. How awful!
= I haven’t seen the sun in a week. How awful!
10. Faz seis meses que comprei este carro e ele já está me dando problemas.
= I bought this car six months ago and it’s already giving me trouble.
= I bought this car six months ago and it’s already giving me trouble.
11. Faz uns três meses que eles me telefonaram.
= They called me about three months ago.
= They called me about three months ago.
12. Você sabe quanto tempo faz que eu estou esperando? Faz 35 minutos que eu estou esperando!
= Do you know how long I have been waiting? I’ve been waiting for 35 minutes!
= Do you know how long I have been waiting? I’ve been waiting for 35 minutes!
Practice Exercise
Translate the following dialogue to Portuguese. The answers are below.
Jonas: How long have you been studying Portuguese?
Bill: I’ve been studying Portuguese for a year and half.
Jonas: How long have Renato and Juliana been living in Rio?
Bill: They have been living in Rio for three years.
Jonas: They have been dating for a long time, right?
Bill: They are not together anymore. They broke up a couple of weeks ago.
Bill: I’ve been studying Portuguese for a year and half.
Jonas: How long have Renato and Juliana been living in Rio?
Bill: They have been living in Rio for three years.
Jonas: They have been dating for a long time, right?
Bill: They are not together anymore. They broke up a couple of weeks ago.
Respostas = Answers
Jonas: Faz quanto tempo que você estuda português?
Bill: Eu estudo português faz um ano e meio.
Jonas: Faz quanto tempo que Renato e Juliana estão morando no Rio?
Bill: Faz três anos que eles estão morando no Rio.
Jonas: Faz muito tempo que eles estão namorando, não é?
Bill: Eles não estão mais juntos. Faz duas semanas que eles terminaram.
Bill: Eu estudo português faz um ano e meio.
Jonas: Faz quanto tempo que Renato e Juliana estão morando no Rio?
Bill: Faz três anos que eles estão morando no Rio.
Jonas: Faz muito tempo que eles estão namorando, não é?
Bill: Eles não estão mais juntos. Faz duas semanas que eles terminaram.
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Kemoze says
July 24, 2015 at 3:56 amYour are the best one to teach Portuguese… Thank you so much for your efforts ❤️
Luciana Lage says
July 24, 2015 at 4:05 amMuito, muito obrigada 🙂
john says
November 5, 2014 at 2:47 pmwhats the difference between hâ quanto tempo faz quanto tempo.
Luciana Lage says
November 5, 2014 at 4:42 pmI can use both Fazer and Haver to indicate past time. For ex: Moro em São Francisco há 8 anos. Or: Moro em San Francisco faz 8 anos. Another example: Há quanto tempo você estuda português? = Faz quanto tempo que você estuda português?
However, the expression “Há quanto tempo!” is always with the verb Haver. It means “Long time, no see!”
We also have a lesson using the verb Haver: https://streetsmartbrazil.com/moro-aqui-ha-2-anos-befriend-verb-haver/
JOHN says
November 6, 2014 at 11:06 amENTENDE, MUITO OBRIGADO
Luciana Lage says
November 6, 2014 at 11:35 amDe nada 🙂