Desde vs. Faz in Portuguese: Say How Long Something Has Lasted — Practice

Pair desde with a starting point

Use desde when you name the moment something started: desde 2022 (since 2022), desde segunda-feira (since Monday), or desde criança (since childhood). With an ongoing situation, the main verb commonly stays in the present tense.

For an exact calendar date, desde + date is direct. For a period such as two years, choose faz or há instead of putting the duration after desde.

Use faz or há with an elapsed duration

Faz dois anos que moro aqui and moro aqui há dois anos both mean that you have lived here for two years. The first puts the elapsed-time phrase at the start; the second places há before the duration.

English often uses a present perfect form for a situation that continues now. Brazilian Portuguese typically uses the present tense in these examples, so translate the idea rather than copying the English verb tense.

Remember: Ask yourself whether you need a start date (desde 2022) or an amount of elapsed time (faz dois anos / há dois anos).

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. I’ve lived in Recife since 2022.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Moro em Recife desde 2022.

2. I’ve worked here since Monday.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Trabalho aqui desde segunda-feira.

3. She has studied Portuguese since childhood.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela estuda português desde criança.

4. I’ve been taking classes for three months.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Faz três meses que faço aulas.

5. I’ve known Sabrina for many years.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Conheço a Sabrina há muitos anos.

6. We’ve been waiting for half an hour.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Estamos esperando faz meia hora.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Ask yourself whether you need a start date (desde 2022) or an amount of elapsed time (faz dois anos / há dois anos).

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Desde vs. Faz in Portuguese: Say How Long Something Has Lasted lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.