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How to Say ‘Have you been waiting long?’ in German

Wartest du schon lange?

VAR-test doo shohn LAHNG-eh

[VAR-test doo shohn LAHNG-eh]

💬 Usage Tip: German uses the present tense plus schon where English says "have been waiting". Same pattern: Wohnst du schon lange hier? "Have you lived here long?"

Phrase Breakdown

Wartest du

VAR-test doo

Are you waiting

In a question, the verb comes first. 'Wartest' is the 'du' form of 'warten' (to wait). The 'W' sounds like an English 'v'.

Example

Wartest du auf den Bus?

Are you waiting for the bus?

Words in this phrase

Wartest

[VAR-test]

are (you) waiting

Du-form of 'warten', to wait.

Example

Wartest du auf den Bus?

Are you waiting for the bus?

[doo]

you

The pronoun 'du' in nominative form.

Example

Du bist schön.

You are beautiful.

schon lange?

shohn LAHNG-eh

for a long time already?

'Schon lange' means 'for a long time already'. 'Sch' sounds like English 'sh'.

Example

Ich kenne ihn schon lange.

I have known him for a long time.

Words in this phrase

schon

[shohn]

already

By this time; prior to a specified time.

Example

Er ist schon weg.

He is already gone.

lange

[LAHNG-eh]

long

Used with time expressions to ask or say that something has lasted a long time.

Example

„Lange“ zeigt in „schon lange“ eine längere Zeitspanne.

“Long” in “for a long time” shows a longer period of time.

Guides for German learners

Duolingo vs Pimsleur: Tapping on a Screen or Talking Out Loud?Duolingo vs Pimsleur: five minutes of tapping versus thirty minutes of speaking. What each is good at, what each costs, and which to pick for your goal.

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