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

等很久了吗？

děng hěn jiǔ le ma

[dung hen jiǔ le ma]

💬 Usage Tip: Chinese often drops "you" when it's obvious from context. Here 等 "wait" starts the question with no subject. 了 marks that the waiting has already happened, and 吗 at the end turns the statement into a yes/no question.

Phrase Breakdown

等很久

děng hěn jiǔ

wait a long time

等 (děng) means 'to wait'. 很久 (hěn jiǔ) means 'a long time'. Both 很 and 久 are third tone, so 很 changes to second tone: hén jiǔ.

Example

我等很久了。

I've been waiting a long time.

Words in this phrase

等

děng

[dung]

to wait

Describes the act of staying prepared or in expectation for something to happen.

Example

我在等班车。

I am waiting for the bus.

很

hěn

[hen]

very

An adverb meaning “very,” often used before adjectives in polite conversation.

Example

这个活动很热闹，“很”常用来加强语气。

This event is lively; 很 is often used to strengthen the tone.

久

jiǔ

[jiǔ]

long (time)

Describes a long period of time.

Example

你等了多久？

How long did you wait?

了吗？

le ma

(have you)…? (question ending)

了 (le) marks a completed or changed state. 吗 (ma) turns the sentence into a yes/no question. Both are light, neutral-tone syllables, so let your pitch rise gently at the end.

Example

你吃饭了吗？

Have you eaten?

Words in this phrase

了

[le]

change-of-state particle

Used with 快…了 to show something is about to happen.

Example

火车快来了。

The train is about to arrive.

吗

[ma]

question particle

A sentence-final particle used to turn a statement into a yes-no question.

Example

你是第一次来吗？这里的“吗”表示提问。

Is this your first time here? Here, 吗 marks a question.

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