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English to English translations [Non-PRO]
Other / Long-Term Action in the Past | | English term or phrase: How long did you/had you been reading... | My friend is reading a book now. I may ask him, 'How long have you been reading this book?", correct?
But what tense should I use in case he read the book some time ago?
What would be the most common way to ask this question?
"How long did you read this book?" or "How long had you been reading it??
I think this one sounds better: "How much did it take you to read it?"
Please help to sort this out! |
| SterkKudoZ activityQuestions: 976 ( 5 open) ( 49 closed without grading) Answers: 0
| | Local time: 05:06
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| | How long did it take you to read it? | Explanation:
If your friend is still reading the book now, you are correct that you would use present perfect: "How long have you been reading this book?"
If he has finished reading the book you can ask: "How long did it take you to read it?"
An alternative would be, "How long were you reading the book (for)?"
However, I think the first option would be the more common question if what you want to know is how long it took him to read the book. |
| Selected response from:
ClaraVal
Spain
| Grading comment Thank you Clara
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer |
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| Discussion entries: 0 |
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Automatic update in 00:
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9 mins confidence:  peer agreement (net): +6 | how long did you/had you been reading... How long did it take you to read it?
Explanation:
If your friend is still reading the book now, you are correct that you would use present perfect: "How long have you been reading this book?"
If he has finished reading the book you can ask: "How long did it take you to read it?"
An alternative would be, "How long were you reading the book (for)?"
However, I think the first option would be the more common question if what you want to know is how long it took him to read the book.
| ClaraVal
Spain
Native speaker of:  English
PRO pts in category: 4
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The translation workplace 
