Abito a Milano da tre anni.I have lived in Milan for three years.

To say that a situation began in the past and is still going on now, Italian uses the present tense with da and a time expression. English needs a different tense (I have lived), but Italian simply says I live ... da three years.

Quick shortcut: present tense + da + a length of time (da tre anni) or a starting point (da settembre). The verb stays in the present because the situation is still true today.

1. Da + a length of time: for

After da, a length of time says how long the situation has lasted so far:

  • Studio italiano da due anni. (I've been studying Italian for two years.)
  • Aspetto da un'ora. (I've been waiting for an hour.)
  • Lavoriamo qui da sei mesi. (We've been working here for six months.)
  • Marta dorme da mezz'ora. (Marta has been sleeping for half an hour.)

A length of time follows da directly, with no definite article: da tre anni, da mezz'ora. A number like un'ora (one hour) keeps its own indefinite article.

2. Da + a starting point: since

Da can also name the moment the situation began:

  • Vivo a Roma da settembre. (I've lived in Rome since September.)
  • Sono stanco da ieri. (I've been tired since yesterday.)
  • Studio da lunedì. (I've been studying since Monday.)
  • Abitiamo qui dal 2020. (We've lived here since 2020.)
  • Aspetto dalle otto. (I've been waiting since eight o'clock.)

With days, months and words like ieri, there is no article (da lunedì, da settembre, da ieri). With years and clock times, da joins the article, as in Articulated prepositions: da + il 2020 → dal 2020, da + le otto → dalle otto.

3. Questions: Da quanto tempo...?

To ask how long, Italian uses da quanto tempo (or the shorter da quanto). To ask since when, it uses da quando:

  • Da quanto tempo abiti qui? — Da tre anni. (How long have you lived here? — For three years.)
  • Da quando studi italiano? — Da settembre. (Since when have you been studying Italian? — Since September.)

The short answer simply repeats da with the time: Da due anni., Da lunedì. For other question words, see Question words.

4. Negative sentences

With a negative sentence, da says how long something has not happened. Here Italian can use the present tense or the passato prossimo, and both are standard:

  • Non vedo Marco da due settimane. (I haven't seen Marco for two weeks.)
  • Non ho visto Marco da due settimane. (I haven't seen Marco for two weeks.)

For the negative itself, see Negative words.

5. Da, per and fa

Three small words can sit next to a time expression, and each does a different job:

Word Job Example
da a situation that continues until now Abito qui da tre anni. (I've lived here for three years, and I still do.)
per a stated length of time, often a finished one Ho abitato a Roma per tre anni. (I lived in Rome for three years.)
fa how long ago something happened Sono arrivato tre anni fa. (I arrived three years ago.)

So Abito qui da tre anni and Sono arrivato tre anni fa both talk about the same three years, but the first describes how long you have been here, and the second says when you arrived. The two words are not used together in one expression.

Common mistakes

  • ❌ Sono a Milano da tre anni fa. → ✅ Sono a Milano da tre anni. (da and fa are not combined; use one or the other)
  • ❌ Abitiamo qui da 2020. → ✅ Abitiamo qui dal 2020. (a year takes the article, so da becomes dal)
  • ❌ Aspetto da le otto. → ✅ Aspetto dalle otto. (da + le joins into one word)
  • ❌ Da quando tempo abiti qui? → ✅ Da quanto tempo abiti qui? (quanto tempo asks for a length of time; da quando is followed directly by a verb)

Quick check

You can try saying each idea in Italian:

  1. I've been studying Italian for two years.
  2. We've lived here since 2019.
  3. Marta has been waiting since eight o'clock.
  4. How long have you worked here?
  5. I haven't seen Anna since Monday.
  6. I arrived in Italy three years ago.
Show answers
  1. Studio italiano da due anni.   2. Abitiamo qui dal 2019.   3. Marta aspetta dalle otto.   4. Da quanto tempo lavori qui?   5. Non vedo Anna da lunedì. (or Non ho visto Anna da lunedì.)   6. Sono arrivato in Italia tre anni fa. (or Sono arrivata)

Key takeaways

  • Da with a time expression says how long a situation has lasted until now.
  • With an affirmative sentence about a situation that continues, the verb is in the present: Abito qui da tre anni.
  • Da + a length of time means for; da + a starting point means since.
  • Years and clock times join the article: dal 2020, dalle otto.
  • Ask with da quanto tempo (how long) or da quando (since when).
  • Fa says how long ago something happened, and it is not used together with da.