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German Phrase

Wie lange bist du schon hier?

/viː ˈlaŋə bɪst duː ʃoːn hiːɐ̯/
Meaning"How long have you been here?"
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Meaning

The sentence asks the listener to state the amount of time they have already spent at the current location. It implies that the speaker is curious or surprised about how long the person has been there.

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When to use

Use this question in informal conversations when you meet someone at a party, a meeting, a café, or any place where you want to know how long they have been present. It works best with people you address with ‘du’.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Wielangebistduschonhier?

1

Wie lange

The interrogative phrase ‘Wie lange’ asks about duration and is placed at the beginning of the question.

2

bist

‘bist’ is the 2nd‑person singular present of the verb sein (to be). In questions the verb comes right after the interrogative phrase.

3

du

Personal pronoun ‘du’ is the informal ‘you’. It follows the verb in a main‑clause question.

4

schon

‘schon’ means ‘already’ and adds the nuance that the speaker expected the person to have been there for a while.

5

hier

‘hier’ is the adverb of place ‘here’. It normally appears at the end of the clause.

🗨In Conversation

A

Wie lange bist du schon hier?

How long have you been here?

Ich bin seit zwei Stunden hier.

I've been here for two hours.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Wie lange bist du hier?

    Missing ‘schon’ loses the nuance of ‘already’ and can sound less natural in casual talk.

  • Wie lange du bist hier?

    Verb‑subject order is wrong in a main‑clause question; the verb must come right after the interrogative phrase.

  • Wie lange bist du hier seit?

    ‘seit’ belongs at the beginning of a prepositional phrase, not at the end of the sentence.

↔Alternatives

  • Seit wann bist du hier?

    Since when have you been here?

  • Wie lange bist du hier?

    How long are you here?

  • Wie lange bist du schon hier?

    How long have you already been here?

de

Cultural Tip

In German, adding ‘schon’ often conveys a mild sense of surprise or expectation – the speaker assumes the person might have been there for a while. In very formal contexts you would replace ‘du’ with ‘Sie’ and say ‘Wie lange sind Sie schon hier?’