Portuguese Phrase
Eles estão juntos há anos.
Meaning
They have been together for years. The sentence emphasizes a long‑lasting relationship or partnership, whether romantic, friendship, or professional.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to comment on the durability of a couple’s relationship, a pair of friends, or collaborators who have stayed side‑by‑side for a considerable period.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Elesestãojuntosháanos
Eles (pronoun)
Third‑person plural personal pronoun meaning “they”. It agrees with the verb in number.
estão (verb estar)
Present indicative of estar, used for temporary states, locations, or ongoing conditions; here it describes the current state of being together.
juntos (adjective)
Adjective meaning “together”; it agrees in gender and number with the subject (masculine plural).
há (verb haver – duration)
From haver, used to express how long something has lasted; equivalent to English “for”.
anos (noun)
Plural of “ano”, meaning “year”. Combined with há it marks a period of time.
🗨In Conversation
Você sabia que o João e a Maria ainda estão juntos?
Did you know that João and Maria are still together?
Sim, eles estão juntos há anos.
Yes, they have been together for years.
✕Common Mistakes
Eles são juntos há anos.
Use "estão" (estar) for a temporary state; "são" (ser) would incorrectly imply a permanent characteristic.
Eles estão juntos tem anos.
"Tem" (ter) is not used to express duration; the correct verb is "há" from "haver".
Eles estão juntos ha anos.
The accent on "há" distinguishes it from the preposition "a"; without the accent the meaning changes.
↔Alternatives
Eles são um casal há muitos anos.
They have been a couple for many years.
Eles convivem há anos.
They have been living together for years.
Eles estão juntos há muito tempo.
They have been together for a long time.
Cultural Tip
In Brazilian Portuguese, using "há" to indicate duration is the most natural way to say “for X time”. Avoid swapping it with "faz" (e.g., *faz anos*), which is common in some regional dialects but can sound informal or incorrect in standard speech. Also, remember that "estar" conveys a current state, while "ser" would suggest a permanent characteristic, so "eles são juntos" is ungrammatical.