Spanish Phrase
Llevo cinco años trabajando.
Meaning
The speaker is saying that they have been working continuously for five years, up to the present moment. The focus is on the duration of the activity rather than the exact start date.
When to use
Use this sentence when you want to talk about how long you have been employed, studying, or performing any activity that has lasted for a period of time up to now. It is common in job interviews, casual conversation about experience, or when highlighting a personal achievement.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Llevocincoañostrabajando
Llevar + gerundio
The construction 'llevar' + gerund expresses how long an action has been ongoing up to the present.
Number + noun (años)
A cardinal number directly precedes a time noun (años) to indicate duration.
Gerundio (trabajando)
The gerund of a verb (trabajar → trabajando) conveys a continuous, ongoing action.
🗨In Conversation
¿Cuánto tiempo llevas trabajando aquí?
How long have you been working here?
Llevo cinco años trabajando.
I've been working for five years.
✕Common Mistakes
Estoy cinco años trabajando.
‘Estar + gerundio’ describes a temporary state, not a duration.
Hace cinco años trabajando.
‘Hace + time + gerundio’ is not grammatical; use ‘hace + time + que + verb’ instead.
Llevo cinco años de trabajando.
The preposition ‘de’ is unnecessary after ‘llevo’ in this construction.
↔Alternatives
Trabajo aquí desde hace cinco años.
I have been working here for five years.
He trabajado aquí durante cinco años.
I have worked here for five years.
Hace cinco años que trabajo aquí.
It's been five years since I started working here.
Cultural Tip
In Spanish, the 'llevar + gerundio' construction is the most natural way to talk about the length of an ongoing activity. It sounds more conversational than the literal translation of the English present perfect progressive. Remember that the gerund never takes a direct object; the action it describes must be understood from context.