How long has your chest hurt?

Question

I would like to know if these two sentences are correct.

How long has your chest hurt?

How long has your chest hurt ago?

Thank you.

1st one Nila - but better would be "How long has your chest been hurting" - ian-hill, Nov 14, 2011

Remember that English speakers just love using the continuous tenses whenever they can - much more than in Spanish. - ian-hill, Nov 14, 2011

Yes, Ian is right. - annierats, Nov 14, 2011

Answer 1

How long has your chest hurt ago?

Normalmente ago se usa en pretérito, como "How long ago did you start feeling chest pains?"

To me, Native American means Red Indian!

For me, "Red Indian" is someone from India (Indian) who has red skin - if there is such a thing. Native Americans never came from India. Christopher Colombus was mistaken.

Julian, soy sueca. Los vikingos han descubierto America, pero claro, el territorio no estaba vacia. Indians from India are just Indians. - annierats, Nov 14, 2011

Era, I mean, the Red Indians were already there. - annierats, Nov 14, 2011

Answer 2

Hi nila

If your question is as a response to something someone has said to you such as,

My chest (really) hurts

Then your reply "How long has your chest hurt"? is prefectly acceptable. All other examples are just another way of expressing a similar question. It would depend on what prompted your question.

Answer 3

The first sentence is better, but I would not say it that way.

To clarify, from my perspective

this is the phrase to ask a patient coming into the emergency room with chest pains

How long have you had this pain in your chest?

This is the phrase to ask a patient who reports some recurring chest pains.

How long have you been having chest pains?

Answer 4

I'm getting very worried:

If you are in England and you think you're having a heart attack I recommend you dial 999, point at your chest when the paramedics arrive and just groan and roll your eyes. At least you will then be taken to the A&E and a doctor will see you, at some point, maybe later on. If you're still alive. This doctor is unlikely to be English.He/she won't understand the finer points of English, many doctors nowadays speak very little English indeed. Point at your chest and say' It hurts/ it hurts terribly!' You will now be given aspirin and sent home. Don't say 'It hurt long ago'. If you do, you will not even get the aspirin. This really is the best advice I can give you. In the U.S. I believe you show the contents of your wallet before anybody asks you any questions, but I hope I'm wrong.

Good one Annie ,just about the size of it in Oz too. - jennyo45, Nov 14, 2011

Yes, sad but true. They ghave excellent hositals in France, but, the French have an alarming tendency to speak French.. - annierats, Nov 14, 2011

Ouch! That's some killer sarcasm there. :-D - Gekkosan, Nov 14, 2011

Soy una mujer aburrida, nada más. - annierats, Nov 14, 2011

Answer 5

How long has your chest hurt? = For what length of time have you had chest pain?

How long ago did your chest hurt? = What period of time has passed since you last had chest pain?

Yes, but you will get a foreign doctor in England and he/she will not be able to pick up on all this. - annierats, Nov 14, 2011

There's always mime, of course. - Gekkosan, Nov 14, 2011

Answer 6

The first sentence is perfectly correct - it depends on context how it is used.

The second sentence is not correct and can never be used.

Hope this helps.

Answer 7

"How long has your chest been hurting?" would be a better I think.. To say what 'dogwood' I think I would ask "How long have you been having chest pain?"

I don't think any native american would say "How long has your chest hurt ago?" but everybody would know what you mean. Instead I would ask "How long ago was it that your chest was hurting?"

To me, Native American means Red Indian! - annierats, Nov 14, 2011

your chest started hurting. your chest was hurting implies it no longer hurts. - Eddy, Nov 14, 2011

Jaja Annie. Tienes razón. Que interesante. - MLucie, Nov 14, 2011

Mlucie,Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee was a favourite book of mine when I was young.. It's tragic. - annierats, Nov 14, 2011

I mean, Wounded Knee, not the fact I was young! - annierats, Nov 14, 2011

Answer 8

A doctor will ask: Do you have any chest pain?This question to an asymptomatic patient. To someone who complains of chest pains: How long do you have chest pain? And then questions about the characteristics of the pain.

Answer 9

La segunda es incorrecta. Podrías decir: "When did you start feeling pain in your chest?"

Yes, that's good, in case it's a heart-attack, I was thinking more of pneumonia.. - annierats, Nov 14, 2011

Answer 10

For how long has your chest been hurting? is a better way of saying it.

Your second sentence is not terribly correct, you can't use ago, in this way.

Ago goes with a specified amount of time : it was long ago. My chest hurt long ago. ( This puts it in the distant past.) It happened years ago.

My head has ached for two days.

I've had a temperature for 3 days and I feel very ill.

These are more ongoing examples. You need treatment now, the problem is recent, still with you. ! Your first sentence is ok, but not totally English sounding. It would be understood, don't get stressed!