The construction ''Llevar + gerundio

Question

Does the construction "Llevar + gerundio" express an action which began in the past,continues in the present and will continue in the future?.Could this construction replace the perfect past continuous?.Is it correct?:

Llevo estudiando dos años = I have been studying for two years

Llevo caminando tres horas pero no encontré a nadie = I have been walking for two hours but I didn't meet anybody. Thanks!.

Answer 1

Llevar + quantity of time + gerund of the verb expresses the amount of time that you have been doing the action. e.g. Llevo tres horas esperándole = I have been waiting for him/her for three hours. It is a paraphrase and you can't utilize it in preterite perfect or indefinate or imperative.

Answer 2

Llevo dos años estudiando

Llevo tres horas caminando

When the sentence structure is like this, then it basically has the same meaning as present perfect continuous.

Llevo plus gerundio does not work in these senarios.