How to say "I've had powers for 6 years"??

Question

I'm not sure if it would be imperfect or not. I'm not very good at past tenses.

It is the present perfect - please complete your SD profile - it helps us help you - gracias. - ian-hill, Feb 25, 2014

Answer 1

Hello Squishycarrot99,

In this situation, you wouldn't use the imperfect tense but a tense called the present perfect or past perfect tense. If you are using a perfect tense, it usually is formed by using the auxilliary verb "haber" (to have) plus the past participle.

I would write this as:

He tenido poderes por seis años

I've had powers for six years

Since I am not Spanish, my answers may be slightly inaccurate so please do not be afraid to take in the views of other members on here.

Thank you and I hope this has helped you in some way, ¡Buena suerte!

Answer 2

My opinion:

I have had powers for 6 years implies I still do- it is not over and in the past. I had power for 6 years implies it is over. If it were used for past perfect hube would imply it is over, and would not match I have had, instead I had had (and no longer do)- except is is not how you form the past perfect- you use hber imperfect. Have had is present perfect not past, but in Spanish it is possible to do it differently using "hace seis años" I believe.

My guess would have been:

Hace seis años que tengo poderes

Literally "it makes six years that I have powers"

If I was going to use a perfect tense:

He tenido poderes durante (los últimos) seis años.

Literally "I have had powers during (the last) six years.

There may be better ways , so listen first to any native speaker input.

Let me add that hubo is used primarily as a past of hay when there was a one time event (otherwise haber is not used much in the preterit), "había(or other imperfect conjugation of haber) plus past participle" is the normal past perfect- but then the end point is in the past.

Now that the other answerer has edited their answer, my answer makes less sense. :) - bosquederoble, Apr 19, 2014