What is the difference between using Haber & Hacer in Present Perfect

Question

for example :

He estado estudiando durante tres horas. (I have been studying for three hours.)

Hace un año que estudio español. (I have been studying Spanish for one year.)

Both answers are good in their understanding of the 2 sentences. Chileno's points out that the second sentence emphasizes the entire time since you began studying Spanish: It's been a (whole) year that (during which) I am studying Spanish. - Jubilado, Aug 27, 2015

Answer 1

mona898

for example :

He estado estudiando durante tres horas. (I have been studying for three hours.)

Hace un año que estudio español. (I have been studying Spanish for one year.)

The problem is that you didn't translate correctly the second one. It should've been:

It's been a year studying Spanish.

Would that help in any way?

Please complete you language profile.

Thanks.

Answer 2

Welcome to the forum

He estado estudiando durante tres horas. (I have been studying for three hours.)

Hace un año que estudio español. (I have been studying Spanish for one year.)

They are different ways of expressing a similar concept, but grammatically the haber form is present perfect, and the hacer form is not (it is in the simple present)

The first sentence says what you put in parentheses. The second literally says:

It makes a year that I (study/am studying) Spanish.

To me the first sounds like you did it continuously- you spent the whole three hours studying, whereas the second way sounds like you have been studying during that time, but not all the time- just over that time off and on. That is the time since you first studied.

I am an intermediate level learner and not a native, so I would also wait for other thoughts, especially on my last statement.

If you plan on continuing to participate in the forum, it is asked that you fill out profile, at least the language levels and your sex (which is important in correcting the endings of adjectives that describe you, etc.)

Just when you think you've got control of Spanish tenses they confuse you. I agree with your understanding of the present perfect progressive but sometimes the usage is less clear. Spanish speakers use past tenses sometimes in ways that don't literally - Jubilado, Aug 27, 2015

translate into English. I notice this in some American English dialects where the past perfect is used to express just the past tense: I had told her = I told her. I don't think I made myself clear but you did! - Jubilado, Aug 27, 2015

 the first one the verb used is the "haber" but in the second one is the verb "hacer" that in intransitive and inpersonal sentences have the meaning of to have passed the time period which is indicated - 000a35ff, Aug 28, 2015