How do I say in spanish "I have been...." ?

Question

I am subbing and the students are writing a letter to Santa Clause for an assignment.

Answer 1

Well....if you translate to spanish the verb TO BE...u'll get 2 translations. That are ..SER...or ESTAR.
So.....according with your question, you'll have 2 ways for your request
The literal translation would be.....Yo he estado ( from verb ESTAR) or.....Yo he sido ( from verb SER)

I assumed that u want to say. Yo he sido un/una niño/a bueno/a....obediente...
estudioso/a.......etc


In spite of that, i dont know how exactly you want to use it..
Can u add something else?? I should like to help you in a better way

Answer 2

Listen to Linda. She's got good examples.

If the phrase you're trying to translate is followed by a verb, then it's different from Linda's answer:

Yo he estado ayudando a mi mamá todo el año. "I have been helping my mom all year."

Although this is possible in Spanish, Spanish speakers don't prefer to use progressive constructions, so they would say instead:
Yo he ayudado a mi mamá todo el año.

And depending on the context, they may or may not use "yo" for the subject.

By the way, in Mexico the gifts are not brought by Santa Claus but by the Three Kings, who come on January 6. This might be a good opportunity for you to tell the students about cultural differences in Christmas celebrations in different parts of the world. (I am not familiar enough with the Christmas practices of countries other than Mexico to tell you for sure, but I suspect that the Three Kings give gifts to all Spanish-speaking children.)

Answer 3

The Philippines and Mexico had been colonized through the Spaniards nearly at the identical time. Ferdinand Magellan is certainly Portuguese, however has Spanish troops. Spaniard Hernán Cortés went to Mexico in 1519. The Aztec King Moctezuma II invited the spaniard to Tenochtitlán, he believed that Cortés probably the serpent god Quetzalcoatl. It was once a disastrous plan given that Cortés was once capable to make allies in an effort to the position. In May 1521, Cortez and his fans attacked and conquered the Aztecs. Cortés then colonized the discipline and named it Nueva España (New Spain). By 1574, Spain managed a massive element of the Aztec empire and had enslaved many of the indigenous populace. And while did the Spanish arrived within the Philippines? 1521 proper? The identical yr that Cortés invaded the Aztec populace in New Spain.

Answer 4

There are two definitions:

Yo he estado-verbo estar

Ex.:

(Yo) he estado muy ocupada ultimamente/I have been very busy lately

Yo he sido-verbo ser

Ex.:

Me gustaria una muñeca barbie, (yo) he sido muy buena este año/I would like a barbie doll, I have been a good girl this year.

also:

Me he portado tan bien que merezco un carro nuevo/I have behaved so good that I deserve a new car.

Since the students are writing a letter to Santa Clause then it's "Yo he sido"

Answer 5

In addition to the good answers above, if your phrase "I have been . . ." is following by a verb+ing, like "Dear Santa, I have been studying the Lap language for a year," then a construction like "Querido Claus. llevo un año estudiando el idioma lap" is required.

Answer 6

Yo me he portado bien.
I have been good (literally I have behaved myself)

If you say Yo he sido una nina buena...this means I have been a good girl.

Answer 7

He sido una chica buena = I have been a good girl
He sido un chico bueno = I have been a good boy.
He sido una chica buena este ano. = I have been a good girl this year.
Note: ano is pronounced ahn-yo.

Answer 8

Yo he sido.....

Or just He sido..... (in Spanish there are many cases where you can omit the pronoun).

You can complete the sentence by adding

..... bueno(a); estudioso(a); esforzado and so forth

Answer 9

I = yo.
have = tener
Tthough you will need a specific tense... I want to say pluperfect. It's tricky, so make sure the kids know that one :) You can probably find it in the text book before class. Good Luck

Answer 10

One way to say is: " Yo he sido una nina buena."
or " Yo he sido un nino obediente."
or "Yo me he portado bien." (Sorry, don't have spanish "n".)
Hope it helps.