What's the difference between saying: How long you been working here? and How long

[B45]

What's the difference between saying:

How long you been working here?

and

How long have you been working here?

Which would a native speaker say in conversation? Both?

 

[Matthew Wai]

How long you been working here?

I consider it ungrammatical, but I am not a teacher.

 

[mawes12]

I think both are possible.

 

[KillerOrange]

"How long have you been working here" is the grammatically correct sentence.

"How long you been working here" is slang, only used in spoken English.

 

[mawes12]

"How long you been working here" is slang, only used in spoken English.

I thought 'have' was optional. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[tedmc]

How long you been working here?

It is a slang alright. It is wrong without the "have".

 

[Matthew Wai]

"How long you been working here" is slang, only used in spoken English.

Would it be informally acceptable in spoken English if 'been' was also omitted?

 

[mawes12]

Would it be informally acceptable in spoken English if 'been' was also omitted?

I think it would be correct maybe if you say 'How long have you worked here'.

Not a teacher.

 

[tedmc]

I think it would be correct maybe if you say 'How long have you worked here'.

Not a teacher.

There is a difference though. It means the person may have stopped working at the place when the question was asked, whereas with the first question, he still is working there.

 

[mawes12]

There is a difference though. It means the person may have stopped working at the place when the question was asked, whereas with the first question, he still is working there.

Are you saying '-ing' shows you are still doing and '-ed' shows that you stop?

 

[Matthew Wai]

I think the present perfect can refer to an action that has just stopped, but I am not a teacher.

 

[mawes12]

How about if the word is 'have been'?

 

[Matthew Wai]

I think 'have been doing something' refers to ongoing action that began in the past, but I am not a teacher.