Please help me to see if this is correct

[Steven Mai]

Hi, can you help me to see if the questions we ask are correct?
I went to a exhibition with my friend last night, there was a stand displaying a machine that make rings, and we wondered how long it's gonna take, so we asked the staff with our broken English since they don't speak Vietnamese which is our mother tongue : How long is it gonna take? then the staff tells us it's gonna take 2 hours, then I continue to ask : How long is it now? ( What I wanted to ask was how long had the ring been being made) The answer was 1 hour.
So the two questions we asked were : How long is it gonna take? and How long is it now?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[Tdol]

I'd use something like When did it last ring?

 

[TheParser]

How long is it gonna take? then the staff tells us it's gonna take 2 hours, then I continue to ask : How long is it now? ( What I wanted to ask was how long had the ring been being made) The answer was 1 hour.

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Mr. Mai:

I am not sure whether I understand your question correctly, but are you referring to something like this:

You: How long does it take to make a ring?

Staff: Two hours.

You: How long have you (already) been working on the ring?

Staff: For about an hour.





James

 

[emsr2d2]

I'd use something like When did it last ring?

I think the machine makes actual rings (presumably for your finger). I don't think the machine rings (like a phone!) :-?

 

[Steven Mai]

Further ask, what does the "last" mean in this sentence? is it like "make" or sort of? Thanks.

 

[Raymott]

So the two questions we asked were : How long is it gonna take? and How long is it now?

Many thanks in advance.

'gonna' is slang. Use "going to" if you want to be taken seriously.

 

[emsr2d2]

Further ask, what does the "last" mean in this sentence? is it like "make" or sort of? Thanks.

When did it last ring? = When was the last time that it rang?

It's not really relevant because it appears that Tdol may have misunderstood, and thought that the machine made a ringing noise, like a telephone.