Meanings
- Used literally: what length.
How long is that piece of string?
1 more example
I don't know how long the Amazon River is.
- Used literally: what duration.
How long is it to lunch?
3 more examples
How long are you here for? ~ Until the end of next month.
How long have you already been here (for)? ~ Since last Friday
How long ago did you stop playing tennis?
- Used literally: for what duration.
How long have you lived in Chicago?
2 more examples
He won't tell me how long he is going to stay.
How long I slept I cannot tell, for I had nothing to guide me to the time, but woke at length, and found myself still in darkness.
[1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC
Translations
Arabic كَم وَقْتًا, إِلَى مَتَى
- كَم وَقْتًا (kam waqtan)how long (length of time)
- إِلَى مَتَى (ʔilā matā)how long (length of time)
Chinese Mandarin 多長 /多长, 多久
- 多長 /多长 (duō cháng)how long (distance)
- 多久 (duōjiǔ)how long (length of time)
Czech jak dlouho
- jak dlouhohow long (distance)
Danish hvor længe
- hvor længehow long (length of time)
Dutch hoe lang
- hoe langhow long (distance)
Estonian kui kaua
- kui kauahow long (distance)
Finnish kuinka pitkä, kuinka pitkään
- kuinka pitkähow long (distance)
- kuinka pitkäänhow long (length of time)
- kuinka kauanhow long (length of time)
French pour combien de temps, depuis combien de temps
- pour combien de tempshow long (length of time)
- depuis combien de tempshow long (length of time)
- depuis quandhow long (length of time)
- combien de tempshow long (length of time)
German wie lange, wie lange
- wie langehow long (distance)
- wie langehow long (length of time)
Hebrew כַּמָּה זְמַן, עַד מָתַי
- כַּמָּה זְמַן (káma zman)how long (length of time)
- עַד מָתַי ('ad matáy)how long (length of time)
Hungarian milyen hosszú, mekkora
- milyen hosszúhow long (distance)
- mekkorahow long (distance)
- meddighow long (length of time)
- mennyi ideighow long (length of time)
- miótahow long (length of time)
- mennyi idejehow long (length of time)
Irish cá fhad, cén fad
- cá fhadhow long (length of time)
- cén fadhow long (length of time)
- cé chomh fadahow long (length of time)
- cáidehow long (length of time)
Italian quanto tempo, da quando
- quanto tempohow long (length of time)
- da quandohow long (length of time)
Japanese どの位, どの位
- どの位 (donokurai)how long (length of time)
- どの位 (donogurai)how long (length of time)
- どれくらい (dorekurai)how long (length of time)
- どれぐらい (doregurai)how long (length of time)
Korean 얼마나
- 얼마나 (eolmana)how long (length of time)
Latin quamdiu
- quamdiuhow long (length of time)
Polish jak długo
- jak długohow long (length of time)
Portuguese quanto tempo, desde quando
- quanto tempohow long (length of time)
- desde quandohow long (length of time)
Russian како́й длины́, как до́лго
- како́й длины́ (kakój dliný)how long (distance)
- как до́лго (kak dólgo)how long (length of time)
- ско́лько (skólʹko)how long (length of time)
Scottish Gaelic dè cho fad 's, c' fhad
- dè cho fad 'show long (distance)
- c' fhadhow long (distance)
- dè cho fad 'show long (length of time)
- c' fhadhow long (length of time)
Spanish que largo, cuánto tiempo
- que largohow long (distance)
- cuánto tiempohow long (length of time)
- desde cuándohow long (length of time)
Swedish hur länge
- hur längehow long (length of time)
Tagalog gaano katagal
- gaano katagalhow long (duration)
Thai นานแค่ไหน, นานเท่าไร
- นานแค่ไหน (naan kâe năi)how long (length of time)
- นานเท่าไร (naan tâo rai)how long (length of time)
Vietnamese bao lâu
- bao lâuhow long (length of time)
Cite this entry
how long. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/how%20long
“how long.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/how%20long. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “how long,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/how%20long.
Source: how long on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.