The correct answers are How long have you known him? and How long have you liked him?
We use the present perfect ("have" + past participle) with "how long" to ask about the duration of an ongoing situation that started in the past. Because "know" and "like" are state verbs, we use the simple present perfect rather than a continuous (-ing) form. "How long do you know him?" is a common mistake that incorrectly uses the simple present tense.
Perfect tense
- ✅ I have lived here for ten years. — present perfect (started past, still true)
- ❌ I live here for ten years. — wrong (simple present can't bridge past→now)
- ✅ She had finished before I arrived. — past perfect (earlier past)
- ✅ They will have left by noon. — future perfect (completed before future point)
The perfect = have + past participle. Connects an action to a reference point in time. Present perfect bridges past→now. Past perfect marks "earlier past." Future perfect marks "done before a future deadline."
Rule: if the action started in the past and is still relevant now → present perfect (have done). If two past events and you need the earlier one → past perfect (had done).
Questions
- ✅ Do you like coffee? — do-support (no existing auxiliary)
- ✅ Can she swim? — inversion (auxiliary before subject)
- ✅ Where does he live? — wh-question
- ✅ You're coming, aren't you? — tag question
Questions require inversion (auxiliary before subject) or do-support (add do/does/did). Types: yes/no (Do you…?), wh- (What/Where/When…?), negative (Don't you…?), tag (…isn't it?).
Rule: find the auxiliary. Move it before the subject. No auxiliary? Add do/does/did. Never use just intonation in written English (You like coffee? is not standard).
English Grammar Basics
- She is a teacher. — verb be + noun complement
- He runs every day. — present simple, third-person -s
- They don't like coffee. — negation with do-support
- I have two cats. — possession, countable noun, no article before plurals
These sentences demonstrate English Grammar Basics — the foundational patterns every other topic builds on: parts of speech, basic tenses, articles, and simple sentence structure.
If you can identify the verb, the subject, and count the noun correctly, you've nailed the basics that make everything else click.
A2 | Elementary | Pre-intermediate
- ✅ I went to the cinema yesterday. — past simple
- ✅ I have visited Paris twice. — present perfect (life experience)
- ✅ If it rains, I'll take an umbrella. — first conditional
- ✅ You should see a doctor. — modal for advice
These patterns are A2 — the second CEFR level. At A2 you move past survival phrases into real grammar: past tenses, the present perfect, basic conditionals, and modals for advice/obligation.
Marker: if you can describe yesterday and give simple advice, but struggle with abstractions or nuance, you're at A2.
Easy
- She is a teacher. — one verb form, one rule
- I have two cats. — basic possession, short sentence
- He doesn't like coffee. — simple negation with do-support
- Only one answer is clearly correct; distractors are obviously wrong.
Easy marks beginner-level challenges: A1–early A2, one rule at a time, everyday vocabulary, no trick questions.
Use "Easy" when you want to build confidence on a specific rule without interference from other grammar or tricky contexts.