We use how far to talk about distance.

How far is our classroom from the washroom? It’s about 30 metres.

We use how long to talk about the amount of time something takes.

How long is the movie? It’s 2 hours.

Remember, when you make a question with a verb other than the be verb, you need to use an auxiliary verb (do/did, have/had, will, are/is, etc). For example:

How far do you usually walk? I walk 5 kilometres.  (Present Simple)

How long did you wait? I waited 30 minutes. (Past Simple)

How far will you drive? (Future Simple)

How long have you been living in Canada? (Present Perfect Continuous)

Now let’s practice! Complete with the correct question word – how long or how far.

1 ____________________ is New York from Los Angeles?

New York is about 2,900 miles from Los Angeles.

2 ____________________ does she usually spend in traffic?

She usually spends 2 hours in traffic.

3 ____________________ is Melbourne from Paris?

Melbourne is 12,249 miles far from Paris.

4 ____________________did he play tennis?

He played tennis for 30 minutes.

5 ____________________do you usually stretch in the morning?

I usually stretch for 10 minutes.

6 ____________________far ​is the bus stop?

The bus stop is 200 meters away.

Now make questions to match the answers.

1.A:___________________________________ ? B: I slept for six hours.

2. A:____________________________________ ? B: I have been working at my company for two years.

3. A:_____________________________________? B: I rode my bicycle for 5 miles.

4. A:__________________________________ ? B: My house is 15 kilometres from my work.

5. A:_________________________________ ? B: Kate waited an hour for the bus.

6. A:__________________________________ ? B: The lessons are 20 minutes.

7. A:____________________________________ ? B: I had to stand for 30 minutes.

How Long for Physical Length

We can also use How long to talk about the physical length of something, e.g. your hair or a river. 

How long is the Nile river? How long was the line?

In these questions, we are asking about length. This is the regular meaning of the word long.

For the answers, please click here.