131. A present act or state which began in the past is expressed by the
present tense (instead of by the past as in English):
Mi estas cxi tie de lundo, I have been (I am) here since Monday.
De Marto mi studas tiun lingvon,
since March I have been (I am) studying that language.
Ili estas amikoj de tiu tago,
they have been (they are) friends from that day.
Ni logxas tie de antaux kelkaj monatoj,
we have been living (we are living) here since some months ago.
[Footnote: Cf. German "er ist schon lange hier", he has already been
here a long time, French "je suis ici depuis deux ans", I have been here
two years, etc.]