maandenlang

Maandenlang is a Dutch term that functions as both an adverb and an adjective, indicating that something lasts for a period of many months or extends over several months. It is a closed compound formed from maand (month) and lang (long), and is commonly used to express duration or the length of a period.

As an adverb, maandenlang modifies a verb to describe actions that take place over months, for example: "Maandenlang wachtten ze op nieuws" (They waited for news for months). As an attributive adjective, it can precede a noun and change form to agree with the noun, yielding phrases such as "maandenlange periode" or "maandenlange onzekerheid" (months-long period, months-long uncertainty). The basic form remains maandenlang in places where no noun is directly modified, but when used with a noun, the corresponding inflected form is used, such as "maandenlange reis" or "maandenlange stilte."

In translation, maandenlang can be rendered in English as "months-long" when describing a noun, or as "for months" when modifying a verb. The term is common in formal and semi-formal Dutch writing and speech, and it conveys a sense of extended duration without specifying the exact number of months.

Etymologically, the word is a straightforward compound of maand and lang, reflecting a typical Dutch pattern of creating duration-focused descriptors by combining a time unit with an intensifying adjective.