Literal translation
of long
Meaning
all the time, constantly
Explanation
This adverbial phrase means 'all the time', 'constantly', 'without stopping'. It extends the idea of length into duration: what happens 'de longo' happens across the whole length of time, without a break, like an unbroken line. The adjective 'long' loses its spatial sense here to describe temporal continuity, a shift common across Romance languages. The phrase belongs to familiar speech and appears both in complaints ('it rains de longo') and in neutral remarks about a recurring habit. It typically follows the verb it modifies and functions as a plain adverb of frequency, invariable in gender and number. Still very much alive in spoken Provençal, it remains one of the most common ways to stress the repetition or permanence of a fact, often carrying a note of weariness or irritation at something that never lets up.