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I can not understand this sentence because of this one all year long.

Oh, it sounds like it's raining all year long in Belgium. Which season is actually the nicest one?

Can someone explain it?

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3 Answers

up vote 4 down vote accepted

It means that it rains every month, that there is no pause in rain downfall from January to December. Obviously, it is not to be taken literally, but only that it rains very frequently.

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that means here i consider rains every month from January to December . – Pratik Jun 5 '12 at 1:27
can you give example using the term "All year long"?if there is "All month long" then it means every day of the month ? – Pratik Jun 5 '12 at 1:31
Literally, all month long means every day, every hour of the month, as in: "The soldiers guarded the tower all month long." In everyday language, however, it often means something more like for a majority of the time this month, as in: "The Flyers have been winning all month long," which could mean the Flyers were 16-0 for the month, but someone might say "all month long," even if the Flyers were only 14-2. As others have mentioned, the phrase doesn't necessarily imply without exception. – J.R. Jun 5 '12 at 9:53
up vote 1 down vote

First, you should be familiar with these expressions:

all day, all week, all night, all month etc.

They don't have to be exact, as in 24 hours for "all day" or 7 days for "all week." Just follow your feeling or the situation when you use them.

Ex. (It seems as though) I have been studying all day.

Next, if you wanna add emphasis or make your sentence stronger you can say:

all day LONG, all week LONG, all night LONG etc.

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up vote 0 down vote

The sentence might be easier to understand with better grammar: "Oh it sounds like it rains all year long in Belgium." - i.e. it seems to rain every day of the year, or seems to rain continuously...

It is a deliberate over-exaggeration. Of course it doesn't rain every day of the year there, but it rains a lot. So, if it rains in summer and spring and winter and autumn, which is the best?

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