long-standing
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long-standing
Describes a person or a relationship that has existed for many years or has performed a particular function for many years.
Er ist ein langjähriger Freund meiner Familie.
He is a long-standing friend of my family.
The word is transparently built: it consists of 'lang' (long), 'Jahr' (year), and the adjective ending '-ig'. So it literally means 'lasting many years' or 'existing over many years'.
Unsere langjährige Zusammenarbeit war immer sehr erfolgreich.
Our long-standing cooperation was always very successful.
'Langjährig' (long-standing) is used almost exclusively attributively, meaning it stands directly before a noun. Predicative use, e.g. 'Die Erfahrung ist langjährig.' (The experience is long-standing), is rare and often sounds unnatural.
Er ist ein Mitarbeiter mit langjähriger Berufserfahrung.
He is an employee with many years of professional experience.
In relation to people and relationships, 'langjährig' (long-standing) is often combined with nouns such as 'Freund' (friend), 'Mitarbeiter' (employee), 'Kollege' (colleague), 'Partner' (partner), 'Mitgliedschaft' (membership), or 'Freundschaft' (friendship).
Sie ist eine langjährige Mitarbeiterin in unserer Firma.
She is a long-standing employee at our company.
When referring to processes or developments, 'langjährig' (long-standing / many years of) often comes before abstract nouns such as 'Erfahrung' (experience), 'Tradition' (tradition), 'Praxis' (practice), or 'Prozess' (process).
Das Unternehmen blickt auf eine langjährige Tradition zurück.
The company looks back on a long-standing tradition.
to learn / experience
'erfahren' and 'langjährig' can both have to do with a lot of time and practice. In the relevant use here, 'erfahren' describes a person who has learned a lot through many experiences or through work. 'langjährig' mainly says that something has existed or lasted for many years, for example a working relationship, a friendship, or an experience. The words can be confusing because many years often also bring a lot of experience. But 'langjährig' emphasizes the length of time, while 'erfahren' emphasizes the skill or knowledge that has come from it.
Die Lehrerin bedankt sich bei ihrer langjährigen Kollegin für die Hilfe.
The teacher thanks her long-standing colleague for the help.
Der erfahrene Arzt bleibt auch in schwierigen Situationen ruhig.
The experienced doctor stays calm even in difficult situations.