Я бывал тут часами.

English Translation

I’ve been here for hours.

Exactly — “Я бывал тут часами” does not mean “I have been here for hours” in the English present-perfect sense.

Here’s why:

:small_blue_diamond: “Я был тут часами”

One concrete past event.

Natural English: I was here for hours (on one occasion).

:small_blue_diamond: “Я бывал тут часами”

Iterative/habitual past.

Natural English: I used to be here for hours / I would spend hours here.

It means “this happened repeatedly in the past,” not “I have just been sitting here for hours (and I’m still here).”

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