The phrase "for hours already" is correct and usable in written English.
It is used to describe a duration of time that started at some point in the past and is still ongoing in the present. For example: "I've been waiting for hours already and still no sign of my friend."
Then I found myself thinking: get a grip you lazy Dutchman, think of those people you've been interviewing, some of whom have been up for hours already.
"There are limitations and we'll have to adapt our concept, but the key is that the ritual of socializing over tea and coffee for hours already exists there in people's homes," he said.
Even when they were at home, they would never have been idling around in their nightclothes at eleven in the morning; they would have been at work for hours already, in the kitchen or turning out the lodgers' rooms, with their sleeves rolled up and coarse aprons tied over their clothes.
We'd talked by phone for hours already, but I wanted to meet him in person.
We understand that it has been out for hours already, but whatever future-bass flip of "No Tellin'" you're currently working on can wait a few days.
Heraclitus: And how will depriving ourselves of sleep to watch only what we've watched for hours already be so decisive a factor in our estimation of The Clock or of Time?
It's been experiencing issues for a number of hours already, and is still unreachable as of this writing.
"How about we walk up Pickle Street?" What was Pammy trying to do? Cripple her? They'd been out for two hours already.
You get there at 9 a.m. and the rich bankers who you want to hurl insults at and change their worldview have been at work for two hours already.
But when you're a big star, playing to a crowd of tens of thousands, many of whom may well have been imbibing for many hours already, then the artist is holding all the cards.
