Tenses & Verb Forms

Since vs. For

1 min read

We use since and for to talk about how long something has been happening — but they are used in different ways depending on the type of time reference.

When to use “since”

Since is used with a specific point in time — when something started. This can be a date, a day, or a specific event.

She’s lived in Berlin since 2018.
I haven’t seen him since Monday.
They’ve been married since last summer.

When to use “for”

For is used with a length of time — a period or duration.

She’s lived in Berlin for five years.
I haven’t seen him for two days.
They’ve been married for a long time.

💡 Tip

Use “since” with a starting point in time (e.g. since 9 AM, since last week).
Use “for” with a duration of time (e.g. for 3 hours, for six months).

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

We’ve lived here ___ 2010.

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Tenses & Verb Forms

Since vs. For

1 min read

We use since and for to talk about how long something has been happening — but they are used in different ways depending on the type of time reference.

When to use “since”

Since is used with a specific point in time — when something started. This can be a date, a day, or a specific event.

She’s lived in Berlin since 2018.
I haven’t seen him since Monday.
They’ve been married since last summer.

When to use “for”

For is used with a length of time — a period or duration.

She’s lived in Berlin for five years.
I haven’t seen him for two days.
They’ve been married for a long time.

💡 Tip

Use “since” with a starting point in time (e.g. since 9 AM, since last week).
Use “for” with a duration of time (e.g. for 3 hours, for six months).

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

We’ve lived here ___ 2010.

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

Other similar rules

Conjugation

Collective/plural nouns: People, Police, Staff

Common confusions

I.e. vs. E.g.

Common confusions

Who's vs. Whose

Agreement rules

Parallel Structure (Parallelism)

Agreement rules

Using “wish” + correct tense

Common mistakes

Yet / Still / Already

Common confusions

More than vs. Over

Common confusions