Common mistakes
Since or for: talking about time correctly
Two short words answer different time questions. Since tells your listener when something began. For tells them how long it has lasted.
Choose since for a starting point and for for a period of time when you describe how long a situation has continued.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
since and for /sɪns/ and /fɔː/
The short answer
Use since before the point when something began, such as since Monday or since 2021. Use for before a period or duration, such as for three days or for a long time.
I have worked from home since April.
Why it works: April is the starting point of the arrangement.
3 more examples
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Nadia has lived near the station since 2021.
2021 is the point when Nadia began living there.
Not this:Nadia has lived near the station
for five years. What changes: Five years is the length of the period, so it follows for. -
The receptionist has been away for twenty minutes.
Twenty minutes measures the duration of the absence.
Not this:The receptionist has been away
since 2:30. What changes: 2:30 names the moment when the absence began. -
We have used this route since the bridge reopened.
Since introduces a clause that gives the starting event.
Not this:We have used this route
for the whole summer. What changes: The whole summer is a period of time, not one starting event.
Read the full guide
Ask one question before you choose the word. Are you naming the beginning, or are you naming the amount of time? The beginning needs since. The amount of time needs for.
Name the beginning with since
Use since when you can point to the moment, date, day, or event when a situation began. It answers the question When did it start?
I have kept this notebook since my first day at college.
My first day at college is a starting event. It is not a length of time.
Measure the period with for
Use for when the next words measure a period. The period can be short, long, exact, or approximate.
The children have been outside for nearly an hour.
Nearly an hour tells us the duration. Since an hour would be incorrect because an hour is not a starting point.
Use the present perfect for continuing situations
Since and for commonly describe something that started earlier and is still true now. English often uses the present perfect for this connection between past and present.
My brother has played the violin for six years.
My brother has played the violin since he was ten.
Which expression gives the starting point?
Since he was ten gives the starting point. For six years gives the duration.
Follow since with a point or a clause
After since, you can use a time expression or a clause. A clause contains a subject and a verb and can name the event that began the period.
The cafe has been busier since the new market opened.
The new market opened is a clause. It tells us which event started the change.
Notice when since means because
Not every since phrase is about time. At the beginning of a sentence, since can also give a reason. The meaning of the whole sentence tells you which use is intended.
Since the weather changed, the match was postponed.
Here since means because. It explains why the match was postponed, rather than when a period began.
Does since always need a present-perfect verb?
No. The present perfect is common for a situation that continues to now, but since can also introduce a past starting event or mean because.
Before you go
Remember this
Use since with the beginning of a period and for with its length. Check the words that follow: a date, day, time, or event takes since; an amount of time takes for.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "Since or for: talking about time correctly"
What is the main difference between since and for?
Since introduces the point when a period began, while for introduces the length of the period. For example, since 2021 names a starting year, and for five years names a duration.
Nadia has lived near the station since 2021.
Do I use since or for with a year?
Use since with a particular year when it is the beginning of the situation. A year such as 2021 is a point in time; a phrase such as five years is a duration and takes for.
Nadia has lived near the station for five years.
Can since be followed by a full clause?
Yes. Since can introduce a clause that gives the starting event, such as since the bridge reopened. The clause includes a subject and a verb, and it tells you when the period began.
The receptionist has been away for twenty minutes.
Why are since and for common with the present perfect?
The present perfect helps describe a situation that began in the past and continues to the present. Use since for the beginning of that situation and for for the time it has lasted.
The receptionist has been away since 2:30.
Can since mean because?
Yes. Since can mean because when it gives a reason, especially at the beginning of a sentence. In that use, it does not describe the starting point of a period of time.
We have used this route since the bridge reopened.
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