Practice
Since and for: talk about time correctly
Sign in to saveYour friend began a course in April. Do you want to name April, or say how long the course has lasted? Since and for answer different questions about time.
Choose since for the starting point of a period and for for its duration, including when a situation still continues now.
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 last Thursday and for three weeks /sɪns lɑːst ˈθɜːzdeɪ/ and /fə θriː wiːks/
The short answer
Use since to name the beginning of a period. Use for to name the length of that period.
I have kept this notebook since January.
Why it works: January tells us when keeping the notebook began.
4 more examples
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The museum has opened late since Tuesday.
Tuesday is the day when the later opening began.
Not this:The museum has opened late
for three days. What changes: Three days is the length of the changed schedule. -
We have waited for the delivery for half an hour.
The final time phrase gives the length of the wait.
Not this:We have waited for the delivery
since noon. What changes: Noon gives the point when the wait began. -
The river has looked higher since the rain started.
The clause names the event that began the period.
Not this:The river has looked higher
for two days. What changes: Two days measures the period of higher water. -
I read for forty minutes after lunch.
For gives a duration even though the reading is finished.
Not this:I
have read for forty minutesthis afternoon. What changes: The afternoon is still continuing, so the present perfect can connect the reading to now.
Read the full guide
Look at the words that follow the time phrase. A date, day, year, clock time, or starting event usually follows since. A number plus a unit of time, or a phrase such as a long time, usually follows for.
Choose the beginning or the length
Ask what information you need to give. Since answers when the period began. For answers how long it lasted or has lasted. This first decision usually gives you the right word.
The cafe has been busy since 8:00.
8:00 is one point in time, so since fits.
Put a starting point after since
After since, use a point in time or an event. A day, a month, a year, a clock time, and a clause about a starting event can all work.
Lena has used the same phone since 2023.
2023 identifies the beginning. It does not say how many years Lena has used the phone.
The room has felt warmer since the sun came out.
Put a duration after for
After for, use an amount of time. The phrase can contain a number, such as four days or thirty minutes, or a general length, such as a long time.
Our guests have been here for two hours.
Two hours measures the visit, so it follows for.
Use the present perfect for a continuing situation
A situation that began in the past and is still true now often takes have or has plus a past participle. Since and for are common in this pattern because they connect an earlier time with the present.
They have lived near the station for five years.
Does this sentence describe a past situation only, or one that continues now?
It continues now. Have lived links the earlier move to the present, and for five years gives the duration.
Use since with a starting event
Since does not need to be followed by only a date or time. It can introduce a short clause that tells you what happened at the start of the period.
The path has been muddy since the snow melted.
The snow melted is the event that started the muddy period.
Use for with a finished period too
For can describe a duration in a finished past event. In that case, use a past-tense verb when the rest of the sentence places the event in finished time.
We talked for an hour after the meeting yesterday.
Yesterday shows that the meeting and the conversation are over. For an hour still gives the duration.
Before you go
Remember this
Choose since for the beginning and for for the length. Then decide whether the situation continues now. If it does, the present perfect is often useful.
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
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Since and for: talk about time correctly"
What is the difference between since and for?
Use since for the point when a period begins and for for its length. Since Friday names a beginning, while for two weeks tells you how long the period lasts or has lasted.
I have kept this notebook since January.
Do I use since or for with a year?
Use since with a year when the year is the beginning of the situation. A year such as 2021 is a point in time. A phrase such as three years is a duration, so it follows for.
I have kept this notebook for six months.
Can I use since with an event?
Yes. Since can introduce an event that tells you when a period started. In since the lights went out, the lights went out names the starting event rather than the length of time.
The museum has opened late since Tuesday.
Do since and for always use the present perfect?
They are common with the present perfect when something began earlier and continues now. For also works with a completed event in the past, when the sentence gives a finished duration.
The museum has opened late for three days.
Can since have another meaning?
Yes. Since can mean because when it gives a reason, as in Since the weather changed, we left early. Read the sentence to decide whether since refers to time or gives a reason.
We have waited for the delivery for half an hour.