Since vs For in English: The Simple Rule That Fixes It

Priya Sharma

Priya Sharma writes English learning guides for ESL students. Pune-based language enthusiast.

Visual representation of the voice · not a photographic portrait

Quick answer: Use 'for' with an amount of time (for two years) and 'since' with a starting point (since 2020). When something started in the past and is still true, use the present perfect: 'I have lived here for five years' or 'since 2021'.↗ Share on X

Use for with a length of time (for three years, for two hours, for a long time). Use since with a starting point (since 2020, since Monday, since I was a child). Both usually go with the present perfect: "I have lived here for five years" and "I have lived here since 2021." If you can answer "how long?", use *for*. If you can answer "starting when?", use *since*.

That one rule fixes most mistakes. The rest of this page shows you how to apply it fast, the traps that catch learners, and short drills to make it automatic.

What is the quick test to choose "since" or "for"?

READ ALSOModal Verbs for Advice: Should, Had Better or Must? →Past Simple or Past Continuous? The Simple Way to Choose →Active vs Passive Voice: When Each One Is the Right Choice →

Look at the word right after the blank. Ask one question:

• Is it an amount of time? → for
• Is it a moment on the calendar or clock? → since

A trick: you can put "the last" in front of most *for* phrases and the meaning stays the same. "For the last ten minutes" works. "For the last 9 a.m." does not. That tells you 9 a.m. needs *since*.

Which verb tense goes with "since" and "for"?

This is where most mistakes happen. In many languages, people say "I live here since 2020" in the present tense. In English, that sounds wrong.

When an action started in the past and is still true now, English uses the present perfect:

• Present perfect simple: *have/has* + past participle → "I have known her since school."
• Present perfect continuous: *have/has been* + *-ing* → "I have been studying English for two years."

Common learner mistakes and their fixes:

1. ❌ I live here since 2020. → ✅ I have lived here since 2020.

2. ❌ I am married for ten years. → ✅ I have been married for ten years.

3. ❌ She works at the bank since January. → ✅ She has worked at the bank since January.

4. ❌ How long do you know him? → ✅ How long have you known him?

5. ❌ I wait for you for an hour! → ✅ I've been waiting for you for an hour!

When do you pick simple or continuous? Use the continuous form for activities that feel ongoing or active (studying, waiting, working, raining). Use the simple form for states that don't really "happen" (know, be, have, like, own). "I have been knowing him" is wrong because *know* is a state.

Can "for" be used with other tenses?

READ ALSOMuch or Many? The Simple Rule, With Examples You Can Use →Prepositions of Place: When to Use In, On and At in English →Could, Would or Can? Polite Modal Verbs for Work Requests →

Yes. This is the part many grammar lists skip, and it confuses learners. *For* is not tied to the present perfect. It only tells you how long. You can use it in any tense:

• Past simple: "I lived in Toronto for three years." (I don't live there now.)
• Future: "I'll be away for a week."
• Present simple: "We usually stay for two nights."

Compare these two sentences:

• "I lived in Spain for five years." → finished. You moved away.
• "I have lived in Spain for five years." → still true. You live there now.

The word *for* is the same. The tense tells the listener whether the situation is over.

*Since*, on the other hand, almost always connects a past starting point to now (or to another later point), so it usually goes with perfect tenses: present perfect or past perfect.

• "By 2015, she had worked there since 2008." (past perfect, connecting 2008 to 2015)

What comes after "since"? A word, or a whole sentence?

Both work.

Since + a time word:

• since Monday, since March, since 2018, since lunch, since last year

Since + a full clause (a mini-sentence with a subject and verb):

• "I've loved music since I was a kid."
• "Things have changed since we moved."
• "He hasn't called since he left."

Notice the pattern: the main part uses the present perfect (*have loved*, *have changed*, *hasn't called*), and the part after *since* uses the past simple (*was*, *moved*, *left*), because it names a single moment in the past.

❌ "I've loved music since I have been a kid."

✅ "I've loved music since I was a kid."

What about "ago"? Isn't that the same thing?

No, and mixing them is another common mistake. *Ago* points back from now to a finished moment, and it goes with the past simple:

• "I moved here three years ago." (past simple)
• "I have lived here for three years." (present perfect)
• "I have lived here since 2023." (present perfect)

All three describe the same life, but each word needs its own tense.

❌ "I have moved here three years ago."

✅ "I moved here three years ago."

Are there special cases to watch out for?

A few:

1. "For" can be dropped in casual speech. "I've been here three days" is fine in everyday talk. It means "for three days."

2. "All day," "all week," "all my life" don't take "for." Say "I've worked all day," not "I've worked for all day."

3. Negative sentences can use "in" in American English. "I haven't seen him in years" is very common in the US and means the same as "for years."

4. "Since" also means "because." "Since you're here, can you help me?" Here it has nothing to do with time. Context tells you which meaning is used.

5. "Ever since" adds emphasis. "We've been friends ever since that trip." It's the same as *since*, just stronger.

How can you practice so it becomes automatic?

Reading rules is not enough. Your brain needs repetition. Try this five-minute routine every day for a week:

Drill 1 — Choose the word. Fill in *since* or *for*:

1. I've had this phone ___ 2022.

2. They've been talking ___ an hour.

3. She hasn't eaten ___ breakfast.

4. We've lived on this street ___ a long time.

5. He's been on vacation ___ Saturday.

*Answers: 1. since, 2. for, 3. since, 4. for, 5. since.*

Drill 2 — Fix the tense. Correct each sentence:

1. I know my best friend since 2010.

2. How long are you living here?

3. She is a teacher for twelve years.

*Answers: 1. I've known my best friend since 2010. 2. How long have you been living here? (or have you lived) 3. She has been a teacher for twelve years.*

Drill 3 — Talk about your own life. Say or write five true sentences:

• I have lived in ___ since ___.
• I have worked/studied at ___ for ___.
• I have known my oldest friend for ___.
• I haven't ___ since ___.
• I have been learning English for ___.

Personal sentences stick in memory much better than textbook examples, because they mean something to you.

What's the one-line summary to remember?

For = how long. Since = from when. Both + have/has + past participle when it's still true now.

Write that on a sticky note and put it where you study.

Your next step

Today, write three true sentences about your life using *for* and three using *since*, all in the present perfect. Read them out loud twice. Tomorrow, try to use one of them in a real conversation or message. When you catch yourself saying "I live here since…", stop, smile, and switch to "I've lived here since…". That small correction, made a few times, is how the rule becomes natural.

FAQ

Is it correct to say 'I live here since 2020'?

No. Use the present perfect: 'I have lived here since 2020.' The present simple sounds wrong with 'since' in English.

Can I use 'for' with the past simple?

Yes. 'I lived in Toronto for three years' means the situation is finished. 'For' only shows how long; the tense shows whether it is still true.

What is the difference between 'since' and 'ago'?

'Ago' goes with the past simple and points to a finished moment: 'I moved here three years ago.' 'Since' goes with the present perfect: 'I have lived here since 2023.'