## Tips for using “since” and “for” in English

These words have a lot in common—but small details make all the difference!

Do you confuse the words since and for? Some languages only have one word that means both, so it’s common for learners to mix them up!

_Since_ and _for_ are [prepositions](https://blog.duolingo.com/prepositions-across-languages/) that combine with other words to tell us something about the verb. They also both refer to the past, but in different ways.

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Use _**since**_ with specific points in time for actions that continue until now, and use _**for**_ with numbers and general lengths of time.

### In this post:
- [When to use _since_](https://blog.duolingo.com/when-to-use-since-and-for/#when-to-use-since)
- [When to use _for_](https://blog.duolingo.com/when-to-use-since-and-for/#when-to-use-for)
- [Tips for deciding between _since_ and _for_](https://blog.duolingo.com/when-to-use-since-and-for/#tips-for-deciding-between-since-and-for)

## When to use _since_

_Since_ refers to since when? and is followed by some amount of time, including dates, days, and times of day. ( _Since_ can also be a conjunction, but here we’re focusing on how to use it as a preposition.)

_Since_ is used when referring to a specific time in the past that you can pinpoint, and it implies that the action started back then and continues until now.

| Example | What else we know | Why _since_ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| I’ve lived here since 2019. | The speaker still lives here now. | 2019 is a specific year or date, and the action of living there continues until now. |
| I’ve been in Pittsburgh since Tuesday. | The speaker is still in Pittsburgh. | “Tuesday” is a specific day, and the action of being in Pittsburgh continues until now. |
| I’ve lived in England since I was a child. | The speaker still lives in England. | Even a long period of time (like childhood) can be considered specific, and here, the speaker continues living in England. |
| I’ve been waiting here since 3 o’clock. | The speaker is still waiting. | Three o’clock is a specific time, and the action of waiting continues until now. |

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_Since_ is used with specific points in time for actions that continue until now.

### Verb form used with _since_

Did you notice anything else in common with these examples? It’s the verb! _Since_ is used exclusively with the [present perfect tense](https://blog.duolingo.com/uses-of-participles/)—and not the [simple past tense](https://blog.duolingo.com/simple-past-verbs-in-english/):

| Verb tense: present perfect | Action completed? | _Since_ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| I’ve worked here since January. | ❌<br>(I still work here.) | ✅ |
| We haven’t spoken since last year. | ❌<br>(We’re still not speaking.) | ✅ |
| It’s been snowing since Friday. | ❌<br>(It’s still snowing.) | ✅ |

| Verb tense: simple past | Action completed? | _Since_ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| I worked here last January. | ✅<br>(I no longer work here.) | ❌ |
| We didn’t speak last year. | ✅<br>(We’re speaking again.) | ❌ |
| It snowed on Friday. | ✅<br>(It stopped snowing after Friday.) | ❌ |

## When to use _for_

_For_ refers to for how long?, and is used for _durations_ of time rather than specific points in time. Unlike _since_, the preposition _for_ is used with numbers and more general lengths of time.

### 1\. Use _for_ with numbers

Whenever the length of time is a number, use _for_.
- I’ve lived here for 5 years.
- I waited for 3 days before my package finally came.
- I’ve been waiting for the doctor for 90 minutes.

### 2\. Use _for_ for general lengths of time

When the time we’re referring to is vague or unspecific (we can’t pinpoint exactly when it started) we use _for_.
- I’ve been waiting here for a while.
- I lived there for a few years.
- I’ve been a member here for decades.

As you can see, what follows _for_ is different than what follows _since_!

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_For_ is used with numbers and general lengths of time—no matter whether the action is completed.

### Verb form used with _for_

Unlike _since_, _for_ can be used with both the simple past tense and the present perfect tenses. That’s because _for_ can imply that the action continues until now (just like _since_)—but it doesn’t have to!

| Verb tense: present perfect | Action completed? | _For_ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| I’ve been on vacation for 2 days. | ❌<br>(I’m still on vacation.) | ✅ |
| I’ve lived here for 5 years. | ❌<br>(I still live here.) | ✅ |

| Verb tense: simple past | Action completed? | _For_ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| I was on vacation for 2 days. | ✅<br>(Now I’m back from vacation.) | ✅ |
| I was there for 5 years. | ✅<br>(I later moved away.) | ✅ |

## Tips for deciding between _since_ and _for_

Here are things to ask yourself when deciding between _since_ and _for_:
1. What’s my verb tense?
2. Am I talking about a specific point in time ( _since_), or a duration of time ( _for_)?
3. Am I talking about a number of something ( _for_), or a date ( _since_)?
4. Am I talking about _when_ ( _since_), or _how long_ ( _for_)?

## Improve your English, one preposition at a time

If you’ve struggled with these two words **_for_** a while now, there’s no need to worry! You’ve been learning languages **_since_** the day you were born, and we’re here to keep cheering you on 💪