ValenESL
English Grammar – How to use SINCE and FOR with the Present Perfect
No more confusion with ‘for’ and ‘since’! Depending on whether you want to talk about how long you have been doing something, or when you started doing something, you will need to use one of these two words. Find out which is which in this English grammar lesson!
Related Lessons
English Grammar – Present Perfect Simple & Present Perfect Continuous
Grammar – Past Simple vs. Present Perfect
English Grammar – Using ALREADY & YET
Basic English Grammar – Do, Does, Did, Don’t, Doesn’t, Didn’t
English Grammar – Present Simple & Present Progressive
Speaking English – Expectations – How to use “supposed to”
Quiz
Test your understanding of this English lesson
Test your understanding of the English lesson by answering these questions. You will get the answers and your score at the end of the quiz.
Comments
78 Comments on “English Grammar – How to use SINCE and FOR with the Present Perfect”
Leave a Comment Reply
Leave a Comment
Levels
Lesson Topics
English Teachers
koug
thanks for nice lesson
Eeng
Alex,
I thank you so much ,,,
But I have a problem here in this clause :
I have known Dana ________ college.
• since
• for
Why the correct answer is since not for ?
Can you illustrate this point ?
All the best to you,,,
:)
College is a specific place in time. The sentence implies that you are no longer in college. Remember, to use “for,” you have to talk about a period of time.
For example:
I have known Dana for five years.
I have known Dana for a few days.
And here are some more examples using “since”:
I have known Dana since college.
I have known Dana since she moved to Saudi Arabia.
I hope this helps. Thank you for your question.
AlexESLvid
koko tun
This is very helping, I 100% enjoy your videos. I learned a lot english. Thank You for providing this lessons for me. Nice to Meet you on the Video!!
zamcity
Thank you! This is very helpful
You from USA, so you are an expert in english. Aren’t you??
Bye, Bye.
Sueli Cardoso Tavares
rema22
thank you very much . This lesson is helpe me allot.
tuan_kkt
This lesson seems to be quite easy !
Rafael
i like these lessons very much!
Sabado Tomucene
I like very much you lesson, but I have been cunfuised for a long time ago in how to use “For” and “During”. So, can You help me to solve my problem, please???
ibrahim
thanks for that alex
mamdouh
i guess you was amazing mr alex and you have a unique way to explain and clarify the information
saiprasad_br
@ Koug
The answer is since because college is not a specific time, it is a duration of time say around 2-3 years. I hope I am right, if not please do explain me the correct answer.
Thanks in advance.
Sueli Cardoso Tavares
Dear teacher. This lesson is very very easy. It was too helpfull
Thank you.
ASAAD
thank you very much is good away to expain and very clear lesson
from yemen ASAAD
thank you ………………………….for all “ENGVID.COM”
ISTVAN
Thanks for you Alex!
Gimmi
Hello Alex,
I would like to take e quiz, I’m the member of EngVid and I do not see any opportunity how to take a quiz about this lesson.
Any advice?
Thank you, Gimmi ( ^__^ )
Ops, it just came up by itself.
Does that means that I have to wait and not to navigate for the quiz?
Thank you to everybody, from Gimmi ( ^__^ )
Gimmi
pyman
Thank you! This is very helpful.
the speed is good too.
zahra
well,that exellant you do help to knoe the difference between the both bue i have a problem with this selection so itis good to know my mistake and learn of course from it
tom
Is this phrase grammatically correct? “Since 2002, there are only five types of chocalate ice cream.” I’m concerned that I am using the wrong verb tense or word choice.
You are using “since” correctly, and your word choice is fine as well. Just in case, could you maybe type that sentence in a different way? What exactly are you trying to say? Your one mistake is not spelling chocolate correctly.
Thanks for commenting!
AlexESLvid
fanny
Thanks for taking this English quiz! Your score: 85.71 You got 6 correct out of 7.’
thank you so much Alex!
farhan
thank you teacher you speach is music ro ears and i would like to remain thanking to you
aboamr
hi,ALEX ,GOOD DAY
i have a questioin which make me frustrated and that is “what is the different between the following two sentences,
- i am focused
-i have focused
and what is the correct one?
aboamr
Коля
Thank you so much! It’s important to know SINCE I moved in USA :)
Riva
Thank you very much! This lesson was very useful for me.
aldebert
Good work!
arlyn_abb
thank you for the lesson. It’s help to me a lot.
Sathya
Hi Alex
I am new user. Your lessons are very good and I am learning a lot from this.
I have a doubt in the last question.
They have been making together _______ the early 1980s.
* since
* for
The word “early 1980s” tells that, it may be 1970 – 1980 or before that. So it may refers to particular duration of period.
Why the correct answer is since not for?
Please explain me about this with an example.
black rider
Thank you very much for this lesson. I have been taught for this subject since i was still in school but i didn’t understand it as much. This really helped.
sabah
thanks alot
gago
Thanke U . This is soo good .I’m better now . guys I have a big test next week, give me some beneficial counsels .
See ya later…….
gago
sorry…. Happy new year
Ducphuong
i like these lesson very much. It is really useful to improve my Enghlish. my Enghish is not good so I want to find the same lesson on wedsite. I cant afford to follow expensive courses and I want to buy books and CD_ROOM to learn at home. Could you show me where to buy them. I’m Vietnamese and now I live in Ha Noi Vietnam. Please show me those places to buy or send me some massages to my site. My gmail:daoducphuong.tdb@gmail.com . Thanks you very much
Ducphuong
please share me your learning enghish expirence. i love english. i need it for my jod my career.
raouf
hello and thank you for your care im not a native im from algeria and i want to speak as a native can i???thank you…
bjbj
i realy love u all.you help me a lot to improve my english
Sikandar Rahimi
That is cool to learn Since and for in easy way, Great teachers. :)
Nikita
Hi everyone!this lesson is very usefull and helpfull! Hey, Alex! Could you make a video lesson about definite and indefinite articles!
Thank you in advance!
zarmeena shahid
excellent websit. great teachers are teaching us. i am learning a lot.
Bunty
it’s really very useful
kiren
I was always confused with(for and since)it’s give me a lot of help….all teachers are great and have a great method of teaching…everyday I watch your videos.
Pavoreal
Hello Alex thank you for be a good teacher.
Bhuvanesh
Hello Alex.i thank you very much for such a good lesson.i got the difference.
“All The Best”.we Want You To Give Some More Lessons Alex!
Seungho
thank you Alex!
very nice!
drmkayum
hi Alex ! excellent lesson, thnak you so much. you have removed my great confusion .
Genesis
Alex is an excellent teacher. Thanks. The topic was interenting and the teacher explained the class in a simple way.
jac
Thank so much Alex you taught a nice lesson
and now i know how to use since and for
Priya
this is very much helpful to me.
drmkayum
hi Alex thanx a lot, first time I could understan the difference between these two words. you are a excellent teacher.
Amjad Raj
thnk u very much for such a imperative quiz
yasir
hi Alex…this test is very useful ….i understood this easily
Miriam
I am pleased because I am learning every day more with you thank you for your free lessons
Abdullah Hamza
Thanks Alex , yesterday i took this lesson at the British counsil ^_^
amina
Thanks Alex
srab
thnk you very much
srab
thnk u very much
srab
thnk u very much thnk u very much thnk u very much
Niranjan Sahoo
Thank you a lot.Could you please tell what should be used in the following sentence ?
My fate has been pre-determined ___ years.
hissoka
hi mister Alex
thank u alot but i still dont understand when we must ask a question in persent perfect bcz i Ask a question in the present perfect because I always understand it according to the rules of my language or the meaning that settled in my mind for us, there is no difference between the words in the past I took my medicine.and saying in the present perfect i have taken my medicine.
i wish you help me plz bcz i love english so much and i want to learn it .bye
hissoka
sorry . i mean ask a question like :
have you taken ur medicine ?
did you take ur medicine ?
hissoka
thank u mister Alex for this test i Succeeded in answering when i er _ hearing to ur video time after time .thank u a lot but still have a problem about ask a question in p perfect
hissoka
hi sir
i still don t know when must be used the present perfect . and when i speak with my friends about something happened in the past i don t know if should be used this sentence or that :
did u read my letters ?
have u read (red) my letters ?
did u broke the window?
have u broken the window ?
plZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzz sir help me bcz i lost my self-confidence
bye
Ali
Dear Sir,
Here is a problem for me. I couldn’t understood the “word” like when it is used in the beginning of the sentence. For example, like my father she prays five times a day. Please tell me what is the world like in grammar here in this sentence?
Pau
Thank you for your lessons, I’ve learned a lot with this videos. I already learning about since, for, ago with this ones. I need to learn about whatever, whenever, whichever, whoever and wherever, if you could help me, I thank you so much.
sarah
i really get a lot new about since n for. thankful 2 u. thanx.
Raulo
Thanks for your classe Alex, and thank for your answers. That explains you’re a good teacher !
khem Raj(India)
thank you very much sir, your act of clearing of doubt is perfect and encourage someone to know it from deep point.
khem Raj(India)
dear sir i like your all lessons because all they are helpful for us but i want to give you and your institution a suggestion that if you will provide a written note of description at the header of your screen beside watching your lesson then it will prove more beneficial to us because then we can read your lesson about at particular topic and also listen your lesson.for example as your descriptive note on the lesson before enter into the lesson( No more confusion with ‘for’ and ‘since’! Depending on whether you want to talk about how long you have been doing something, or when you started doing something, you will need to use one of these two words. Find out which is which in this English grammar lesson!)
you can add here about the description of the topic. please think about my suggestion.if we listen and the read a lesson then we can gain more reminds please do something about this.
Shani
Thanks Sir
Saeed Mahmood Aslam
Dear Alex
your teaching method is very good.
Since is used for specific time/place etc.
For is used where a duration of time is given.
CRAZY
Hi Alex,
lesson was fantastic.I had a doubt between these two for a long time.Im expecting new more lessons from u guys.
THANK YOU
hamza
thanks so lot my friend
Im a new Canadian citizen (since) 2 years
Alex you are my best teacher .
GO CANADA
Sansar
Hi Alex.Excellent lesson.My name i Sansar im from Mongolia.I have been learning English for 2years and i have got problem.Could you tell me? How can i explain myself and Picture.For example: Im 26 and I have big family and i live with my mother and wife.extra… …. Picture means: Any logo,art,and …
Could you send me some example via my E-mail add please! Thank you! /sainaa_1984@yahoo.com/
Haseeb
thx
JALAL MIR
Hi Alex.Lesson is very clear.I have much confused the use of these two words. your teaching method is very good.Thanks a lot.
strawberry cake
Once again. Thank you very much. You explained it very well.Listening to your lectures is very interesting as always.
God bless