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1 The Big Idea
Started in the Past, Still True Now
📘 Level 2 — Present Perfect — Lesson 4

Some situations started in the past and are still true now. Example: I have lived here for ten years. I moved here ten years ago. I still live here today.

Use the Present Perfect for these situations. Then say how long. Use for or since.

I lived in Paris for three years. (It is finished. I do not live there now.)
I have lived in Paris for three years. (It is still true. I live there now.)
2 FOR
FOR + a Length of Time

For says how long the situation has lasted. Use for with a length of time:

for + length of time

for two hours  ·  for six months  ·  for a long time
for three years  ·  for ages  ·  for a week  ·  for most of my life
  • I have lived here for ten years. (Length: ten years)
  • She has worked at the company for six months. (Length: six months)
  • The shop has been closed for over an hour. (Length: more than an hour)
  • They haven't spoken for nearly two years. (Length: almost two years)
  • We have known each other for a very long time. (Length: a long time)
3 SINCE
SINCE + a Starting Time

Since says when the situation started. Use since with a starting time:

since + starting time

since 2015  ·  since last Monday  ·  since this morning
since I was a child  ·  since we met  ·  since the accident  ·  since January
  • She has taught here since 2018. (It started in 2018.)
  • He has belonged to that club since he was a teenager. (It started when he was a teenager.)
  • The team has improved since the new manager joined. (It started when the manager joined.)
  • She has felt more confident since the promotion. (It started with the promotion.)
  • He has owned that car since last spring. (It started last spring.)
4 FOR vs SINCE
The Key Difference
FORSINCE
Says how long Says when it started
Answers: How long? Answers: Since when?
A length of time: two hours, six months, a long time, ages A starting time: 2018, last Monday, I was a child, the accident
I have run this business for ten years. I have run this business since 2015.
5 How Long
The Question: How Long?

Ask How long...? about a situation that is still true now. Answer with the Present Perfect and for or since:

How long have you worn glasses?
→ I have worn glasses for five years. (length of time)
→ I have worn glasses since I was ten. (starting time)

How long has he served on the committee?
→ He has served there for three years.
→ He has served there since last spring.
6 Common Mistakes
Watch Out For These
❌ Mistake 1 — FOR with a starting time, or SINCE with a length of time
✗ I have understood this topic since a long time.
✗ She has believed this for 2018.
✗ We have hated that noise since a long time.
✓ I have understood this topic for a long time. (a long time = length → for)
✓ She has believed this since 2018. (2018 = starting time → since)
✓ We have hated that noise for a long time. (a long time = length → for)
Ask: is it a length of time or a starting time? Two hours, six months, a long time → use for. 2018, last Monday, when I was a child → use since. Note: ten years is a length (for ten years), but 2018 is a starting time (since 2018).
❌ Mistake 2 — Present Simple instead of Present Perfect
✗ He washes cars for ten years.
✗ She cooks at that restaurant since 2015.
✗ How long do you write for that magazine?
✓ He has washed cars for ten years.
✓ She has cooked at that restaurant since 2015.
✓ How long have you written for that magazine?
This is the most common mistake. In some languages, people use the present tense here. In English, use the Present Perfect. The situation started in the past, so the Present Simple is wrong.
❌ Mistake 3 — Past Simple when it is still true now
✗ I lived here for ten years. (I still live here.)
✗ She didn't eat meat for five years. (She still does not eat meat.)
✓ I have lived here for ten years. (I still live here.)
✓ She hasn't eaten meat for five years. (She still does not eat meat.)
The Past Simple says the situation is finished. If it is still true now, use the Present Perfect.
❌ Mistake 4 — The wrong tense after SINCE
✗ I have stayed in touch with her since we have met.
✗ He has learned Spanish since he has arrived.
✓ I have stayed in touch with her since we met.
✓ He has learned Spanish since he arrived.
After since, you can put a short sentence with a subject and a verb. Use the Past Simple in that short sentence. It names the event that started the situation. The first verb uses the Present Perfect: he has learned Spanish (still true now) since he arrived (the event that started it).
7 Practice
Try It Yourself
Exercise A — FOR or SINCE?

Click "For" if the time word is a length of time. Click "Since" if it is a starting time.

  • 1
    He hasn't called his brother since their argument last year.
    ✓ Correct — "their argument last year" is a starting time.
  • 2
    She has cleaned houses since she moved to the city.
    ✓ Correct — "she moved to the city" is a starting time.
  • 3
    He has taken the same bus to work for fifteen years.
    ✓ Correct — "fifteen years" is a length of time.
  • 4
    They haven't argued since they started counseling.
    ✓ Correct — "they started counseling" is a starting time.
  • 5
    The price of oil has fallen steadily for three months.
    ✓ Correct — "three months" is a length of time.
  • 6
    She hasn't eaten meat since she watched that documentary.
    ✓ Correct — "she watched that documentary" is a starting time.
  • 7
    He has climbed mountains for most of his life.
    ✓ Correct — "most of his life" is a length of time.
  • 8
    She has fixed cars in that garage for twenty years.
    ✓ Correct — "twenty years" is a length of time.
Exercise B — Present Perfect Affirmative

Type the correct Present Perfect form of the verb given.

  • 1
    She a difference since she changed her diet. (notice)
  • 2
    She her coffee from that shop since she moved here. (buy)
  • 3
    Her rent the same amount since she signed the lease. (cost)
  • 4
    He the same since the summer. (weigh)
  • 5
    This coat of smoke since the fire. (smell)
  • 6
    She that animal shelter since university. (visit)
  • 7
    He that band since he was a boy. (follow)
  • 8
    She there since she was twelve. (play)
Exercise C — Correct or Incorrect?

Click your answer for each sentence.

  • 1
    This chair has stand in that corner for years.
    ✓ Correct — This sentence is wrong. It needs the past participle: "has stood."
  • 2
    The sun has shone since early morning.
    ✓ Correct — "since early morning" is a starting time, correctly built.
  • 3
    He has repaired watches for 2015.
    ✓ Correct — This sentence is wrong. "2015" is a starting time, so it needs "since": "has repaired watches since 2015."
  • 4
    I have hold that opinion since my first job.
    ✓ Correct — This sentence is wrong. It needs the past participle: "have held."
  • 5
    I have wondered about that since the meeting.
    ✓ Correct — "since the meeting" is a starting time, correctly built.
  • 6
    She has kept that photo for a very long time.
    ✓ Correct — "for a very long time" is a length of time, correctly built.
  • 7
    He have sat in that same seat since he started here.
    ✓ Correct — This sentence is wrong. "He" needs "has," not "have."
  • 8
    She has carried that same bag for years.
    ✓ Correct — "for years" is a length of time, correctly built.
Exercise D — Negatives

Type the whole negative verb phrase. Use the contracted negative (haven't/hasn't).

  • 1
    He go of that idea for years. (let)
  • 2
    They us for a week. (call)
  • 3
    She his name since the party. (remember)
  • 4
    We a weekend there since the move. (spend)
  • 5
    She interest in the project since it began. (lose)
  • 6
    He that lesson since school. (forget)
  • 7
    I from him since March. (hear)
  • 8
    They anything new for months. (add)
Exercise E — How Long Questions

Type the whole "How long" question phrase.

  • 1
    that car? (you / drive)
  • 2
    for that service? (you / pay)
  • 3
    that product? (they / sell)
  • 4
    you? (this policy / cover)
  • 5
    that watch? (you / have)
  • 6
    this department? (she / lead)
  • 7
    with that company? (you / travel)
  • 8
    the search? (they / continue)
8 Choose the Right Sentence
Apply What You Know

Read each question. Choose the sentence that matches.

Question 1 of 8
Select the sentence that correctly uses FOR with a length of time.
Question 2 of 8
Select the sentence that correctly uses SINCE with a starting time.
Question 3 of 8
Select the sentence that shows the situation is still true now.
Question 4 of 8
Select the sentence with the correct verb after SINCE.
Question 5 of 8
Select the correctly formed negative sentence.
Question 6 of 8
Select the correctly formed question.
Question 7 of 8
Select the sentence that correctly uses the Present Perfect.
Question 8 of 8
Select the sentence that is wrong. It needs SINCE, not FOR.
9 Summary
Present Perfect: With FOR and SINCE Use this for a situation that started in the past and is still true now. FOR says how long. SINCE says when it started.
  • For + a length of time (two hours, six months, ages). Since + a starting time (2018, last Monday, the accident).
  • Answer the question How long...? with the Present Perfect.
  • If the situation is still true now, use the Present Perfect. The Past Simple says it is finished.
  • After since, a short sentence with a subject and a verb uses the Past Simple: He has worked here since he arrived.
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