Learn how to talk about time using the present perfect tense. You will practice using for and since correctly in daily conversations.
What is the Present Perfect?
We use the present perfect tense to talk about actions that started in the past and continue until now. To make this tense, we use have or has plus the third form of the verb, called the past participle. This helps us connect past events to our present moment.
I have lived in this city for three years.I moved here three years ago and I still live here now.
She has worked here since 2020.She started working here in 2020 and she still works here.
When to use FOR
We use the word 'for' when we want to talk about the duration of time. This means a period of time, such as seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years. You always put a number and a time word after 'for'.
They have been married for ten years.Ten years is the total length of their marriage.
We have waited for the bus for twenty minutes.Twenty minutes is the amount of time we spent waiting.
When to use SINCE
We use the word 'since' when we want to talk about a specific starting point in time. This is the exact moment when the action began, such as a time on the clock, a day of the week, a year, or an event in the past.
I have known him since Monday.Monday is the specific day when our friendship started.
He has played guitar since he was a child.Being a child is the exact starting point of his guitar playing.
๐ Key words
present perfectverb tense for past to now
forused with a time period
sinceused with a starting point
durationhow long something lasts
past participlethird form of a verb
period of timelength of time
starting pointwhen something begins
๐ก Remember: 'For' is a duration (three years), but 'Since' is a starting point (2020). Think 'F' for 'For' and 'Figure' the length!
