Since vs. For: How to use them

Time is a tricky thing to pin down in words, especially when you’re learning English. Two little words—”since” and “for”—often trip people up, even though they both deal with time. They might seem interchangeable at first glance, but they serve very different purposes. Mastering the distinction between “since” and “for” can sharpen your sentences and make your meaning crystal clear. Let’s dive into how these words work and why getting them right matters.

Since

• Point in time: “Since” is used to indicate the starting point of an action or state. It tells us when something began.  
• Used with perfect tenses: It is often used with present perfect or past perfect tenses.  

Examples

• “I have lived here since 2010.” (Started living here in 2010 and continue to do so)
• “She has been working on that project since Monday.” (Started working on Monday and continues to work on it)
• “They had been friends since childhood.” (Their friendship started in childhood)

For

• Duration of time: “For” is used to indicate how long an action or state has lasted. It tells us the length of time.
• Used with various tenses: It can be used with simple past, present perfect, and other tenses.

Examples

• “I lived in Paris for five years.” (The duration of living in Paris was five years)
• “She has been waiting for an hour.” (The duration of waiting is one hour)  
• “They will be on vacation for two weeks.” (The vacation will last two weeks)

Key differences

Breaking it downs simply

• Use “since” when you want to indicate the starting point of an action or state.  
• Use “for” when you want to indicate the duration of an action or state.

Conclusion

Ultimately, “since” and “for” are like two sides of a time-telling coin: one points to when something began, and the other measures how long it’s lasted. By using “since” for starting points and “for” for durations, you can express time with precision and confidence. So, whether you’ve been studying English since last year or just for a few months, grasping this difference will bring your language skills one step closer to fluency.