Say how long
I can say how long something has lasted that started earlier and is still going on now.
Declared core time. Two of the core blocks carry no figure at all, so the real lesson is longer than this sum.
Grammar
4 minThe perfect also answers the question "how long?" — about something that started in the past and is STILL going on.
| I have lived here for five years. | I came five years ago, and I still live here |
| She has worked here since 2020. | she started in 2020 and still works here |
| How long have you known him? | a question: from when until now? |
for and since share one job between them:
| used with | example | |
|---|---|---|
| for | a length of time | for two hours, for five years, for a long time |
| since | a starting point | since Monday, since 2020, since I was a child |
A test: if the phrase answers "how much time?", it is for; if it answers "from what moment?", it is since.
Common learner errors
written for your languageThe present instead of the perfect
✗ I live here for five years
✓ I have lived here for five years
This is the main error of the level. French (J'habite ici depuis cinq ans), German (seit fünf Jahren), Spanish, Italian and Portuguese use the present, because the action is going on now. English looks at it differently: the counting started in the past, so it needs a link with the past — the perfect.
since with a length of time
✗ since five years → ✓ for five years; ✓ since Monday. French depuis, German seit and Dutch sinds go before both a length of time and a starting point. In English these are two words.
how much time in the question
✗ How much time you live here?
✓ How long have you lived here?
Spanish (cuánto tiempo), Italian and Portuguese (quanto tempo) and French (combien de temps) say "how much time". English asks How long, with the perfect, as in the answer.
Pronunciation
3 minfor is unstressed — /fə/, and before a vowel it joins the next word: for an hour sounds like /fərənˈaʊə/, three syllables run together.
since is /sɪns/, with a clear /s/ at the end.
Text
3 minHow long have you lived in Rio de Janeiro?
I've lived here for twelve years. I came when I was twenty.
And how long have you worked for this company?
Since March. I've only worked here for a few months.
Have you known Tom for a long time?
Yes, since we were at school.
Exercises
8–10 min1. Gap fill.
- five years
- 2020
- Monday
- a long time
- I was a child
Show the answers
2. Gap fill.
- I (live) here for five years
- She (work) here since March
- How long you (know) him?
Show the answers
3. Error correction.
- I live here for five years.
- I've worked here since two months.
- How much time you live here?
Show the answers
4. Matching.
- three days
- a week
- Monday
- 2019
- I was a child
Show the answers
Summary
Covered
- the perfect for how long
- for against since
- the question How long…?
Next — lesson 6: review of lessons 1–5.
End of the core
The lesson counts as done once the exercises are done. Everything after this is optional.
optional
Vocabulary for your deck
12 words- since /sɪns/ from a point in the past until now
- how long /haʊ ˈlɒŋ/ what length of time
- month /mʌnθ/ one of the twelve parts of the year: January, February…
- a few /ə ˈfjuː/ a small number of; some
- a long time /ə lɒŋ ˈtaɪm/ many hours, days or years
- company /ˈkʌmpəni/ a business
- child /tʃaɪld/ a young person; someone's son or daughter
- childhood /ˈtʃaɪldhʊd/ the time when you are a child
- know /nəʊ/ to have information about something
- known /nəʊn/ third form of know
- married /ˈmærid/ having a husband or a wife
- own /əʊn/ belonging to you and nobody else
Writing
Three sentences: how long you have lived in your city, worked at your job and known your friend.
Example
I've lived in Rio de Janeiro for twelve years. I've worked for this company since March. I've known Tom since we were at school.
Checklist
Practise this lesson in the other sections
Got a feature idea?
⚑ optional