Present perfect: for & since

Some situations start in the past and are still true now — you began something a while ago, and it hasn't stopped. For these, English uses the present perfect with for or since: I've lived here for five years. She's known him since 2019. Both sentences describe something that started earlier and continues right up to the present moment.

This is different from using the present perfect for life experiences (ever / never). There the focus is whether something has happened; here the focus is how long an unfinished situation has lasted.

Quick shortcut: for + a length of time (for two years), since + a starting point (since Monday). The verb is have / has + past participle, and the situation is still going on now.

How to form it

Like every present perfect, it's the helper have or has plus the past participle:

• I have lived in Berlin for two years.
• She has worked here since April.

In speech and informal writing these often contract with pronoun subjects: I've lived…, She's worked…, They've known…

If you need to review what a past participle is and how to form it (regular -ed vs irregular forms like been, known, had), it's covered in the ever / never article.

For — how long it has lasted

Use for with a length of time — a duration. It answers the question "how long?":

• for two years · for ten minutes · for a week · for a long time · for ages

• We've been friends for twenty years.

• I've had this phone for six months.

• He's been ill for a few days.

Since — when it started

Use since with a point in time — the moment the situation began. It answers the question "starting when?":

• since 2019 · since Monday · since April · since 9 o'clock · since I was a child

• I've lived here since 2019.

• She's known him since they were at university.

• They've been married since June.

Since can also introduce a whole clause naming the moment something started — and that clause is usually in the past simple:

• I've felt much better since I started running.
• We haven't seen them since they moved away.

For or since? The quick test

The difference is only about what comes after the word — a period or a point:

So it's ✅ for two years (a length) but ❌ since two years; and ✅ since Monday (a point) but ❌ for Monday. (You may also hear since two years ago, where two years ago names a point in the past — but for two years is usually simpler and more natural.) A useful question is "How long?" — if a time phrase answers it, it takes for; if it answers "Starting when?", it takes since.

Asking How long?

To ask about the duration of an unfinished situation, use How long + present perfect:

• How long have you lived here? — For five years. / Since 2019.
• How long has she had that car? — Since last summer.

Notice you can answer with either a for phrase or a since phrase — both describe the same stretch of time, just from different angles.

Verbs you'll see a lot

This pattern is especially common with state verbs — verbs describing situations rather than single actions:

• be (I've been here for an hour), have (She's had a cold since Monday), know (We've known each other for years).

Some action verbs that describe a long-term situation work the same way:

• live (They've lived abroad since 2018), work (He's worked here for a decade).

All of these naturally stretch over time, which is exactly what for and since measure.

With action verbs like work and live, English also often uses the present perfect continuous (How long have you been working here?). That form is introduced at B1; this A2 article focuses on the simple present perfect, especially with state verbs.

Why not the present simple?

This is the single biggest trap. Because the situation is true now, learners often reach for the present simple — but English needs the present perfect, because the situation also reaches back into the past:

• ❌ I live here for five years. → ✅ I've lived here for five years.
• ❌ She knows him since 2019. → ✅ She's known him since 2019.
• ❌ How long do you work here? → ✅ How long have you worked here?

The present simple (I live here) just says it's true now; only the present perfect (I've lived here for five years) ties the now to a starting point in the past. For this meaning, the present simple is not used.

Common mistakes

• ❌ I live in London since 2020. → ✅ I've lived in London since 2020. (unfinished situation → present perfect, not present simple)
• ❌ We've been married since two years. → ✅ We've been married for two years. (two years is a length → for)
• ❌ She's worked here for last April. → ✅ She's worked here since last April. (last April is a starting point → since)
• ❌ How long do you have your car? → ✅ How long have you had your car?
• ❌ I have lived here since five years. → ✅ I have lived here for five years.

Quick check

Choose for or since, and put the verb in the present perfect:

1. They ____ (know) each other ____ 2018.
2. I ____ (have) this watch ____ ten years.
3. How long ____ you ____ (live) here?
4. She ____ (be) ill ____ Monday.

Key takeaways

• Use the present perfect (have / has + past participle) with for and since for situations that started in the past and continue now.
• for + a length of time (for two years); since + a starting point (since Monday).
• It's ✅ for two years and ✅ since Monday — never ❌ since two years.
• Ask about duration with How long…?; answer with either for or since.
• Don't use the present simple here — ❌ I live here for five years → ✅ I've lived here for five years.