Present Perfect: For, Since Practice Tests with A2 Grammar Rules & Examples

Present Perfect: For and Since

The present perfect is a verb tense we use to talk about actions or situations that started in the past and are still true or important now. In English, we often use two special words with the present perfect: for and since.

These two words help us talk about how long something has been happening.

Look at these simple examples:

• I have lived here for five years.
• She has worked at the school since 2019.

Both sentences tell us about something that started in the past and is still happening now. But for and since are used in different ways. Let's learn how!

How to Form the Present Perfect

Before we look at for and since, let's quickly review how to make the present perfect tense. Don't worry — we will keep it simple!

The present perfect uses the verb have (or has) plus the past participle of the main verb.

The past participle is a special form of a verb. For regular verbs, it usually ends in -ed. For example: work → worked, live → lived.

Some verbs are irregular and change completely. For example: be → been, know → known, have → had.

Subject	Have / Has	Past Participle	Example
I	have	lived	I have lived here for two years.
You	have	worked	You have worked here since Monday.
He / She / It	has	known	She has known him since 2018.
We	have	been	We have been friends for ten years.
They	have	studied	They have studied English for six months.

Short form (contraction): We often shorten have and has in spoken English.

I have → I've
You have → You've
He has → He's
She has → She's
We have → We've
They have → They've

For example: I've lived here for five years. / She's worked there since 2020.

Using "For" with the Present Perfect

We use for to talk about a period of time — a length of time from start to now.

Think of it this way: for answers the question "How long?" with a duration (an amount of time).

for + a period of time

Look at this mini-situation:

My name is Tom. I started living in London five years ago. I still live in London today.
→ I have lived in London for five years.

The word for tells us the total amount of time — five years.

Common Time Expressions Used with "For"

Time Expression	Example Sentence
for two days	I have had this cold for two days.
for a week	She has been on holiday for a week.
for three months	He has worked here for three months.
for six years	We have lived in this house for six years.
for a long time	They have known each other for a long time.
for ten minutes	I've been on the phone for ten minutes.
for ages	She hasn't visited us for ages.

Remember: For is always followed by a number or quantity of time — minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years.

Using "Since" with the Present Perfect

We use since to talk about a point in time — the moment when something started.

Think of it this way: since answers the question "From when?" and tells us the starting point.

since + a point in time (a specific moment)

Look at this mini-situation:

My name is Sara. I started working at the café in January. I still work there today.
→ I have worked at the café since January.

The word since tells us exactly when the situation started — in January.

Common Time Expressions Used with "Since"

Time Expression	Example Sentence
since Monday	I have been busy since Monday.
since this morning	She has been awake since this morning.
since January	He has studied French since January.
since 2015	We have lived here since 2015.
since last year	They have had a dog since last year.
since I was a child	I've loved music since I was a child.
since my birthday	She has been happy since her birthday.

Remember: Since is always followed by a specific point in time — a day, a month, a year, or an event.

The Key Difference: For vs Since

This is the most important thing to understand. Let's look at the difference clearly.

	For	Since
Used for	A period (length) of time	A point (start) in time
Answers	"How long?"	"From when?"
Followed by	A duration: two hours, six months, a week	A specific moment: 2020, Monday, last year
Example	I've known her for three years.	I've known her since 2021.

A helpful way to remember:

• For = a block of time (like a piece of cake — it has a size)
• Since = a moment on a timeline (like an arrow pointing to the start)

For and Since: Side-by-Side Examples

Look at these sentence pairs. Both sentences have the same meaning, but one uses for and one uses since.

Using "For"	Using "Since"
I've lived here for five years.	I've lived here since 2019.
She has worked at the school for two months.	She has worked at the school since September.
They've been married for ten years.	They've been married since 2014.
He has had that car for a long time.	He has had that car since he was young.
We've known each other for six months.	We've known each other since March.

Negative Sentences with For and Since

We can also use for and since in negative present perfect sentences. A negative sentence means we say something has NOT happened.

To make it negative, we add not after have / has. The short forms are haven't and hasn't.

• I haven't seen my cousin for three months.
• She hasn't called me since last Tuesday.
• They haven't visited us since Christmas.
• He hasn't eaten anything for six hours.

Questions with For and Since

We can also ask questions using how long with the present perfect. The answer often uses for or since.

How long + have/has + subject + past participle?

• How long have you lived here? — I've lived here for two years. / I've lived here since 2022.
• How long has she worked there? — She's worked there for six months. / She's worked there since April.
• How long have they been friends? — They've been friends for a long time. / They've been friends since school.

Common Mistakes

Here are some mistakes that learners often make with for and since. Study them carefully!

❌ I have lived here since five years.
✅ I have lived here for five years. (Five years is a period of time, not a point — use for.)

❌ She has worked here for 2020.
✅ She has worked here since 2020. (2020 is a year — a point in time — use since.)

❌ I know him for three years.
✅ I have known him for three years. (We need the present perfect have/has + past participle, not the simple present.)

❌ They live here since last year.
✅ They have lived here since last year. (Always use the present perfect with since in this structure.)

❌ He has been sick since two weeks.
✅ He has been sick for two weeks. (Two weeks is a duration — use for.)

❌ I haven't seen her since a long time.
✅ I haven't seen her for a long time. (A long time is a period — use for.)

Special Case: Since with a Clause

Sometimes since is followed by a short sentence (a clause), not just a single word or date. This is more common at higher levels, but it is good to recognise it at A2.

• I've been happy since I met her.
• He's been tired since he started his new job.
• She has loved animals since she was a child.

Notice that after since, the verb in the clause is usually in the past simple (met, started, was).

Present Perfect with For and Since: Quick Summary

Let's look at the key points from this lesson:

• The present perfect is formed with have / has + past participle.
• We use it to talk about situations that started in the past and continue now.
• We use for with a period of time (e.g., for two hours, for six months, for a long time).
• We use since with a point in time (e.g., since Monday, since 2018, since last year).
• The question How long have / has ...? asks about duration and the answer uses for or since.
• Negative sentences use haven't or hasn't + past participle.

Word	Use with	Example
For	A period of time (how long)	I've studied English for two years.
Since	A point in time (from when)	I've studied English since 2022.

Now practise present perfect with for and since in the exercises below.