Unit 9

Present perfect + for and since

EXAMPLES

A Where do you live now?
B In Manchester.
A How long have you lived there?
B I've lived there for 20 years.

A Where do you work?
B In a primary school.
A How long have you worked there?
B I've worked there since 2015.

FORM

• We use the present perfect with for and since with actions and states that started in the past and are still true now.
  I've lived in Manchester for twenty years. = I came to live in Manchester twenty years ago, and I live in Manchester now.
  We don't use the present simple in this type of sentence, e.g. NOT I live in Manchester for twenty years.
• We use How long ...? to ask about the duration of an action or a state, e.g. How long have you been married?

For or since

• We use for + a period of time, e.g. for two weeks, for ten years, etc.
  I've had this car for three months.
• We use since with the beginning of a period of time, e.g. since 2014, since last June, etc.
  I've been afraid of spiders since I was a child.