For vs Since | Ask Linda! | English Grammar

In this video, Linda breaks down the difference between the usage of “for” and “since”.
As both of these terms are used when talking about time, they often cause confusion for many English learners.

Let’s take a closer look:

The word “since” is used when referring to a point or exact moment in time.

For example:

I have been living in this house since 2005.

2005 is a point or exact moment in time and therefore, we need to use ‘since’.

“For”, however, is used with a period or duration of time, such as in this example:

I have been living in this house for 12 years; 12 years is a duration of time, and therefore we need to use ‘for’.

To find out which of the two you need to use in a sentence, look at whether you are talking about an exact point in time (since) or rather a duration of time (for).

That’s it for today. See you next time!