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Grammar Exercises

For vs Since Exercises: 25 Questions With Instant Answers

For vs since exercises with answers: use for with a duration (for three years, for two hours) and since with a starting point (since 2020, since Monday) — and the 25 sentences below drill exactly that choice inside present perfect sentences, checked instantly with the rule explained in one line.

Written by Raheel AshrafAbout 12 min read

Free practice: Free English grammar exercises online (with answers)

For and since both talk about time that started in the past and continues to now, and both live in the same tense — the present perfect. The difference is what follows them: for measures how long (a duration: for ten minutes, for six months, for a long time), while since marks when it started (a starting point: since 9 a.m., since March, since we met).

The 25 sentences below go from warm-up to challenge and include the classic traps: for with a clause, since in negative sentences, all day without either word, and the tense choice that pairs with each. Every answer is checked on the spot with a one-line explanation, so each miss teaches the rule instead of just the answer.

For vs Since Quiz: 25 Questions

Warm-up · duration or starting point

1.I have lived in this city ___ 2019.
2.She has been a nurse ___ twelve years.
3.We have waited ___ half an hour.
4.He has worked here ___ he graduated.
5.They have been married ___ ten years.
6.I haven't seen her ___ the conference in April.
7.It has been raining ___ three hours.
8.She has loved jazz ___ she was a child.

Core · the traps that catch most learners

9.I have known my best friend ___ we were six.
10.He has been at the company ___ a long time.
11.___ Monday, the system has crashed four times.
12.We haven't had a proper holiday ___ four years.
13.She has had this car ___ 2021.
14.I've had a headache ___ this morning.
15.They have been studying ___ two hours without a break.
16.Nothing has changed here ___ I left.
17.My parents have run the shop ___ almost thirty years.

Challenge · tense choices and no-preposition cases

18.Which sentence is correct?
19.Which sentence is correct?
20.We've been renovating the office ___ June.
21.He's been waiting ___ over an hour.
22.I've been awake ___ 5 a.m.
23.Which sentence uses NO preposition before the time expression?
24.___ we last spoke, the team has doubled in size.
25.How long ___ you ___ Spanish?
Answer key and explanationsOpen after you finish the quiz.
  1. 1. since2019 is a starting point — a moment the situation began — so it takes since. For would need a duration: for six years.
  2. 2. forTwelve years is a duration — how long, not when it started — so it takes for. Since would need a point: since 2014.
  3. 3. forHalf an hour measures length of time, so it takes for. Rule of thumb: if you can count it, it is a duration.
  4. 4. sinceHe graduated is a clause marking the starting moment, and since is the only one of the pair that can introduce a clause: since he graduated.
  5. 5. forTen years is a duration, so it takes for. Compare: they have been married since 2016 — same meaning, different measuring.
  6. 6. sinceThe conference in April is a starting point, so it takes since — negative sentences follow exactly the same rule as positive ones.
  7. 7. forThree hours is a duration: for three hours. If you named the start instead — since noon — you would use since.
  8. 8. sinceShe was a child is a clause marking when it began, so it takes since. For can never be followed by a subject + verb clause in this sense.
  9. 9. sinceSince takes the clause we were six. Test: can you put a calendar date in its place? Since 2004 works, so since + clause works.
  10. 10. forA long time is a duration even though it is vague, so it takes for. Since never pairs with vague lengths — only with points.
  11. 11. SinceMonday names the starting point, and sentence-initial Since + present perfect counts events from that point to now.
  12. 12. forFour years is a duration: for four years. (American English also allows in four years with negatives, but for is the safe, universal choice.)
  13. 13. since2021 is a point in time, so it takes since. For 2021 would be wrong — for must be followed by a length, not a date.
  14. 14. sinceThis morning is treated as the starting point when the morning is past: since this morning. Compare for the whole morning, which is a duration.
  15. 15. forTwo hours is a duration: for two hours. During would need an event (during the lecture), not a length of time.
  16. 16. sinceSince introduces the clause I left — the moment that starts the unchanged period. For cannot introduce a clause like this.
  17. 17. forAlmost thirty years is still a duration — modifiers like almost, nearly, and just over do not turn it into a point: for almost thirty years.
  18. 18. I have lived here since 2020.Since + a situation continuing to now requires the present perfect: I have lived here since 2020. Present simple with since is the classic error — especially for speakers of languages that use the present tense here.
  19. 19. She has worked here for five years.A duration continuing to the present needs the present perfect: has worked for five years. Works for five years describes a habit or schedule, not elapsed time.
  20. 20. sinceJune is a starting point: since June. Present perfect continuous works with both for and since — the choice still depends on point vs duration.
  21. 21. forOver an hour is a duration (over = more than): for over an hour. Since would need the clock time: since 3 p.m.
  22. 22. since5 a.m. is a precise starting point: since 5 a.m. From 5 a.m. describes a schedule (the store opens from 5 a.m.), not elapsed time up to now.
  23. 23. I stayed home all day.All day, all week, all year take no preposition: I stayed home all day. For two days, since Tuesday, and for nine hours all require one.
  24. 24. SinceSince we last spoke is a clause marking the starting point. Note the tense split: since + past simple clause, then present perfect in the main clause.
  25. 25. have / been studyingHow long with an activity continuing to now takes the present perfect (continuous): How long have you been studying Spanish? The answer then uses for or since.

Duration or Starting Point?

Every for/since question reduces to a single test: does the phrase after the gap measure how long (a duration) or mark when it began (a starting point)? Durations take for — for ten minutes, for three weeks, for years, for a long time. Starting points take since — since 8 o'clock, since May, since 2015, since the meeting, since we moved.

  • for + duration: for two hours, for six months, for decades, for a while.
  • since + starting point: since Monday, since last summer, since the accident.
  • since + clause: since I was a child, since we last spoke — for can never do this.
  • all day / all week / all my life: no preposition at all.

Calendar test: if you could replace the phrase with a date (2019, March 3rd, 9 a.m.), use since. If you could replace it with a number of units (3 years, 20 minutes), use for.

Why For and Since Live With the Present Perfect

For and since connect the past to the present, which is exactly the job of the present perfect: I have lived here since 2020 (and still do). If the situation is finished, English switches to past simple and drops since entirely: I lived there for five years (but not anymore), or I lived there from 2015 to 2020.

The error that follows learners longest is not the preposition but the tense: present simple instead of present perfect. I live here since 2020, she works here for five years, and we are married since June all sound wrong to native ears, because the present simple describes the present only; it cannot reach back to a starting point.

  • Continues to now → present perfect: has been, have lived, have known + for/since.
  • Finished period → past simple + for: I worked there for two years. (Not since with the past simple: since needs a period that runs up to a later reference point.)
  • Period up to a moment in the past → past perfect + for/since: By 2020 I had lived there for ten years. I hadn't seen him since 2010.
  • Finished period with both ends named → from … to/until …: from June to September.
  • Emphasize ongoing activity → present perfect continuous: have been waiting for an hour.

Five Mistakes That Give You Away

Beyond the tense error, for and since attract a short list of recurring mistakes. Most come from direct translation: many languages use one word for both ideas (Spanish desde, French depuis, Japanese 〜から, Arabic منذ), so the duration/point split has to be learned fresh.

  • I am knowing him since 2015 → I have known him since 2015 (stative verbs rarely go continuous, but they still need the perfect).
  • Since three hours → for three hours (since never takes a duration).
  • For 2022 → since 2022 (for never takes a date or year).
  • I live here for ten years → I have lived here for ten years (present simple cannot span time up to now).
  • During two years → for two years (during needs an event or period noun: during the summer, during the meeting).

If your first language has a single word covering both (desde, depuis, منذ, 〜から), treat every English sentence as a forced choice: point or duration? Then check the verb: it should be have/has + participle, not the present simple.

Since as a Conjunction — and the Meaning Shift

Since does double duty in English: besides marking a starting point, it can mean because (since you're here, let's start). The time sense pairs with the present perfect in the main clause; the because sense pairs with any tense and usually opens the sentence.

For has its own double duty too — as a conjunction meaning because (formal/literary: for it was already late). In modern writing that use is rare, so in everyday texts a for before a time phrase almost always means duration.

  • Time since: Nothing has changed since we met. (present perfect main clause)
  • Because since: Since we have time, let's review the report. (any tense)
  • It's been years since I flew — with it's been / it has been, the since-clause uses past simple.
  • For as conjunction = because, formal: We stayed inside, for the storm had worsened.

How to Practice For and Since Until It's Automatic

After the quiz, write five true sentences about your own life: how long you have studied English, lived in your city, known your best friend, worked at your job, owned your phone. Write each one twice, once with for and once with since (for six years / since 2020). Doing both versions makes you convert durations into starting points, which is the decision the quiz tests.

Then check your own writing. Paste those sentences (or any email) into PromGee's free grammar checker: it flags the wrong preposition and the wrong tense together and explains the rule.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between for and since?

For is used with a duration — a length of time such as for three years or for ten minutes. Since is used with a starting point — a moment the situation began, such as since 2020, since Monday, or since I was a child. Both are normally used with the present perfect.

Do you say 'since three years' or 'for three years'?

For three years. Three years is a duration, so it takes for. Since would need the year the period started: since 2023. The quick test: dates and clock times take since; numbers of units take for.

Why do we use the present perfect with for and since?

Because for and since connect a past starting situation to the present moment, which is exactly what the present perfect expresses: I have lived here since 2020 means I still live here. If the period is finished, English switches to the past simple with for alone: I lived there for two years.

Check For vs Since in Your Own Sentences

Paste any email or paragraph into PromGee's free grammar checker and see each for/since and present-perfect choice explained.

Check My Writing Free
Starting points and durations: since Monday; for three days

Sources & References

Keep reading: more grammar guides

Practice this topic with a free tool: Free English Verb Tenses Quiz

Practice in Hindi and Turkish

If you prefer explanations in Hindi or Turkish, try these related guides.

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Türkçe (Turkish)