Present perfect with “for” and “since”

The present perfect is formed with “have/has + past participle” and links the past to now: “I have lived here for five years.” (I still live here). Use “for” with a length of time and “since” with a starting point: “for two weeks”, “since Monday”.

How is it formed?

Use “have” with I/you/we/they and “has” with he/she/it: “She has finished her homework.” Negative: “We haven't seen him.” Question: “Have you eaten?” Regular past participles end in -ed (worked); irregular ones need to be learned (go → gone, see → seen, be → been).

“For” or “since”?

“For” says how long: for ten minutes, for three years, for a long time. “Since” says from when: since 2020, since Monday, since I was a child. Turkish speakers often mix them up because Turkish can use the same “-dir” ending for both; if the question is “how long?”, use “for”, and if it is “since when?”, use “since”.

Talking about experience: “Have you ever…?”

When you ask whether someone has done something in their life, no time is given: “Have you ever been to London?” Answer: “Yes, I have.” or “No, I've never been there.” If you give a time, switch to the past simple: “I went there in 2019.”

A short exercise

Write two sentences about yourself: one with “for” and one with “since” (“I have studied English for…”, “I have known my best friend since…”). Then write three “Have you ever…?” questions to ask a friend.

To keep going, see The past simple in English: how to form it and Present perfect or past simple? The difference.

Frequently asked questions

What comes after “since”? A starting point: a date, a day, or a past simple clause: “since I was a child”.

How do I answer “Have you ever…?” The short answer is “Yes, I have.” or “No, I haven't.”; switch to the past simple for details.