Since or for? “I have been working here for two years”
Use for with a length of time (for two years, for six months) and since with a starting point (since 2022, since Monday). With both, English uses the present perfect: “I have been working here for two years”.
I am working here since two years.
I have been working here for two years.
Why Hindi speakers say it
Hindi uses one word, से, for both ideas: “दो साल से” (for two years) and “2022 से” (since 2022). It also keeps the present tense: “मैं यहाँ दो साल से काम कर रहा हूँ”. Translated word for word, that gives “I am working here since two years”. English needs two changes: for with a length of time, and the present perfect, because the action started in the past and continues now.
Three more examples
| Instead of | Say |
|---|---|
| I am living in Pune since 2019. | I have lived in Pune since 2019. |
| She is working at Infosys since three years. | She has been working at Infosys for three years. |
| We are waiting since one hour. | We have been waiting for an hour. |
Quick self-check
Answer in your head, then open the answer.
I have been learning English ___ six months.
- since
- for
- from
Show answer
b) for Six months is a length of time: for.
She has worked here ___ January.
- since
- for
- from
Show answer
a) since January is the starting point: since.
Which sentence is correct?
- I am knowing him since 2015.
- I know him for ten years.
- I have known him since 2015.
Show answer
c) I have known him since 2015. Present perfect, plus since with a starting point.
Practise it out loud
Knowing the rule is not the same as saying it right under pressure. In WordSlick you practise sentences like these out loud with AskSlick, the AI tutor, and get corrections explained in Hindi. Mistakes you keep making come back in later sessions until they stop.
Questions
What is the difference between since and for?
For goes with a length of time: for ten minutes, for three years. Since goes with the point when it started: since 9 am, since 2020, since I joined.
Can I say “from two years”?
No. From needs an end point (“from 2020 to 2022”) or marks a start in phrases like “from Monday”. For a length of time, use for.