Present Perfect: For vs. Since (Ações Contínuas)
duração e o 'since' te diz o ponto inicial para ações contínuas no Present Perfect. Fácil, né?
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'for' for a total duration of time and 'since' for a specific starting point in the past.
- Use 'for' with periods of time like 'two hours' or 'five years'. Example: 'I have lived here for five years.'
- Use 'since' with specific dates, times, or events like 'Monday' or '2010'. Example: 'I have lived here since 2010.'
- Always use the Present Perfect (have/has + past participle) to show the action is still happening now.
Overview
for e since é como ganhar uma chave mestra para a comunicação em inglês. Se você já tentou explicar há quanto tempo trabalha na sua empresa atual ou desde quando conhece seu melhor amigo, provavelmente sentiu aquela dúvida: Uso o presente ou o passado?. Para nós, falantes de português, esse é um dos pontos mais desafiadores, mas também um dos mais gratificantes.
Eu moro em São Paulo há dez anos. No inglês, essa estrutura não funciona. Se você disser
I live in São Paulo for ten years, um nativo vai entender, mas soará gramaticalmente incompleto ou estranho.ponte temporal. Ele conecta o ponto de partida (no passado) com o momento da fala (o presente).for e since, permite que você quantifique a duração de uma situação ou especifique o momento exato em que ela começou. É a ferramenta essencial para falar sobre sua carreira no LinkedIn, preencher um perfil em um aplicativo de relacionamentos ou simplesmente bater papo com amigos no barzinho sobre suas experiências de vida. Entender essa nuance é o que separa o nível básico do intermediário (B1), permitindo que você soe muito mais natural e preciso.Eu estudo) junto com expressões de tempo (há dois meses ou desde janeiro) para indicar continuidade.have/has + particípio) é obrigatório para ações que não terminaram. As palavras for e since servem como marcadores para essa continuidade, mas cada uma foca em um aspecto diferente do tempo:- 1
For(Duração): Imagine oforcomo uma régua. Ele mede o tamanho do período de tempo. Se você quer dizer o total de minutos, horas, dias ou anos que uma ação durou até agora, usefor. Em português, ele equivale ao nosso «há» (com sentido de tempo decorrido) oupor.
I have worked here for five years.(Eu trabalho aqui há cinco anos/por cinco anos).- Dica de mestre: Se você consegue contar o tempo (1, 2, 3...), use
for.
- 1
Since(Ponto de Partida): Imagine osincecomo um pino em um mapa ou um marco em um calendário. Ele indica o momento exato em que a ação começou. Não estamos contando a duração total, mas apontando para o início. Em português, equivale ao nossodesde.
I have worked here since 2019.(Eu trabalho aqui desde 2019).- Dica de mestre: Se você está citando uma data, um dia da semana, um mês ou um evento específico (como
since I graduated), usesince.
For | Since |How long? (Quanto tempo?) | Since when? (Desde quando?) |ten minutes, two weeks, a long time | Monday, 9 AM, last Christmas, 2010 |have ou has. Diferente do português, onde conjugamos o verbo principal de várias formas (eu moro, tu moras, nós moramos), no inglês o verbo principal fica no particípio (a famosa 3ª coluna da lista de verbos), e quem faz o trabalho pesado é o auxiliar.Subject + have/has + Past Participle + for/since + time expressionFor / Since |I / You / We / They | have | been | ...for two hours. |He / She / It | has | lived | ...since last year. |I have→I've(I've been a teacher for a decade.)She has→She's(She's known him since high school.)They have→They've(They've lived in Brazil for six months.)
haven't ou hasn't.We haven't seen a movie since the pandemic started.(Nós não vemos um filme desde que a pandemia começou).It hasn't rained for weeks.(Não chove há semanas).
How long...?.Have you lived here for a long time?(Você mora aqui há muito tempo?)How long has he been at the office?(Há quanto tempo ele está no escritório?)
- 1Carreira e Trabalho:
I have been a manager for three years.(Sou gerente há três anos).I have worked at this startup since it was founded.(Trabalho nesta startup desde que ela foi fundada).
I worked), o recrutador vai achar que você já saiu do emprego!- 1Relacionamentos e Amizades:
I've lived in this neighborhood since I was a kid.(Moro neste bairro desde que era criança).My best friend and I have known each other for ages.(Eu e meu melhor amigo nos conhecemos há séculos).
- 1Hábitos e Estilo de Vida:
I've had this iPhone for four years and it still works.(Tenho este iPhone há quatro anos e ele ainda funciona).She has been a vegetarian since 2015.(Ela é vegetariana desde 2015).
- 1Estados Emocionais ou Situações Contínuas (State Verbs):
be (ser/estar), know (conhecer/saber), have (ter - posse) e love (amar) raramente são usados no gerúndio (-ing) para indicar duração. Nesses casos, o Present Perfect Simple com for ou since é a escolha perfeita.We have been married for 20 years.(Estamos casados há 20 anos).I've always loved coffee since I can remember.(Sempre amei café desde que me lembro).
Eu moro aqui há dois anos. A tradução literal seria
I live here for two years.- Por que erramos? Porque no português o presente dá conta do recado.
- Como corrigir: Lembre-se que se a ação começou no passado e continua, você precisa da
ponte. UseI have lived here for two years.
For com Since:desde e usa for, ou vice-versa.- O erro:
I've been here since two hours.(Incorreto) - A lógica:
Two hoursé uma duração, um bloco de tempo. Você consegue contar as horas. Então, o correto éI've been here for two hours. - Dica: Pense no
sincecomo uma data no calendário. Se não for uma data ou um nome de momento (comobreakfast), usefor.
Ago com o Present Perfect:ago (atrás) é exclusivo do Past Simple, pois ele foca em algo que acabou.- O erro:
I have lived here for two years ago.(Incorreto) - A correção: Ou você diz
I lived here two years ago(eu morei aqui dois anos atrás - e não moro mais) ou dizI have lived here for two years(eu moro aqui há dois anos - e ainda moro).
Pretérito Perfeito.for/since) | Past Simple (for) |I have lived in Rio for 5 years. | I lived in Rio for 5 years. |since 2010, for a long time | in 2010, yesterday, two years ago |I have been living). Para a maioria dos verbos de ação (morar, trabalhar, estudar), o sentido com for e since é praticamente o mesmo.I've worked here for a year.(Foco no fato/estado).I've been working here for a year.(Foco no processo/continuidade).
be, know, have).since com o Past Simple?since seguido de uma frase inteira no passado para marcar o ponto de partida.I haven't played football since I broke my leg. (Não jogo futebol desde que quebrei minha perna).for, posso omiti-lo?for é omitido: I've been here two hours. No entanto, para ser gramaticalmente correto e evitar confusão (especialmente em contextos profissionais), sempre use o for.How long...? e Since when...??How long é muito mais comum e pede uma resposta com for (duração) ou since (início). Since when é mais específico e quase sempre exige uma resposta com since.How long have you been here?->For 20 minutes.Since when have you been here?->Since 10 o'clock.
for em frases negativas?I haven't seen him for ages (Não o vejo há séculos). Nesse caso, o for mede a duração do vácuo, ou seja, do tempo em que a ação de ver não aconteceu.for para a régua e since para o pino no calendário.Present Perfect + For/Since Structure
| Subject | Auxiliary | Past Participle | Preposition | Time Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
I / You / We / They
|
have
|
lived
|
for
|
six months
|
|
He / She / It
|
has
|
lived
|
since
|
January
|
|
I / You / We / They
|
have not (haven't)
|
seen
|
for
|
ages
|
|
He / She / It
|
has not (hasn't)
|
seen
|
since
|
Monday
|
Common Contractions
| Full Form | Contraction | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
I have
|
I've
|
I've been here for an hour.
|
|
You have
|
You've
|
You've known her since 2010.
|
|
He has
|
He's
|
He's worked here for a week.
|
|
She has
|
She's
|
She's been sick since yesterday.
|
|
We have
|
We've
|
We've lived here for years.
|
|
They have
|
They've
|
They've been friends since school.
|
Meanings
The Present Perfect with 'for' or 'since' describes an action that started in the past and continues into the present moment.
Duration of State
Used with stative verbs (be, know, like) to show how long a situation has existed.
“We have been friends for a long time.”
“I have known him since high school.”
Ongoing Action
Used with dynamic verbs to show an activity that hasn't stopped yet.
“He has played the piano for twenty minutes.”
“It has rained since this morning.”
Negative Duration
Used to express how much time has passed since an event last occurred.
“I haven't seen her for ages.”
“We haven't been to the cinema since March.”
Reference Table
| Expressão de Tempo | Significado | Exemplo com Present Perfect |
|---|---|---|
|
`for five years`
|
Duração (por quanto tempo)
|
`I have worked here for five years.`
|
|
`since 2018`
|
Ponto de partida (quando começou)
|
`She has lived here since 2018.`
|
|
`for a long time`
|
Duração geral
|
`We haven't met for a long time.`
|
|
`since last Monday`
|
Data de início específica
|
`He hasn't eaten since last Monday.`
|
|
`for ages`
|
Informal, duração muito longa
|
`I haven't seen you for ages!`
|
|
`since I was a child`
|
Evento passado específico como início
|
`She has loved music since she was a child.`
|
Espectro de formalidade
I have been employed by this firm for six years. (Professional history)
I have worked here for six years. (Professional history)
I've been here for six years. (Professional history)
I've been at this gig for six years. (Professional history)
Present Perfect: For vs. Since (Ações Contínuas)
FOR (Duração)
- Por quanto tempo? Responde 'Por quanto tempo?'
- Período de tempo por exemplo, 'three hours', 'many years'
- I've studied for two hours. Exemplo de frase
SINCE (Ponto de Partida)
- Desde quando? Responde 'Desde quando?'
- Momento/evento específico por exemplo, '9 AM', 'last year', 'I was a child'
- She's worked since 2010. Exemplo de frase
USOS COMUNS
- Ainda acontecendo Ação/estado continua até o presente
- Verbos de Estado (know, be) Frequentemente com Present Perfect Simple
- Experiências Conectando passado ao presente
For vs. Since: Uma Olhada Rápida
Escolhendo 'For' ou 'Since' com Present Perfect
A ação/estado é contínua (começou no passado, continua agora)?
Você está indicando a *duração total* do tempo?
Você está indicando o *ponto de partida específico*?
Expressões de Tempo com For & Since
FOR (Duração)
- • five minutes
- • two hours
- • a week
- • three months
- • several years
- • a long time
- • ages
- • what feels like forever
SINCE (Ponto de Partida)
- • 9 AM
- • yesterday
- • last Monday
- • 2020
- • I was a child
- • he arrived
- • my birthday
- • the accident
Exemplos por nível
I have been here for one hour.
I have been here for one hour.
She has lived here since 2022.
She has lived here since 2022.
We have had this car for a week.
We have had this car for a week.
He has been sick since Friday.
He has been sick since Friday.
I haven't seen him for two days.
I haven't seen him for two days.
They have been married since July.
They have been married since July.
How long have you been a teacher?
How long have you been a teacher?
She has known me for a long time.
She has known me for a long time.
I've worked in this office since I finished university.
I've worked in this office since I finished university.
We've been waiting for the bus for over forty minutes.
We've been waiting for the bus for over forty minutes.
Has he lived in London since he was a child?
Has he lived in London since he was a child?
I haven't eaten anything since breakfast.
I haven't eaten anything since breakfast.
The company has owned this property for several decades.
The company has owned this property for several decades.
I've been meaning to call you since we last met.
I've been meaning to call you since we last met.
Prices have risen significantly since the new law was passed.
Prices have risen significantly since the new law was passed.
He hasn't contributed to the project for quite some time.
He hasn't contributed to the project for quite some time.
The tension has been building since the inception of the project.
The tension has been building since the inception of the project.
I haven't seen such a display of talent for many a year.
I haven't seen such a display of talent for many a year.
She has been a pillar of the community since time immemorial.
She has been a pillar of the community since time immemorial.
The law has been in effect for the duration of the crisis.
The law has been in effect for the duration of the crisis.
The manuscript has lain untouched for what must be centuries.
The manuscript has lain untouched for what must be centuries.
Ever since the scandal broke, the senator has been under intense scrutiny.
Ever since the scandal broke, the senator has been under intense scrutiny.
I haven't so much as spoken to him in weeks.
I haven't so much as spoken to him in weeks.
The city has undergone a metamorphosis since the turn of the century.
The city has undergone a metamorphosis since the turn of the century.
Fácil de confundir
Learners use Past Simple for ongoing actions or Present Perfect for finished ones.
Both relate to time, but 'during' is used with nouns to say when something happened, not how long.
Learners use 'from' to mark a start point with the Present Perfect.
Erros comuns
I am here since Monday.
I have been here since Monday.
I have been here for 2010.
I have been here since 2010.
I have lived here since two years.
I have lived here for two years.
I have know him for a long time.
I have known him for a long time.
She has worked here since five months.
She has worked here for five months.
How long you have been here?
How long have you been here?
I haven't seen her since a long time.
I haven't seen her for a long time.
I have been knowing her since 2015.
I have known her since 2015.
I've been here since I have been a child.
I've been here since I was a child.
It's been raining for this morning.
It's been raining since this morning.
I haven't seen him for the last time we met.
I haven't seen him since the last time we met.
Padrões de frases
I have known ___ since ___.
She hasn't ___ for ___.
How long have you ___?
Real World Usage
I have worked in sales for over a decade.
I've had this cough since last Tuesday.
We've been together for three years.
I have been on hold for twenty minutes!
Living in NYC since 2015.
I have been in the country for two weeks.
Duração ou Ponto de Partida?
(duração) vs. I've been waiting since 10 AM." (ponto de partida).Não misture os tempos verbais!
I lived there for five years.(não moro mais lá).
Pense em 'Até Agora'
I have learned a lot since I started this course.
Soe Mais Natural
Exceção dos Verbos de Estado
I have known her for years.(Não diga
I have been knowing her.)
Smart Tips
Stop! If you arrived 2 days ago and are still here, you must use 'I have been'.
Use 'for'. Numbers usually indicate a duration.
Swap 'for' for 'in'.
Always put that verb in the Past Simple.
Pronúncia
Contraction of 'have'
In natural speech, 'have' is almost always contracted to /v/ after pronouns.
Weak form of 'for'
The word 'for' is usually pronounced with a schwa /fə/ unless it is stressed.
Emphasis on duration
I've been waiting for ↘️HOURS.
Conveys frustration or surprise at the length of time.
Memorize
Mnemônico
FOR is for the length of the floor (duration); SINCE is for the start of the fence (point).
Associação visual
Imagine 'FOR' as a ruler measuring a piece of string. Imagine 'SINCE' as a push-pin on a calendar marking the exact day you started.
Rhyme
For is for a length of time, Since is for the starting line.
Story
A traveler has been walking 'for' ten days. He hasn't seen a city 'since' he left the mountains. He measures his journey in days (for) but remembers his departure (since).
Word Web
Desafio
Write three sentences about your life: one using 'for', one using 'since' with a year, and one using 'since' with a past event (e.g., 'since I was a child').
Notas culturais
British speakers are very strict about using the Present Perfect with 'for' and 'since'. Using the Past Simple instead (e.g., 'I didn't see him since Monday') sounds very incorrect to them.
While the Present Perfect is standard, in informal American speech, you might occasionally hear the Past Simple used with 'since', though it is technically non-standard.
Using 'for' and 'since' correctly is a marker of professional English proficiency. It is often tested in exams like IELTS or TOEFL because it shows a grasp of complex time relationships.
The Present Perfect evolved from Old English 'habban' (to have) + a past participle, originally meaning 'I possess a finished thing'. Over time, it shifted to describe the state resulting from that action.
Iniciadores de conversa
How long have you lived in your current city?
What is something you have owned since you were a child?
How long have you been studying English, and what has been the hardest part?
Have you known your best friend for a long time?
Temas para diário
Erros comuns
Test Yourself
I haven't seen my best friend ___ last summer.
Find and fix the mistake:
She works here for ten years.
Translate into English: 'Hemos vivido en esta ciudad desde 2015.'
Answer starts with: ["W...
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Score: /4
Exercicios praticos
8 exercisesI have lived in this apartment ___ 2010.
They have been married ___ forty years.
Find and fix the mistake:
I am a teacher since three years.
I started working here in January. (I have...)
1. ___ ages, 2. ___ I was a child, 3. ___ a long time, 4. ___ last night
A: How long have you had that dog? B: I've had him ___.
We use 'since' with a period of time, like 'five days'.
Which ones go with 'For'?
Score: /8
Practice Bank
12 exercisesThey haven't visited their grandparents ___ Christmas.
How long ___ you been learning French?
We know him since 2010.
I haven't eaten for I woke up.
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose the correct sentence:
Translate into English: 'Él ha estado esperando el autobús durante veinte minutos.'
Translate into English: 'No he comido chocolate desde que era niño.'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match each time expression with the correct word:
Match the beginnings with the correct endings:
Score: /12
Perguntas frequentes (8)
Yes, but it means the action is finished. `I lived there for two years` means you don't live there now. `I have lived there for two years` means you still do.
No, 'since' is almost exclusively used with the Present Perfect (or Past Perfect) in English to show a connection to a later time.
It is always `for a long time`. 'A long time' is a duration, not a specific point.
`For` tells you how long (duration). `During` tells you when (within a named event). Example: 'I slept for two hours during the flight.'
Technically yes, but it is much more natural to say `for five years`. 'Since' is better with dates or events.
Yes, for this specific rule of duration, the Present Perfect `have/has + past participle` is required.
Yes! `Ever since` is a common way to emphasize that something has been true from a specific point until now. 'I've loved pizza ever since I was a kid.'
In negative sentences, `in` is a common and natural substitute for `for` in informal English.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Presente + hace / desde
Spanish uses present tense; English uses present perfect.
Présent + depuis
French uses present tense for ongoing actions.
Präsens + seit
German uses one word (seit) for both points and durations.
~te iru + kara/aida
Japanese relies on aspect markers rather than a specific perfect tense.
Mudari' (Present) + mundhu
Arabic uses the present tense where English uses the perfect.
Verb + le + duration
Chinese uses aspect particles and word order instead of prepositions.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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Learn English Tenses: The Present Perfect
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Master All 4 Present Tenses in 10 Min | English Grammar Lesson | Best Way To Learn English Tenses
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