Since vs For: How to Talk About Time
Since vs For (since ও for-এর পার্থক্য)
Introductionভূমিকা
'I am living here since 2019' has two errors in six words, and almost every Bangladeshi learner has said it. Fix the since/for choice and the tense that goes with it, and a whole family of sentences becomes correct at once.
'I am living here since 2019' — ছয় শব্দে দুটো ভুল, আর বাংলাদেশের প্রায় প্রতিটি শিক্ষার্থী এটা বলেছেন। since/for-এর পছন্দ আর তার সাথের কালটা ঠিক করলে একসাথে গোটা এক পরিবার বাক্য শুদ্ধ হয়ে যায়।
Definitionসংজ্ঞা
'Since' is followed by the point in time when something started (since Monday, since 2019, since I was a child). 'For' is followed by the length of time it has lasted (for three days, for five years, for a long time).
'Since'-এর পরে বসে কখন শুরু হয়েছিল সেই সময়বিন্দু (since Monday, since 2019, since I was a child)। 'For'-এর পরে বসে কতক্ষণ ধরে চলছে সেই সময়কাল (for three days, for five years, for a long time)।
Bangla Explanationবাংলা ব্যাখ্যা
মনে রাখার সহজ উপায়: **since = কখন থেকে**, **for = কতদিন ধরে**। 'since 2019' — ২০১৯ সাল একটা বিন্দু। 'for five years' — পাঁচ বছর একটা দৈর্ঘ্য। যদি বুঝতে না পারেন, নিজেকে জিজ্ঞেস করুন — এটা ঘড়ির কাঁটার একটা দাগ, নাকি দুই দাগের মাঝের দূরত্ব? দাগ হলে since, দূরত্ব হলে for। দ্বিতীয় জরুরি কথা: এই দুটোর সাথে সাধারণত **present perfect** বা **present perfect continuous** বসে, present continuous নয়। তাই 'I am living here since 2019' ভুল; ঠিক হলো 'I have been living here since 2019'। বাংলায় আমরা বর্তমান কাল ব্যবহার করি বলেই এই ভুলটা এত বেশি হয় — 'আমি ২০১৯ সাল থেকে এখানে থাকি'। ইংরেজিতে এই অর্থে বর্তমান কাল খাটে না। আরেকটা কথা: since-এর পরে একটা গোটা বাক্যও বসতে পারে — 'since I moved to Dhaka' — তখন সেই বাক্যটা past simple-এ থাকে।
Examplesউদাহরণ
- I have lived in Dhaka since 2019.আমি ২০১৯ সাল থেকে ঢাকায় আছি। (since + সময়বিন্দু)
- I have lived in Dhaka for six years.আমি ছয় বছর ধরে ঢাকায় আছি। (for + সময়কাল)
- She has been waiting since ten o'clock.সে দশটা থেকে অপেক্ষা করছে।
- She has been waiting for two hours.সে দুই ঘণ্টা ধরে অপেক্ষা করছে।
- We haven't met since my cousin's wedding.আমার কাজিনের বিয়ের পর থেকে আমাদের দেখা হয়নি।
- He has worked there since he finished college.কলেজ শেষ করার পর থেকে সে ওখানে কাজ করে। (since + গোটা বাক্য, past simple-এ)
- It has been raining for three days.তিন দিন ধরে বৃষ্টি হচ্ছে।
Common Mistakesসাধারণ ভুল
I am working here since 2020.
I have been working here since 2020.
Since and for need the present perfect, not the present continuous. Bangla uses the present here, which is exactly why this error is so common.
I have lived here since five years.
I have lived here for five years.
Five years is a length, not a starting point — so it takes 'for'.
She is ill for last Monday.
She has been ill since last Monday.
Last Monday is a point in time, and the state continues into now, so: present perfect + since.
We know each other since long time.
We have known each other for a long time.
'A long time' is a duration, and the article 'a' is required.
Tipsটিপস
- Ask yourself: is this a point on a clock, or the distance between two points? Point = since, distance = for. — নিজেকে জিজ্ঞেস করুন: এটা ঘড়ির একটা দাগ, নাকি দুই দাগের দূরত্ব? দাগ = since, দূরত্ব = for।
- Whenever you write 'since' or 'for' about now, check that your verb is 'have/has been…'. — এখন পর্যন্ত বোঝাতে since বা for লিখলেই দেখে নিন ক্রিয়াটা 'have/has been…' কিনা।
- 'For' can be dropped in speech ('I've lived here five years'), but 'since' never can. — কথ্য ইংরেজিতে 'for' বাদ দেওয়া যায় ('I've lived here five years'), কিন্তু 'since' কখনো বাদ যায় না।
- Watch out: 'since' also means 'because' in formal writing — 'Since it was raining, we stayed home.' — খেয়াল রাখুন: আনুষ্ঠানিক লেখায় 'since' মানে 'কারণ'-ও হয় — 'Since it was raining, we stayed home.'
Quizকুইজ
Tap an answer to check yourself — a free preview of the full graded quiz in the app.
1. Fill in: I have known him ___ 2015.
2. Fill in: They have been married ___ ten years.
3. Which sentence is correct?
4. Fill in: She hasn't called ___ last Eid.
Practiceঅনুশীলন
Try each one, then reveal the answer.
1. Fill in: We have been friends ___ school.
Hint: School here means the time when school started — a point.
2. Correct: 'He is living in Sylhet since 2021.'
Hint: Change the tense, keep 'since'.
3. Rewrite with 'for': I have worked here since 2020. (it is now 2026)
Hint: Convert the point into a length.
Related Lessonsসম্পর্কিত পাঠ
- Present Perfect TenseLearn the present perfect tense in Bangla and English: the have/has + past participle rule, when to use it, real examples, common mistakes and a free quiz.
- Present Perfect Continuous TenseThe present perfect continuous tense in Bangla and English: has/have been + verb-ing with 'for' and 'since', plus rules, examples, mistakes and a free quiz.
- Prepositions of Time: In, On, AtMaster prepositions of time in Bangla and English: when to use in, on and at for months, dates, days and clock times, with examples, mistakes and a free quiz.
AI Practiceএআই অনুশীলন
Practise this topic in a real conversation with your AI teacher — it asks questions, corrects you gently, and adapts to your level, all inside EnglishBD.
Practise with the AI teacher →Frequently Asked Questionsসাধারণ জিজ্ঞাসা
Can I use 'from' instead of 'since'?
Not for something continuing up to now. 'From 2019' needs an end point — 'from 2019 to 2022'. If it is still true today, use 'since'.
Why can't I say 'I am living here since 2019'?
Because the present continuous only describes now, while 'since 2019' covers the whole stretch from 2019 until this moment. English marks that stretch with the present perfect.
Is 'since long' correct?
No, though it is very common in South Asian English. Say 'for a long time' — the duration takes 'for', and it needs the article 'a'.
Does 'for' always mean time?
No — 'for' has many other jobs ('a gift for you', 'for example'). This rule is only about 'for' plus a length of time.