The present perfect with “for” and “since”

MEDIUM PLUS

GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT

Simon uses the present perfect continuous (have been + verb + -ing) to talk about an activity that started in the past and is still going on. (= Simon and Mona are still going out together.)

To ask a question, we can use How long + present perfect continuous (= up to now).

Simon uses for to talk about a period of time (“for a couple of months”) and since to talk about the starting point of an activity (= from March until now).

The verbs be and know are state

verbs and don’t have a continuous form. You can’t say “You’ve been being together...” or “We’ve been knowing each other...”. So, here, use the present perfect simple (“You’ve been...”, “We’ve/i’ve known...”) instead of the present perfect continuous.

Here, since is used with a complete clause instead of a noun (“since we were at primary school”).

In negative sentences, we usually use the present perfect simple to talk about duration, not the present perfect continuous.

Another way to express negative duration: It’s been (+ time phrase) since + past simple.