Since vs For vs From
Three prepositions. One Hindi word (เคธเฅ). Thousands of wrong answers every year in SSC CGL and IBPS PO. This page fixes that permanently.
The One-Line Rule
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | SINCE | FOR | FROM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Starting point in time | Length of duration | Start of a range (needs end) |
| Follows | Perfect tenses only | Any tense | Any tense |
| Paired with | Nothing โ stands alone | Nothing โ stands alone | TO / TILL / UNTIL |
| Answers | "When did it start?" | "How long?" | "From when โ to when?" |
| Example | since 2019 / since Monday / since she left | for 5 years / for three hours / for a long time | from 9 to 5 / from Jan to March |
SINCE โ Point in Time
Always answers: โWhen did it start?โ
Rules:
- 1. Always used with perfect tenses: Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Present Perfect Continuous.
- 2. Followed by a specific point: a year (since 2019), a day (since Monday), a named event (since independence), or a clause (since she left).
- 3. Never followed by a duration word (an hour, three days, a long time) โ that's FOR's job.
- 4. Can introduce a subordinate clause: โsince we were in school.โ
โ Correct Examples
She has been living here since 2015.
I have not seen him since last Tuesday.
It is the best film I have seen since Lagaan.
We have been friends since we were in school.
FOR โ Duration
Always answers: โHow long?โ
Rules:
- 1. Used with any tense โ Perfect (ongoing) or Simple (completed).
- 2. Followed by a duration: for 5 years, for three hours, for a long time, for ages, for two weeks.
- 3. Duration words = number + unit, or vague quantities: a long time, ages, a while, many years.
- 4. With Perfect tense โ action still ongoing. With Simple tense โ action is complete.
โ Correct Examples
She has been studying for six hours. (still studying)
He worked there for 20 years and then retired. (completed)
I have not slept for two days.
They waited for a long time before giving up.
FROM โ Start of a Range
Always answers: โFrom when to when?โ โ needs a paired end-point.
Rules:
- 1. FROM must always be paired with TO, TILL, or UNTIL โ it cannot stand alone as a time preposition.
- 2. Used for schedules, routines, and ranges: office hours, exam timing, historical eras.
- 3. Used with any tense โ past, present, future, simple or continuous.
- 4. Not interchangeable with SINCE in Perfect tense sentences where no end-point is given.
โ Correct Examples
The office is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
She studied law from 2018 to 2023.
Children learn fastest from birth to the age of five.
The exam will be held from 10 a.m. till 1 p.m.
๐ฎ๐ณ The Hindi โเคธเฅโ Trap โ Why Indian Students Get This Wrong
In Hindi/Urdu, the single postposition เคธเฅ (se) covers the meanings of SINCE, FOR, and sometimes FROM. So:
Hindi โ Incorrect English โ Correct English
โMain 2019 se yahan hunโ โ โI am here from 2019.โ โ โI have been here since 2019.โ
โMain teen ghante se wait kar raha hunโ โ โI am waiting since three hours.โ โ โI have been waiting for three hours.โ
Fix: Translate mentally, then check โ is it a point in time or a duration? Point โ SINCE ยท Duration โ FOR.
Decision Flowchart
e.g. from Monday to Friday
+ Perfect or Simple tense
+ Perfect tense only
๐ฏ The 4 Classic Exam Traps
These exact error patterns appear in SSC CGL, CHSL, and IBPS PO every year. Memorise the correction and the reason โ the reason is often the exam question.
I have been waiting since three hours.
โ I have been waiting for three hours.
๐ 'Three hours' is a duration โ FOR. SINCE needs a point in time, never a number + unit.
She has been working here from 2020.
โ She has been working here since 2020.
๐ '2020' is a year โ a specific starting point. In a Perfect tense sentence without a paired end-point, use SINCE, not FROM.
He is absent since last Monday.
โ He has been absent since last Monday.
๐ Two errors: (1) 'is' should be 'has been' โ SINCE demands Perfect tense. (2) Even if (1) were fixed, SINCE is correct for 'last Monday'. Both errors together are a common Tier-I trap.
I will work from 2 p.m. since 6 p.m.
โ I will work from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
๐ FROM pairs with TO / TILL, never with SINCE. SINCE is for starting points in perfect tense, not for giving the end of a future schedule.
๐ Examiner's Trick Box
- โธ If you see SINCE in the sentence but the following word is a number + unit (since three days, since two hours) โ it is always wrong. Change to FOR.
- โธ If you see FROM with a perfect tense but no end-point โ it is always wrong. Change to SINCE.
- โธ โThe longest/best/first โฆ since [event]โ is a fixed superlative + SINCE pattern โ always Present Perfect.
- โธ FOR can be used with Simple Past for completed actions. SINCE cannot. โHe lived there for 5 yearsโ is correct. โHe lived there since 2010โ is wrong (needs perfect tense).
- โธ โSuffer FROM a diseaseโ โ here FROM is a preposition of cause, not time. Do not confuse it with the time preposition FROM. Context determines the role.