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Part 1 ยท Episode 20 A2-B1

How Long Have You Waited?

๐Ÿ“ for/since

Nelson Mandela ยท 27 years in prison ๐Ÿ“– 5 min read

Episode 20: How Long Have You Waited?

for/since โ€” Nelson Mandela, 1990 (A2-B1)

Grammar Box

Meaning: For and since both show time with Present Perfect. For measures how long (duration). Since marks when it started (starting point).

Form: for + period of time (years, months, days) | since + specific time (date, day, year)

Example 1: I have lived here for five years. (duration)

Example 2: I have lived here since 2020. (starting point)

Common mistake: Wrong: I have studied English since three years. Better: I have studied English for three years.

The Question

Luna wrote: “I have studied English since three years.” Then: “I have lived here for 2020.” Both felt wrong. Her watch glowed. Professor Wisdom appeared gently. “For and since are different. One measures duration. One marks the starting point. Come. Let’s meet a man who waited twenty-seven years for freedom.”

The Journey

The world shifted. Luna stood outside Victor Verster Prison in South Africa. February 11, 1990. Afternoon. Thousands of people filled the streets. They were waiting. They had been waiting for hours. They had been waiting for decades. They were waiting for one man.

Nelson Mandela walked out. He was seventy-one years old. His hair was gray. His face showed strength mixed with kindness. He raised his fist. The crowd erupted.

Mandela was a lawyer. He was a freedom fighter. He was a symbol. For twenty-seven years, he had been in prison. Since 1962, the government had kept him locked away. They had tried to break him. They had failed.

In prison, Mandela had worked in a limestone quarry. The bright stone had damaged his eyes. He had slept on a thin mat on the floor. He had been allowed one visitor every six months. For fifteen minutes. Through glass. No touching. Since his imprisonment, he had missed his children growing up. He had missed his mother’s funeral. He had missed normal life.

But something remarkable had happened. Instead of becoming bitter, Mandela had grown wiser. He had studied. He had read. He had learned Afrikaans, the language of his oppressors. He had built relationships with his guards. “I knew that if I didn’t forgive them,” he said later, “I would still be in prison.”

The world had been watching. Since the 1980s, protests had grown. Countries had imposed sanctions. Musicians had refused to perform in South Africa. Pressure had built for years. Finally, the government had decided. Mandela must be freed.

Now he stood in the sunlight. Free. But his work wasn’t finished. Since 1948, apartheid had controlled South Africa. Black people had lived under brutal laws for forty-two years. Mandela had waited for this moment. Now he had to build a new nation.

Luna watched his face. She could see exhaustion. She could see hope. She could smell the sea air. She could hear thousands of voices. She could feel that history was turning. Twenty-seven years. Since 1962. That’s how long freedom took.

The Insight

“Listen to how we talk about time,” the Professor said. “‘For twenty-seven years.’ ‘Since 1962.’ For measures the length of time. Since marks when it started.”

He continued, “We use for with periods: for two hours, for three weeks, for many years. We use since with specific points in time: since Monday, since 2010, since yesterday. Both work with Present Perfect because they connect past to present.”

“‘How long have you lived here?’ ‘I have lived here for five years.’ Or: ‘I have lived here since 2019.’ For shows duration. Since shows the starting moment.”

Practice Zone

More Examples:

  1. “I have known her for ten years.” โ€” Length of time.
  2. “We have been friends since high school.” โ€” Starting point.
  3. “She has worked here since January.” โ€” Specific time marker.
  4. “They have studied English for six months.” โ€” Duration.
  5. “He hasn’t called me for a week.” โ€” Time period in negative.
  6. “How long have you been waiting?” โ€” Duration question.

Exercises:

  1. Fill in the blank: I have lived in this city _____ (for/since) 2015.

  2. Choose the correct:
    a) She has been sick for Monday.
    b) She has been sick since Monday.

  3. Complete with for or since:
    – I have known him _ many years.
    – They have been married     1995.
    – We haven’t seen each other     __ a long time.

  4. Make a question: How long _ you ___ (study) English?

  5. Your turn: Write two sentences about yourself. Use for in one and since in the other.

Answer Key:

  1. since (specific year = starting point)
  2. b) She has been sick since Monday
  3. for many years / since 1995 / for a long time
  4. How long have you studied English?
  5. Check: Did you use for + period of time? Did you use since + specific time? Examples: “I have lived here for three years.” “I have lived here since 2021.” “She has worked there for two months.” “She has worked there since October.”

The Lesson

They returned to Luna’s room. Luna smiled. “I have studied with you for one hour today. I have studied English since last year.” The Professor nodded. “Yes. And like Mandela, sometimes we wait for a long time. Since we started doesn’t matter as much as whether we keep going. Duration builds character. Patience builds strength.”