# Since ... ago: Since a long time ago, for a long time.



## mauro1963

I've read on the dictionary of WordReference the following sentence:
>>>> he knows him since a long time ago . Is that correct?
Shouldnt' it be "*he's known him...* "    
As to " since a long time ago" I'd like to know if it has the same meaning as " for a long time" .  I've read this sentence on " Practical english usage" by Michael Swan: _*We've been living here since about eight years ago.*_ 
If I said *for about eight years*,would the meaning be the same _*?*_  .


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## nycphotography

mauro1963 said:
			
		

> I've read on the dictionary of WordReference the following sentence:
> >>>> he knows him since a long time ago  . Is that correct?
> Shouldnt' it be "*he's known him...*  "
> As to " since a long time ago" I'd like to know if it has the same meaning as " for a long time" . I've read this sentence on " Practical english usage" by Michael Swan: _*We've been living here since about eight years ago.*_
> If I said *for about eight years*,would the meaning be the same _*?*_  .


 
You are correct on all counts.

The first one COULD be fixed as:  He knows him *from* a long time ago

But it expects more explanation about the circumstances of long ago, and it implies a gap of non-contact which is now being ended.


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## te gato

mauro1963 said:
			
		

> I've read on the dictionary of WordReference the following sentence:
> >>>> he knows him since a long time ago . Is that correct?
> Shouldnt' it be "*he's known him...* "
> As to " since a long time ago" I'd like to know if it has the same meaning as " for a long time" . I've read this sentence on " Practical english usage" by Michael Swan: _*We've been living here since about eight years ago.*_
> If I said *for about eight years*,would the meaning be the same _*?*_ .


First: Welcome to the forum..
Second: we would not say 'he knows him since a long time ago'..it is not wrong, just very Old English.. We would say..'He has known him for a very long time'...or..'he has known him almost forever'..
Third: yes the meanings are the same..but..'for about eight years' would be *said* more..and..'since about eight years' is more for *formal writing.*
tg


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## Brioche

mauro1963 said:
			
		

> I've read on the dictionary of WordReference the following sentence:
> >>>> he knows him since a long time ago . Is that correct?
> Shouldnt' it be "*he's known him...* "
> As to " since a long time ago" I'd like to know if it has the same meaning as " for a long time" . I've read this sentence on " Practical english usage" by Michael Swan: _*We've been living here since about eight years ago.*_
> If I said *for about eight years*,would the meaning be the same _*?*_ .


 
For me "Since a long time ago" is not English.
Since is followed by a _point in time_, not a period of time.

"Since about eight years ago" is also not standard English.
_We've been living here about eight years._
_We moved here about eight years ago._
_We've been living here since I lost my job, which was about 8 years ago._


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## M56

nycphotography said:
			
		

> , and it implies a gap of non-contact which is now being ended.


 
Is the part in blue grammatically correct?


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## M56

Brioche said:
			
		

> "Since about eight years ago" is also not standard English.
> _We've been living here about eight years._
> _We moved here about eight years ago._
> _We've been living here since I lost my job, which was about 8 years ago._


 
Is it the "since about" you have a problem with?

It seems to be quite common:

*Google: 1,600,000* *English* pages for *"since about"*.


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## panjandrum

Since about eight years ago sounds OK to me, most of the time.
It suggests that the speaker is fixing the period with reference to an event that happened about eight years ago rather than by estimating how long they have been living in that place.


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## Brioche

M56 said:
			
		

> Is it the "since about" you have a problem with?
> 
> It seems to be quite common:
> 
> *Google: 1,600,000* *English* pages for *"since about"*.


 
"Since about" is not the problem, it's the *ago* tacked on the end.

For me, they just don't go together.

"since about 8 years ago" goes jangle, jangle in my ears.


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## cheshire

panjandrum said:


> *Since about eight years ago sounds OK to me, most of the time.*
> It suggests that the speaker is fixing the period with reference to an event that happened about eight years ago rather than by estimating how long they have been living in that place.


Really?


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## caballoschica

I might punctuate the sentence sine about eight years ago with ellipses.

I've been living here since ... about eight years ago.  (if they can't think of the exact amount of time right away)

Even without the ellipses it sounds OK to me.  I agree with panjandrum.  

You can change about to nearly.  I've been living here since nearly eight years ago.  "about" can mean the same thing as "nearly" and the sentence with nearly sounds fine to me.  Or even use approximately.


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## Genecks

mauro1963 said:


> I've read on the dictionary of WordReference the following sentence:
> >>>> he knows him since a long time ago . Is that correct?
> Shouldnt' it be "*he's known him...* "
> As to " since a long time ago" I'd like to know if it has the same meaning as " for a long time" .  I've read this sentence on " Practical english usage" by Michael Swan: _*We've been living here since about eight years ago.*_
> If I said *for about eight years*,would the meaning be the same _*?*_  .



He has known him since a long time ago. However, that might sound awkward.
I would use this: He has known him for a long time.


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## Henryk

Are the two in the title interchangable? Which is more common?

Thanks in advance.


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## Sallyb36

we wouldn't say since a long time ago.

*<<Mod Edit.  But we would prefer to use a capital W at the beginning of the sentence. >>*


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## Henryk

Sallyb36 said:


> we wouldn't say since a long time ago.


Thanks for your answer. 

My English teacher said so, so I was a tad suspicious and confused because I didn't hear or read it before.

Or did I just make anything wrong in my example? He said it is in general accepted to use "since ... ago" instead of "for ... years".


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## Brioche

Henryk said:


> Are the two in the title interchangable? Which is more common?
> 
> Thanks in advance.



Since refers to a *point* in time, not a period of time.

_I have been waiting here since 2 o'clock. 
I have been waiting here for a long time. _


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## Henryk

Brioche said:


> Since refers to a *point* in time, not a period of time.
> 
> _I have been waiting here since 2 o'clock. _
> _I have been waiting here for a long time. _


I know that. That's the very reason why I'm totally in doubt. 

Thanks for your answer.


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## silentnymph

" I have  known him for a long time." 
My father said it = " I have known hime since a long time ago."

How to say?


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## Sallyb36

I have known him for a long time
Or I have known him since I was little.


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## moo mouse

Silentnymph:
What your father said does not sound right to me. You could say 'I have known him since we met a long time ago' but this is actually a bit repetitive as obviously you have known him since you met.
Better to say 'I have known him for a long time'
Or 'I have known him for years'
Or 'We first met a long time ago' (although this does not necessarily imply that you have seen him many times since then).


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## arturolczykowski

> My English teacher said so, so I was a tad suspicious and confused because I didn't hear or read it before.




Sorry Henryk for using your sentence as example but I always have problem with proper using Past Simple and Present Perfect and your sentence is a good example of my problem... I'm not sure if the last part shouldn't be written in Present Perfect (I haven't heard it before)

Any comments?


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## muycuriosa

Hello everybody,

 I was curious - because I, too, would have considered 'since a long time ago' wrong - so I checked google for references and found quite a few. However, I have only read some of them, so I can't say if they are another example of 'incorrect' language on the Internet or if that's just another point where English is changing.

I' be glad for native speakers to take a look and give an evaluation.


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## muycuriosa

arturolczykowski said:


> Sorry Henryk for using your sentence as example but I always have problem with proper using Past Simple and Present Perfect and your sentence is a good example of my problem... I'm not sure if the last part shouldn't be written in Present Perfect (I haven't heard it before)
> 
> Any comments?


 
Hello Artur,

 I think you'r right. It should be:
'... haven't read or heard it before.'


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## Brioche

muycuriosa said:


> Hello everybody,
> 
> I was curious - because I, too, would have considered 'since a long time ago' wrong - so I checked google for references and found quite a few. However, I have only read some of them, so I can't say if they are another example of 'incorrect' language on the Internet or if that's just another point where English is changing.
> 
> I' be glad for native speakers to take a look and give an evaluation.



I don't think I have ever heard a native speaker use _since_ with a period of time.


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## Henryk

> I'm not sure if the last part shouldn't be written in Present Perfect (I haven't heard it before)
> 
> Any comments?


 
As far as I know "before" requires the past tense. Google is on my side.

But I would be glad if a native could confirm this.


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## eazyebeneezer

Henryk said:


> As far as I know "before" requires the past tense. Google is on my side.
> 
> But I would be glad if a native could confirm this.


When you say past tense do you mean past simple? If so, you're quite mistaken. Before is very commonly used with many different verb tenses. And in the case mentioned above, "I haven't heard it before" is the only possibility as far as I'm concerned.


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## silentnymph

moo mouse said:


> Silentnymph:
> What your father said does not sound right to me. You could say 'I have known him since we met a long time ago' but this is actually a bit repetitive as obviously you have known him since you met.
> Better to say 'I have known him for a long time'
> Or 'I have known him for years'
> Or 'We first met a long time ago' (although this does not necessarily imply that you have seen him many times since then).


 



I think so , too. 
But according to what muycuriosa said, is that means there are still some? Even it's not very common or it's incorrect?


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## Loob

Interesting! We've just had a big debate in the Spanish-English forum as to whether it was possible to say: "I've been living with him since 8 months ago". 

I was one of the minority who argued that this was, indeed, possible, especially if you made the time period more fluid: "I've been living with him since about 8 months ago". 

What are your views, English-only forum members?

Loob


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## arturolczykowski

> As far as I know "before" requires the past tense. Google is on my side.
> 
> But I would be glad if a native could confirm this.


 

In this context 'before' means 'in my past' and entire sentence is equvalent of 'I've never heard it (in my life)' so it demands Present Perfect.


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## Orange Blossom

Loob said:


> We've just had a big debate in the Spanish-English forum as to whether it was possible to say: "I've been living with him since 8 months ago".
> 
> I was one of the minority who argued that this was, indeed, possible, especially if you made the time period more fluid: "I've been living with him since about 8 months ago".
> 
> What are your views, English-only forum members?
> 
> Loob



The second version would be possible, but I would still immediately identify the speaker as a non-native English speaker.   A native English speaker in the United States would say: "I've been living with him for about eight months."

I could say: I moved in with him about eight months ago, and I've been living with him ever since.

We would never say: _Since a long time ago_.

A long time ago, I heard that ghost story, but this is the first time I have heard it since then.

Orange Blossom


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## kios_01

I agree with orange blossom. The use of "since" for periods of time is possible in everyday language without it interfering in the meaning of the expression. But yes, it would sound ungrammatical.

The rule (and this is more commonly used and heard, as well) is to use "since" to refer to some point in the past and "for" to refer to a period in time starting from some point in the past up to the present.

And because we are referring to the past anchored to the present, we usually use the present perfect.

I have known him since we were kids.
I have known him for 22 years.


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## cheshire

I have been doing this job *since *three years *back*.​Can we safely use this kind of sentence? (since...years back)
I learned that you could say "since...years ago."


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## Joelline

I have heard this expression, but I don't know if you can "safely" use it because I believe it is a regionalism in the U.S.  It may be more commonly used elsewhere, however.  I would tend to say, "I have been doing this job for the past three years."


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## JamesM

I know that the French often want to use "since" when describing time spans, for example, but the use of "since" in describing a time span is much more limited in English than in French, in my experience.

_"I have been doing this job..." _doesn't work with "since" unless you have a specific point in time in the sentence.

"I have been doing this job since June of 2004", for example, would work. 

Otherwise, I'd go with the same construction Joelline used, "for the past three years", or even shorter, "for three years (now)."


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## cheshire

Thanks!
Seems like retrospective adverbs "before, ago, back" are incompatible with "since."


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## arturolczykowski

I haven't had a rise in salary since I have been working for the company.

Is 'since' used here correctly? I know that 'for all the time' would sounds better but is it correct? Can I use it like that?


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## tphuong122002

I haven't had a rise in salary since I started working for the company.


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## volky

Your use of since in your sentence is perfectly right. 

Even more, I don't recommend "for all the time". 

I haven't had a raise in salary for all the time I have been working for the company. (For me, this is too long and too confusing. Stay with since.)

I do suggest this other version:

I haven't received a salary raise in all the time working for this company.



raise, *rise*, wage hike, hike, wage increase, salary increase
_the amount a salary is increased; "he got a 3% raise"; "he got a wage hike" _


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## arturolczykowski

Thanks a lot.


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## Brioche

This [well-educated ] native speaker maintains that 
_since + time period + ago_ 
is not English.

I've know him for nearly eight months.
I met him nearly eight months ago.

I've known him for about 8 months.
I met him about 8 months ago.


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## nichec

arturolczykowski said:


> I haven't had a rise in salary since I have been working for the company.
> 
> Is 'since' used here correctly? I know that 'for all the time' would sounds better but is it correct? Can I use it like that?


 
I'm with *tphuong122002* here.
I believe that you are supposed to put past tense sentence after "since" in this context.

I don't think "for all the time" is correct here either.
Actually, I think the best sentence is the one posted by* tphuong122002.*


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## sound shift

I agree with Brioche (but I make no claims about my education ).


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## cheshire

nichec said:


> I'm with *tphuong122002* here.
> I believe that you are supposed to put past tense sentence after "since" in this context.
> 
> I don't think "for all the time" is correct here either.
> Actually, I think the best sentence is the one posted by* tphuong122002.*


Still, as volky backs up, arturo's version is also correct (but less "authentic")...right???


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## Little_LIS

nycphotography said:


> The first one COULD be fixed as: He knows him *from* a long time ago


 
Well, an English native speaker has told me before that we can't use from with ago ?!!

So, who else uses this form?It could be restricted to a certain dialect!


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## angelsp

*I haven't seen him since 2 months ago.*

*I've quit smoking since 2 years ago.*

I've asked some English people, they say since..ago is strange and not correct.

I did hear a few English people say since...ago when they were talking.

Please can some native speakers give me some ideas about this struction, can we use since..ago?

Thank you.


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## SwissPete

I am not a natice speaker, but I can tell you that _since ... ago_ does sound strange, and I would avoid using it.

*I haven't seen him since 2 months ago. *
I haven't see him for two months / I last saw him two months ago / I haven't seen him since July. 

*I've quit smoking since 2 years ago. *
I quit smoking two years ago / I haven't smoked for two years / I haven't smoked since September of 2008.


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## Uriel-

It's a little awkward, but I could see a native speaker saying the first sentence.  But not the second one.


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## challenger

mauro1963 said:


> I've read on the dictionary of WordReference the following sentence:
> >>>> he knows him since a long time ago . Is that correct?
> Shouldnt' it be "*he's known him...* "
> As to " since a long time ago" I'd like to know if it has the same meaning as " for a long time" .  I've read this sentence on " Practical english usage" by Michael Swan: _*We've been living here since about eight years ago.*_
> If I said *for about eight years*,would the meaning be the same _*?*_  .


Hello there! I am focusing on grammar tenses these days,,and it is confusing for me also..But ,so far  i am slowly understanding the differences of the Usage of different  Tenses ..If I'm not mistaken,  " We've been living here for eight years" , it maybe simple but  I think it is grammatically correct. It is a Present perfect progressive form sentence. Using words ago and before are  usually used for Past Tenses, so I guess we better omit the word ago here.


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