Week 34 – Life experiences 2

Week 34 – Life experiences 2 (for/since & Present Perfect for unfinished time, A2+)

Theme: Talking about how long something has continued (work, study, living somewhere, relationships) using Present Perfect with for and since.

Main grammar & functions:

• Present Perfect for unfinished states/situations up to now:
  • I have lived here for five years., She has worked there since 2020.
• for + period of time vs since + point in time.
• Combining experience use (Week 24 & 33) with duration use in simple ways.

CEFR link:

A2+: Can describe how long activities and situations have continued, using simple Present Perfect patterns with common time expressions (CEFR: “Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.”)

1. Lesson objectives (for students)

By the end of the week, students can:

1. Use Present Perfect to say how long they have done something:
   • I’ve studied English for three years., He’s lived here since 2019.
2. Choose correctly between for and since in common contexts.
3. Ask and answer How long have you…? questions.
4. Combine experience and duration in short conversations.

2. Grammar focus (with Ukrainian‑speaker notes)

a) Present Perfect – states from past to now

Form (review):

• have / has + past participle (V3):
  • I / you / we / they have lived / worked / studied.
  • He / she has lived / worked / studied.

Use in this week:

• Unfinished situations that started in the past and continue now:
  • I’ve lived in Kyiv for five years. (I still live there.)
  • She has worked at this company since 2021. (She still works there.)
  • We’ve been friends for a long time. (We’re still friends.)

Ukrainian issues:

• Ukrainian often uses a simple past or present for these ideas; learners may say:
  • I live in Kyiv since 2019 or I lived in Kyiv for five years (but still live there).
• Emphasise: for "from the past until now", English likes Present Perfect with for/since.

b) for vs since

FOR + period of time (скільки часу):

• for two days / three weeks / six months / ten years / a long time / ages

Examples:

• I’ve worked here for three years.
• We’ve been married for ten years.
• She’s studied English for a long time.

SINCE + point in time (з якого часу):

• since Monday / last week / 2019 / I was a child / we met

Examples:

• I’ve lived here since 2019.
• He’s been in this class since September.
• We’ve known each other since we were children.

Simple student rule:

• If you can answer "How long?" → use for.
• If you answer "When did it start?" → use since.

Ukrainian issues:

• Overuse of since with periods:
  • since three years → for three years.
• Using for with points:
  • for 2019 → since 2019.

c) How long…? questions

Pattern:

• How long have/has + subject + V3 …?

Examples:

• How long have you lived here?
• How long has she worked there?
• How long have they known each other?

Answers:

• I’ve lived here for five years.
• She’s worked there since 2020.
• They’ve known each other for a long time.

Ukrainian issues:

• Word order:
  • How long you have lived here? → How long have you lived here?

3. Vocabulary sets

Useful verbs for duration:

• live, work, study, know, have (a car / this phone / this job), be married, be together, be friends, play (the guitar / football), learn (English / German)

Time expressions:

• for two days / three weeks / six months / two years / a long time
• since Monday / last week / 2019 / 2020 / childhood / we met / I was a child

Contexts:

• city/country: live in Kyiv, live in this village
• job: work at a bank, work in a school
• study: study English, study at university
• relationships: know my best friend, be married, be in a relationship

4. Lesson skeleton (60–90 minutes)

1) Warm‑up – Quick survey (10–15 min)

• Ask students three simple questions orally:
  • "How long have you studied English?"
  • "How long have you lived in this city?"
  • "How long have you known your best friend?"
• Board 2–3 good answers, then later correct/upgrade them with for/since.

2) Presentation – for & since with examples (15–20 min)

1. On the board, draw a timeline from 2018 → NOW.
2. Write example sentences along it:
   • I started my job in 2019. I’ve worked here for four years. / since 2019.
   • I moved to Kyiv in 2020. I’ve lived here since 2020.
3. Make two columns: FOR / SINCE and sort expressions from students.
4. Quick controlled exercise:
   • Students choose for or since in 8–10 sentences.

3) Form practice – How long have you…? (15–20 min)

1. Model Q&A on the board:

• • Q: How long have you lived here?
  • A: I’ve lived here for five years.

2. Underline question word order: How long + have/has + subject + V3.
3. Controlled activity:
   • Students complete questions from prompts:
     • (you / study / English) → How long have you studied English?
     • (she / work / there) → How long has she worked there?
4. Pair work: ask and answer using real information.

4) Mixed practice – Find someone who… (15–20 min)

Students move and ask duration questions.

1. Give a Find someone who… worksheet, e.g.:
   • has lived in this city for more than 10 years,
   • has studied English for more than 3 years,
   • has worked in the same job since last year,
   • has known their best friend since childhood.
2. Students walk around and ask:
   • "How long have you lived here?"
   • "How long have you studied English?" etc.
3. They write names + duration.
4. Feedback: report to class using for/since.

5) Freer practice – My timeline (15–20 min)

Students create and talk about a simple personal timeline.

1. Students draw a horizontal line from year X (e.g., 2005) to NOW and mark 4–6 important points (moved city, started school/university/job, met someone, got married, started learning English, etc.).
2. For each, they write Present Perfect sentences with for / since:
   • "I’ve studied English since 2019."
   • "I’ve had this job for two years."
   • "We’ve been friends since we were at school."
3. In pairs/small groups, they present their timelines to each other.

5. Homework / revision ideas

Choose 1–2:

1. My life in numbers
   • Students write 6–8 sentences using for/since about their life (where they live, study, work, relationships, hobbies).

2. Interview a classmate (written)
   • Students write 5 How long have you…? questions, ask a classmate in class, and at home write a short paragraph about them using for/since.

3. for/since drill
   • Provide a list of mixed time expressions; homework is to sort into two columns (for/since) and write 3 example sentences for each.