Shadowing Practice: FOR or SINCE? | Stop Making This Common Mistake - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creando lección...
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Hey everyone!
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Welcome back to Daily English Talk.
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Yes!
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We are so happy you are here with us today.
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If you want to keep learning English with us, right now.
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It really helps our channel grow.
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And today's lesson is a good one.
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We're talking about two little words that confuse almost every English learner.
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Exactly, Tom.
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For and since.
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Oh, Lily.
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Don't get me started on this one.
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If this is your first time watching, welcome to the family.
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We make a new English lesson every single day.
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Every day.
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Rain or shine, even when Tom forgets his lines.
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Which happens more than you think.
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It's true.
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Don't judge me.
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What?
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What happened?
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Well, actually, something happened to me this week because of these two words.
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Wait, really?
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Yeah, it wasn't great.
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Okay, now I need to know, what happened?
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Let's just say I sent a text message to someone important and I used the wrong word.
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Just one word.
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One word changed everything?
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One word.
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And that person has not replied to me yet.
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Okay, everyone watching, here's a question for you.
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Tom sent a message using for or since in the wrong way, and it caused a big misunderstanding.
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Before we tell you the story, guess this.
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Who do you think Tom sent that message to?
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This is going to be embarrassing.
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Write your guess in the comments below.
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We won't tell you the answer.
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You'll have to watch and figure it out yourself.
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Good luck!
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Okay, so tell me everything.
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What happened with this text message?
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Okay, so you know I've been living in my new apartment now, right?
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Yes, the one with the tiny kitchen.
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The one with the tiny kitchen, exactly.
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So my landlord, Mr. Baker, he messaged me asking how long I've been living there.
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He wanted it for some paperwork.
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Okay, simple question.
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You would think so.
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So I wanted to say I have lived here since March because I moved in in March, right?
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Right, since March, that's correct.
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But instead, I typed, I have lived here for March. For March? For March.
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Like March is a length of time.
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Tom, March isn't a duration.
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It's a point in time.
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I know that now, but at the time, I was cooking dinner, texting with one hand, and my brain just mixed the words up.
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So what did Mr. Baker say?
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He wrote back, I'm sorry, I don't understand.
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Do you mean since March or for a specific number of months?
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Oh no, he was confused. So confused.
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And then I tried to fix it, but I made it worse.
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Worse?
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How?
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I wrote, sorry, I mean since two months.
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Since two months, Tom?
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No!
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I know.
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Since doesn't go with a number of months like that.
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I panicked!
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Oh my goodness, so now he thinks you don't know how long you've lived in your own apartment.
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Basically, yes, and that's why he hasn't replied yet.
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I think he's still trying to understand my timeline.
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Okay, well, don't worry, because today we are going to fix this problem for you, and for everyone watching, too.
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Please, save me from my landlord's confusion.
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That's exactly what we're going to do.
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Okay, so let's break this down simply.
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For and since both talk about time, but they answer different questions.
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Different questions?
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Like what?
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For answers the question, how long?
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It talks about a period of time, a duration.
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So like for two months, for five years, for a long time.
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Exactly!
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is always followed by a length of time, a number of minutes, days, months, years.
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Okay, I think I understand that part.
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Good!
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Now, since is different.
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Since answers the question, when did it start?
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It talks about a starting point.
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Starting point, like a specific moment.
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Yes!
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Since March, since 2020, since Monday, since I woke up.
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Oh, so since is always connected to a moment in time, not a length of time.
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Exactly.
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You got it.
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So my mistake was I used for with March, which is a specific point, not a duration.
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Yes, that's the mistake.
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And then you used since with two months, which is a duration, not a point.
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I basically used both words backwards.
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You really did.
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But hey, that's how we learn.
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Ah, poor Mr. Baker. So confused.
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Let's give everyone a simple trick to remember this.
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Yes, please.
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I need a trick.
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If you can count it, like, two months, five years, ten minutes, use four.
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Okay.
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Four plus a number.
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Exactly.
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And if it's a specific time or date, like, March, Monday, 2020, or an event, like, since I moved here, use since.
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Since plus a starting point.
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That's actually pretty simple when you explain it like that.
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It really is.
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Both words are used with the present perfect tense usually, like, I have lived, she has worked, we have known.
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Present perfect, right, because the action started in the past and continues now.
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Exactly, that connects everything together.
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Okay, let's go through some examples together with real stories so it really sticks in your memory.
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I love a good story.
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First example.
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I have known my best friend for 10 years.
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10 years.
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Wow.
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Who's your best friend?
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Her name is Hannah.
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We met in university and we have been close for 10 years now.
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That's a long friendship.
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It really is.
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We still call each other every week.
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And notice I said four 10 years because 10 years is a length of time, a duration.
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Right, because you can count it.
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One year, two years, all the way to 10.
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Exactly.
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Now you try, Tom.
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Make a sentence with four.
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Okay, um, I have had my car for three years.
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Perfect.
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That's a great example.
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Actually, my car has had more problems for three years, too.
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Oh no, is it breaking down again?
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The check engine light has been on for two weeks.
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I just ignore it now.
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Oh, Tom, that's dangerous!
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It's fine, it's fine.
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Probably.
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Okay, next example.
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I have lived in this city since 2019. Since 2019?
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That's when you moved here?
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Yes.
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I moved here in 2019, and I've been here ever since.
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So, since 2019 tells us exactly when it started.
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That makes sense.
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So, it's a fixed point, not a length.
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Exactly.
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Your turn.
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Make a sentence with since.
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Okay, I have worked at my job since last September.
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Great sentence!
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And since that day, my boss still doesn't know my last name.
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What?
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How is that possible?
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I don't know.
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Every time he sees me, he just says, Hey you!
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Like I'm a stranger.
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Tom, that's actually really funny.
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Yeah, hilarious for you.
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Not for my paycheck confidence.
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Okay, okay, let's continue.
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Here's another one.
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For a while, for a long time, for ages.
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Those don't have exact numbers, though.
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Right, but they still describe a duration, even if it's not exact.
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Like, I haven't seen my cousin for ages.
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Oh, I can use that.
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I haven't eaten real pizza for ages.
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Only frozen pizza.
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Tom, frozen pizza isn't real pizza?
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It's pizza-shaped cardboard, Lily.
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That's different.
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Okay, fair point.
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Since can also connect to an action or event, not just a date, like, I've been so happy since I got my new job.
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So since plus a full sentence.
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Yes, exactly.
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Since I got my new job is the starting event.
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Okay, let me try.
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I've been more relaxed since I stopped checking my phone at night.
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I love that example.
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That's very true. And healthy.
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Actually, that's not true at all.
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I check my phone constantly.
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Tom!
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I'm kidding.
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I'm kidding.
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Well, half kidding.
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Now let's put it all together.
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Imagine someone asks you, you, how long have you studied English?
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I could say, I have studied English for five years.
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Perfect, because five years is a duration.
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Or I could say, I have studied English since I was 15.
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Exactly right, because since I was 15 is a starting point.
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Wow, so the meaning is almost the same, but the grammar is different because of how we're describing the time.
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Exactly.
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And that's the whole secret.
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Ask yourself, is this a length of time or a starting point?
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Length of time for, starting point since.
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Got it.
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Now you'll never confuse your poor landlord again.
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Please don't remind me.
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I still feel guilty about Mr. Baker.
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I'm sure he'll forgive you.
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I hope so.
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I really like that apartment.
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Okay, let's do a quick recap of what we learned today.
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For is used with a length of time, a duration, like for two years, for a while, for ten minutes.
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And since is used with a specific starting point, like a date, a time, or an event.
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Since 2020, since Monday, since I woke up.
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And both are usually used with the present perfect tense, because the action started in the past and continues now.
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Exactly!
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If you remember just one thing from today, remember this.
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Can you count it?
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Use 4.
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Is it a starting point?
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Use since.
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Simple as that.
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And I'm proud of you for learning this today, because so many English learners mix these up.
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Even some Toms mix these up too, apparently.
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Even some Toms, yes!
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Okay, now it's your turn.
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In the comments below, write one sentence using 4, and one sentence using since.
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Tell us how long you've been learning English or when you started.
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We really want to read your sentences, so don't be shy.
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Write them down.
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And don't forget, what's your guess about question from earlier?
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Who do you think Tom sent that confusing text message to?
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Please be gentle with your guesses.
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We'll see all your comments, so make sure to join the conversation.
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Well, that's it for today's lesson, everyone.
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We hope for and since make a lot more since now.
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And we hope you had fun with us too.
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If you enjoyed this video, please give it a like, and if you're new here, subscribe so you don't miss our daily lessons.
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We upload a brand new episode every single day, so there's always something new to learn with us.
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Thank you so much for spending this time with us today.
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See you in the next episode.
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Bye everyone!
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And wish me luck with Mr. Baker.

Vocabulario y notas de pronunciación para esta lección

Esta lección de conversación de nivel B1 se basa en el vídeo “FOR or SINCE?”. Las palabras que más se repiten: Tom, exactly, March, starting, English. Este vídeo tiene 243 frases y 1712 palabras para practicar shadowing. La parte hablada dura 12:08. El hablante mantiene un ritmo constante de unas 141 palabras por minuto, cómodo para el shadowing. El 87 % de las palabras está entre las 3.000 más comunes del inglés, por lo que el vocabulario es fácil de seguir.

Vocabulario clave de este vídeo

Las 15 palabras más avanzadas del vídeo, con su pronunciación y significado:

PalabraPronunciaciónSignificado
duration sustantivo/dʒʊˈɹeɪ.ʃən/duración
confuse verbo/kənˈfjuːz/confundir, barahustar
learner sustantivo/ˈlɜɹnəɹ/aprendiz, aprendedor
tense sustantivo/tɛns/tiempo
freeze verbo/ˈfɹiːz/helarse, congelarse
embarrass verbo/ɪmˈbæɹəs/avergonzar, abochornar
misunderstand verbo/mɪs.ʌn.də(ɹ)ˈstænd/malentender, tomarlo mal (a)
paycheck sustantivo/ˈpeɪ.t͡ʃɛk/cheque de pago, cheque salarial
cardboard sustantivo/ˈkɑɹdˌbɔɹd/cartón, cartulina
backward adjetivo/ˈbækwɚd/retrógrado
paperwork sustantivo/ˈpeɪ.pɚˌwɝk/papeleo
upload verbo/ˈʌpˌloʊd/subir, cargar
subscribe verbo/səbˈskɹaɪb/suscribirse, subscribirse
goodness sustantivo/ˈɡʊdnəs/bondad
timeline sustantivo/ˈtaɪmˌlaɪn/cronología, línea de tiempo

Phrasal verbs que vas a escuchar

PalabraPronunciaciónSignificado
wake up verbo/ˌweɪk ˈʌp/despertarse, recordar
break down verbodescomponerse, averiarse
go through verboatravesar

Frases que vale la pena repetir

Frases cortas y completas del vídeo que puedes reutilizar en la conversación diaria:

  • Don't get me started on this one.
  • We won't tell you the answer.
  • You'll have to watch and figure it out yourself.
  • Who's your best friend?
  • That's when you moved here?

Gramática en este vídeo

Las estructuras que más usa el hablante, con las palabras exactas del vídeo:

EstructuraEn el vídeo
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — una acción que empezó antes y continúaI've been living · you've been learning
Present perfect have/has + participio pasado — una acción pasada que sigue importando ahorahas not replied · have lived · you've lived
Voz pasiva be + participio pasado — importa lo que ocurre, no quién lo haceis always followed · is always connected
Oraciones de relativo who / which + oración — información extra sobre una persona o cosaMarch, which is · months, which is

Pronunciación a tener en cuenta

El hablante usa 41 contracciones y formas reducidas, como don't, I'm, I've. Dilas en su forma corta, tal como las oyes.

  • Los sonidos de “sh” y “zh”: duration /dʒʊˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, shine /ʃaɪn/, confusion /kənˈfjuːʒən/
  • Palabras largas — cuida el acento: misunderstand /mɪs.ʌn.də(ɹ)ˈstænd/, hilarious /hɪˈlɛə.ɹi.əs/

Sonidos difíciles para hispanohablantes:

  • /z/ — sonora, no /s/: confuse /kənˈfjuːz/, freeze /ˈfɹiːz/
  • /dʒ/ — no es la “y” ni la “ch”: duration /dʒʊˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, gentle /ˈd͡ʒɛntl̩/

Cómo practicar con este vídeo

  1. Escucha el vídeo entero una vez sin hablar y anota las palabras que no conoces.
  2. Haz shadowing frase por frase a velocidad normal, repitiendo cada una hasta que tu ritmo coincida con el del hablante.
  3. Grábate y compara con el original, prestando atención a palabras como duration, confuse, learner.

¿Qué es la Técnica de Shadowing?

Shadowing es una técnica de aprendizaje de idiomas respaldada por la ciencia, desarrollada originalmente para la formación de intérpretes profesionales y popularizada por el políglota Dr. Alexander Arguelles. El método es simple pero poderoso: escuchas audio en inglés nativo y lo repites en voz alta de inmediato, como una sombra que sigue al hablante con solo 1-2 segundos de retraso. A diferencia de la escucha pasiva o los ejercicios de gramática, el shadowing obliga a tu cerebro y músculos de la boca a procesar y reproducir simultáneamente patrones de habla reales. Las investigaciones muestran que mejora significativamente la precisión de la pronunciación, la entonación, el ritmo, el habla conectada, la comprensión auditiva y la fluidez al hablar, convirtiéndola en una de las metodologías más efectivas para la preparación del IELTS Speaking y la comunicación en inglés en el mundo real.

Técnica de shadowing: lee la guía completa paso a paso →