How do you say for with time in Italian?

It depends on whether the action is still going on. If it is, use da with the present: Lavoro qui da due anni. (I've been working here for two years.) If it is finished or planned, use per: Ho lavorato lì per due anni. (I worked there for two years.)

How do you say since in Italian?

Since is also da, followed by the starting point: da lunedì, da gennaio, dal 2010, dalle otto. Da fuses with the definite article before years and clock times. The verb is in the present if the action is still going on.

Why does Italian use the present tense with da?

Because the action is still true at the moment of speaking. English focuses on the period that has passed and uses the present perfect. Italian focuses on the present situation and says how long it has existed, so Abito qui da dieci anni is literally I live here from ten years.

What is the difference between da and per with time?

Da measures a period that is still running, up to now. Per measures a period with an end, either in the past (Ho dormito per otto ore) or in a plan (Resto per una settimana). If you can add and I still am in English, you need da.

How do you ask how long in Italian?

For something still going on, ask Da quanto tempo...? with the present: Da quanto tempo vivi qui? (How long have you lived here?) For something finished, ask Quanto tempo...? with the passato prossimo: Quanto tempo sei rimasto? (How long did you stay?)

Italian grammar · Intermediate

For and Since in Italian

Written by Parrot Italian Team, Italian Curriculum Editors · Reviewed October 2026

To say how long something has been going on, Italian uses da with the present tense: Studio l'italiano da tre anni means I've been studying Italian for three years. The same da covers both English for and since, while per is used for a period that is finished or planned. To ask how long, use da quanto tempo with the present.

Studio l'italiano da tre anni.

I've been studying Italian for three years.

What it is

English uses the present perfect for an action that started in the past and is still going on: I've lived here for ten years. Italian treats that action as true now, so it uses the present tense with da: Abito qui da dieci anni. The same da translates both for (a length of time) and since (a starting point).

Abito qui da dieci anni. (I've lived here for ten years.) Abito qui dal 2016. (I've lived here since 2016.)

How to spot it

Ask yourself whether the action is still happening. If it is, use the present with da. If it is over, use the passato prossimo with per, or with no preposition at all.

Lavoro qui da sei mesi. (I've been working here for six months.)
Ti aspetto dalle otto. (I've been waiting for you since eight o'clock.)
Ho lavorato lì per sei mesi. (I worked there for six months. (it's over))
Da quanto tempo studi l'italiano? (How long have you been studying Italian?)

With finished periods, per is often left out: Ho vissuto a Roma due anni is just as correct as Ho vissuto a Roma per due anni.

For and Since Quick Reference

Choosing between da and per

Situation	Italian structure	Example
Still happening, length of time (for)	present + da + period	Vivo a Milano da due anni. (I've been living in Milan for two years.)
Still happening, starting point (since)	present + da + date or event	Vivo a Milano dal 2020. (I've been living in Milan since 2020.)
Finished period (for)	passato prossimo + per + period	Ho vissuto a Milano per due anni. (I lived in Milan for two years.)
Planned period (for)	present or future + per + period	Resto a Milano per una settimana. (I'm staying in Milan for a week.)
Asking about an ongoing action	da quanto tempo + present	Da quanto tempo vivi a Milano? (How long have you been living in Milan?)
Asking about a starting point	da quando + present	Da quando vivi a Milano? (Since when have you been living in Milan?)
Not for a while	non + present + da	Non lo vedo da mesi. (I haven't seen him in months.)

Common For and Since Examples in Italian

Da and per in real sentences:

Ongoing: Da + Length of Time

Suono il pianoforte da dieci anni.: I've been playing the piano for ten years.
Siamo sposati da vent'anni.: We've been married for twenty years.
Aspetto l'autobus da mezz'ora.: I've been waiting for the bus for half an hour.

The verb is in the present because the action is still going on as you speak.

Ongoing: Da + Starting Point

Conosco Luca da quando eravamo bambini.: I've known Luca since we were children.
Piove da stamattina.: It's been raining since this morning.
Non fumo da gennaio.: I haven't smoked since January.

Months take no article after da (da gennaio), but years and clock times do: dal 2015, dalle tre. Before a whole clause, use da quando.

Finished or Planned: Per

Ho vissuto a Roma per due anni.: I lived in Rome for two years.
Abbiamo parlato per ore.: We talked for hours.
Vado in Francia per una settimana.: I'm going to France for a week.

Per measures a period with a clear end, whether that end is in the past or in a plan.

Asking How Long

Da quanto tempo aspetti?: How long have you been waiting?

Da quanto tempo can shorten to da quanto in conversation: Da quanto aspetti?

How Da and Per Work With Time

The question is always whether the action is still going on. The answer picks both the preposition and the tense.

Da + Present for Ongoing Actions

If an action began in the past and continues now, Italian uses the present tense plus da. English uses have been or have done here, which is why learners reach for the passato prossimo by mistake.

Lavoro in questa azienda da cinque anni.

I've been working at this company for five years.

Still true now: present + da.

Da Fuses With the Article

Before a year, a clock time, or any noun with a definite article, da combines with the article: dal, dall', dalla, dalle, and so on.

Sono qui dalle nove.

I've been here since nine o'clock.

dalle nove, dal 2019, dall'estate scorsa.

Per + Passato Prossimo for Finished Periods

When the period is over, the action is a completed event. Italian uses the passato prossimo and per, or simply the length of time with no preposition.

Ho studiato il tedesco per un anno.

I studied German for a year.

Finished: passato prossimo + per.

Per for Planned Durations

Per also gives the length of a stay or activity that has not started yet or is happening now as part of a plan.

Resto a Napoli per tre giorni.

I'm staying in Naples for three days.

Planned length: per.

Da Quanto Tempo for Questions

Use da quanto tempo with the present tense to ask how long something has been going on. For a finished period, drop da and use quanto tempo with the passato prossimo.

Da quanto tempo abiti qui?

How long have you lived here?

Finished: Quanto tempo sei rimasto a Parigi?

Common Mistakes with For and Since

Incorrect: Ho studiato l'italiano da tre anni. (I've been studying Italian for three years.)

Correct: Studio l'italiano da tre anni. (I've been studying Italian for three years.)

English uses the present perfect, so learners use the passato prossimo. Italian uses the present, because the studying is still going on.

Incorrect: Studio l'italiano per tre anni. (I've been studying Italian for three years.)

Correct: Studio l'italiano da tre anni. (I've been studying Italian for three years.)

For an ongoing action, for is da, not per. With the present, per suggests a planned period instead, so the sentence would mean you intend to study for three years.

Incorrect: Vivo qui da il 2018. (I've lived here since 2018.)

Correct: Vivo qui dal 2018. (I've lived here since 2018.)

Years take the definite article in Italian, and da fuses with it: da + il = dal.

Incorrect: Quanto tempo studi l'italiano? (How long have you been studying Italian?)

Correct: Da quanto tempo studi l'italiano? (How long have you been studying Italian?)

Without da, the question asks how much time you spend studying, for example each day. Da quanto tempo asks how long the activity has been going on.

Two More Ways to Say For and Since

The same idea moves into the past with the imperfetto, and spoken Italian often puts the time first.

Da + imperfetto for had been

To say how long something had been going on at a moment in the past, Italian moves the da construction into the imperfetto, where English uses had been.

Abitavo a Torino da due anni quando ho conosciuto Marta.: I had been living in Turin for two years when I met Marta.
Aspettavo da un'ora quando è arrivato.: I had been waiting for an hour when he arrived.

The logic is the same as with the present: the waiting was still going on at that moment, so Italian uses the imperfetto, not a compound tense.

Sono... che and è da... che

In speech, Italians often put the length of time first with sono... che or è da... che, followed by the present tense.

Sono tre anni che studio l'italiano.: I've been studying Italian for three years.
È da stamattina che ti cerco.: I've been looking for you since this morning.
È un anno che non lo vedo.: I haven't seen him for a year.

Use sono with a plural period (sono tre anni) and è with a singular one (è un anno).

Quick Check: For and Since

Complete each sentence with da, per, or the right verb form.

1. I've been living in Florence for a year: Abito a Firenze ___ un anno.

Answer: da

Still true now, so present + da.

2. I lived in Florence for a year (it's over): ___ a Firenze per un anno.

Answer: Ho abitato

Finished period, so passato prossimo + per.

3. Since Monday: Sono malato ___ lunedì.

Answer: da

Days of the week take no article here.

4. Since eight o'clock: Lavoro ___ otto.

Answer: dalle

Clock times take le, so da + le = dalle.

5. Ask how long: ___ suoni la chitarra?

Answer: Da quanto tempo

Present tense, because the playing is ongoing.

For and Since FAQs

How do you say for with time in Italian?: It depends on whether the action is still going on. If it is, use da with the present: Lavoro qui da due anni. (I've been working here for two years.) If it is finished or planned, use per: Ho lavorato lì per due anni. (I worked there for two years.)
How do you say since in Italian?: Since is also da, followed by the starting point: da lunedì, da gennaio, dal 2010, dalle otto. Da fuses with the definite article before years and clock times. The verb is in the present if the action is still going on.
Why does Italian use the present tense with da?: Because the action is still true at the moment of speaking. English focuses on the period that has passed and uses the present perfect. Italian focuses on the present situation and says how long it has existed, so Abito qui da dieci anni is literally I live here from ten years.
What is the difference between da and per with time?: Da measures a period that is still running, up to now. Per measures a period with an end, either in the past (Ho dormito per otto ore) or in a plan (Resto per una settimana). If you can add and I still am in English, you need da.
How do you ask how long in Italian?: For something still going on, ask Da quanto tempo...? with the present: Da quanto tempo vivi qui? (How long have you lived here?) For something finished, ask Quanto tempo...? with the passato prossimo: Quanto tempo sei rimasto? (How long did you stay?)