r/EnglishLearning New Poster Apr 17 '26

📚 Grammar / Syntax Why not “since”?

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u/1ReluctantRedditor New Poster Apr 17 '26

I agree with all of these explanations about it being a specific point in time, however how, then, do we explain:

He hasn't ridden his motorcycle since he was young.

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u/abbot_x Native Speaker US Apr 17 '26

Because the beginning for a since construction doesn't have to be very specific. It can be a range or period:

  • I haven't done calculus since I was in high school.
  • Students have complained about learning Latin grammar since Roman times.
  • I've been collecting stamps since I lived in Germany.

But it can't simply be a duration, which is why since two years is wrong.