"in The Last Few Years" & "for The Last Few Years" ? | WordReference ...

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You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. "in the last few years" & "for the last few years" ?

• Thread starter Thread starter moon_light12b
• Start date Start date May 22, 2009

M

moon_light12b

New Member

Vietnamese What is the difference between "in the last few years" and "for the last few years" used in The present perfect tense? I am confused :-( Help me. C

Cagey

post mod (English Only / Latin)

California English - US Greetings moon_light12b, Welcome to the forum. To answer the question, we need a sentence or two that show us how you intend to use these phrases. This is what we mean by context. The rules require context because we can be more helpful. After we see your sentences we will know more about what you know and what you still need explained. You can read about it here: Context and Background Edit: I see that we have another thread on the same construction:For /in (the last) three weeks? What's the rule?​If, after reading the thread, you have a question about what is said there, you may add your question to that thread. However it does not answer the question about the present perfect, so I am leaving this thread open. ​ Last edited: May 22, 2009 M

moon_light12b

New Member

Vietnamese The context is: "Now everyone has a telephone at home, and in the last few years many people have bought a mobile phone as well." If I use ...."for the last few years", is it true?? help me ... C

Cagey

post mod (English Only / Latin)

California English - US Thank you for providing context. This is very useful. In this sentence, "in the last few years" refers to some time during the last few years; on one day or another in the last few years they bought phone. Your original sentence makes sense. "For the last few years" refers to the whole time. You can use the perfect, but you need to use a form that shows an on-going activity: "For the last few years, I have had a phone." ​This works because I can have a phone for a long time; it is not something that I do once and finish. I hope this helps. Please ask if you still have a question. M

moon_light12b

New Member

Vietnamese I got it. Thanks so much ^^ A

alastair520

Senior Member

Taiwan Mandarin

Cagey said: Thank you for providing context. This is very useful. In this sentence, "in the last few years" refers to some time during the last few years; on one day or another in the last few years they bought phone. Your original sentence makes sense. "For the last few years" refers to the whole time. You can use the perfect, but you need to use a form that shows an on-going activity: "For the last few years, I have had a phone." ​This works because I can have a phone for a long time; it is not something that I do once and finish. I hope this helps. Please ask if you still have a question. Click to expand...

Sorry, I was going to ask about one similar question and ran across this thread. Please help me out here. The question is taken from Oxford Tactic of TOEIC. P.145 (text completion section) The Tei Kai region is famous for its towering mountains to the north, and its desert plains to the south. Long known as a dry and barren region, it has undergone a transformation in the last fifty years. According to your explanation above, <…. in the last few years > refers to something happened one time and finished in the past. In the example above, can <it> be replaced by <for>?? If the sentence means that The Tei Kai region has changed a transformation some time in the past. I think in the last fifty years is unnecessary. I am confused, please explain it to me. I would be appreciated. Thank you C

Cagey

post mod (English Only / Latin)

California English - US "In the last fifty years" tells us that the transformation was an event, a series of events, or a process that happened within that period of time. "For the last fifty years" says the transformation was a process that on continuously for fifty years. I don't think of a transformation as going on for fifty years. It seems more likely that transformation happens in starts and stops. In any case, the choice depends on what the author has in mind. I don't see how "in the last fifty years" can be unnecessary, if the writer wants to name a period time over which this happens. You must log in or register to reply here. Share: Bluesky LinkedIn WhatsApp Email Share Link

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