FOR, SINCE & AGO in Spanish!

Hola estudiantes de Español,

Welcome to the Mastering Spanish Together Newsletter!

Step by step, we improve our Spanish with practical lessons and resources every week. Vamos a la clase de esta semana.

Today's Lesson: FOR, SINCE & AGO in Spanish

Mastering the use of FOR, SINCE, and AGO is key to talking about time and actions in the past in Spanish. Let’s break down each one with multiple examples and tips on how to use them correctly.

1. FOR = Por

Use "por" to talk about the duration of time something happened. It’s used when referring to how long an action lasted.

• Example 1:
  Estudié por dos horas. - (I studied for two hours.)

• Example 2:
  Viví en México por cinco meses. - (I lived in Mexico for five months.)

Tip: "Por" is always followed by the length of time you’re describing. It answers the question “for how long? - ¿Por cuánto tiempo?

2. SINCE = Desde

Use "desde" to indicate the starting point of an action that is still happening or has been happening in the past.

• Example 1:
  Trabajo aquí desde 2018.
  (I’ve been working here since 2018.)

• Example 2:
  Vivo en esta casa desde enero.
  (I’ve been living in this house since January.)

Tip: "Desde" is followed by a specific point in time, answering the question “since when?” - ¿Desde cuando? It tells you when the action began.

3. AGO = Hace

Use "hace" to describe when something happened in the past. It’s like saying “X time ago” in English.

• Example 1:
  Fui a España hace tres años.
  (I went to Spain three years ago.)

• Example 2:
  Me gradué de la universidad hace seis meses.
  (I graduated from university six months ago.)

Tip: In Spanish, you’ll always place "hace" before the amount of time, making it one of the easiest ways to talk about past events!

Quick Recap

• For = Por → Used for the duration of time

• Since = Desde → Used for the starting point

• Ago = Hace → Used for past events that happened a certain time ago

Want to practice more?
Check out our Instagram reel, where I review these structures with more examples and practice opportunities!

newwayspanish

View more on Instagram

Recommendations

This week, we’re also celebrating Latin Music Month!

NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts are featuring incredible performances. My personal favorite? Juanes! His live performance is a must-watch! Check out the concert below 👇🏼

¡Gracias!

I appreciate your interest in learning Spanish and reading my newsletter every week. I hope this content is helpful and easy to implement in Spanish conversations. Remember, practice makes progress!

Feel free to reply to this email with any comments or questions.

Un abrazo,

Alejandro Nuñez
Founder & Director