One of the most common mistakes that native German speakers make when translating the preposition seit to English is to always render it as "since," but in contexts where the English word is meant to be used to indicate the passing of a period of time, it should usually be translated as "for." The mistake seems to be common with Europeans speaking English, as I hear it regularly on the streets and in cafés and restaurants in Berlin, where so many Europeans are speaking English as a lingua franca.
Yes, I have been going there since (correct: for) many years.
We've been wanting to visit Paris since (correct: for) at least a decade.
I have lived in Berlin since (correct: for) 16 years.
It's easy to see how this mistake is made, as the German sentence uses the word seit and as it's actually correct to use "since" if a specific year is used in the same sentences:
Yes, I have been going there since 2018.
We've been wanting to visit Paris since at least 2012.
I have lived in Berlin since 2006.
Here are some examples of seit used on Yabla German with the correct English translations "for" and "since." Note the way that the context of each sentence changes which English word is used.
„Mir ist so“, maulte Piggeldy, „als tue ich das schon seit Tagen!“
"For me it's like," muttered Piggeldy, "as if I have already been doing this for days!"
Caption 11, Piggeldy und Frederick - Wanderdüne
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Seit Montag wird das Lied im Radio gespielt.
The song has been playing on the radio since Monday.
Caption 33, Liza - Ein Lied für Opel
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Sie schreibt ihr Referat, an dem sie schon seit zwei Wochen arbeitet.
She is writing her paper that she has been working on for two weeks.
Caption 15, Deutschkurs in Blaubeuren - Relativsätze mit Präpositionen
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Seit vergangener Woche hat die Kranich-Airline nun ihren ersten gebrandeten A dreihundertachtzig in Betrieb.
Since last week, the crane airline has now had its first branded A three hundred and eighty at work.
Caption 9, Rund um den Flughafen - Der neue Airbus A-380
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Na ja, ich krieg' ja seit Monaten keine Wochenendzeitungen mehr.
Oh well, I haven't been getting a weekend newspaper for months.
Caption 8, Großstadtrevier - Von Monstern und Mördern
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OK, ihr seid jetzt seit April in Deutschland, ja?
OK, you have been in Germany now since April, right?
Caption 1, Deutschkurs in Blaubeuren - Relativsätze mit Präpositionen
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Ich spiel' jetzt schon seit zehn Jahren Handball.
I've been playing handball for ten years now.
Caption 7, Jenny und Alena - Handball
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Also, die Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie gibt es seit dem Jahr zweitausend-und-acht.
Well, the sustainability strategy has been there since the year two thousand eight.
Caption 37, Rheinmain im Blick - Nachhaltigkeit
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A general rule of thumb is to translate seit as "since" if it refers to a specific date such as a year, month, or day of the week. If it is referring to a length of time, such as "many years," then seit is usually translated as "for."
Further Learning
Compare other contexts in which seit is used on Yabla German and study some other uses of the word in which the preposition seit can also be translated as "because."
You may have come across the phrase “false friends” or “false cognates” (as they are more accurately known) during your language training. So what does it mean? It has nothing to do with disloyal friends, although linguistic false friends can also be treacherous. They are words that sound similar or are spelled identically but have different meanings in their respective language.
Here are some common German phrases with their English “false friend” below them.
Be careful what aktuell actually means:
German: aktuell – topical, current, up-to-date
English: actually – eigentlich, tatsächlich, wirklich
Denn eigentlich stammt es aus dem aktuellen Album der Rocksängerin.
Because it actually comes from the rock singer's current album.
Caption 9, Liza - Ein Lied für Opel
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When Germans talk about the imminent future, you may think they're talking about someone's lack of hair:
German: bald – soon
English: bald – kahl
...die olympischen Winterspiele
...the Winter Olympic Games
die bald in Vancouver stattfinden werden.
that will soon take place in Vancouver.
Captions 2-3, Deutsche Sporthilfe - Ball des Sports
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Watch what you give someone on their birthday!
German: das Gift – poison, venom
English: gift – das Geschenk
Sein Gift ist vergleichbar mit einem Bienenstich.
His poison is comparable to a bee sting.
Caption 9, Summer Cheergirl - Fotoshooting mit Skorpionen
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If you want to make a marriage proposal to a German, pay attention to how you ask...
German: sich engagieren – to be committed, get involved
English: to get engaged – sich verloben
Find' ich das immer gut, sich für solche Sachen zu engagieren.
I think [it's] always good to get involved in such things.
Caption 8, Luxuslärm - rockt gegen's Saufen
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The winter is dragging on and spring seems a long way off, but we all know it will come eventually. However, confusing “eventually” with the German eventuell makes spring seem far less likely:
German: eventuell – possibly, perhaps
English: eventually – schließlich, endlich, irgendwann
Eventuell habe ich in der einen oder anderen Situation emotional überreagiert.
Possibly I overreacted emotionally in one or another situation.
Caption 28, Filmtrailer - Keinohrhasen
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You may describe a horse as being brav, but this has nothing to do with being brave!
German: brav – well, well-behaved, dutifully
English: brave – mutig, tapfer
Die schönste Wiesnerfahrung?
The best Oktoberfest experience?
Dass immer die Pferdel [Pferdchen] brav gingen.
That the horses always went dutifully.
Caption 15, Oktoberfest München - Auf der Wiesn
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As you can see, using “false friends” in the wrong context can be embarrassing, but most of the time it is just a funny mistake. However, you should try to learn these deceitful words to avoid any faux pas!
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