Quote:
Originally Posted by sairashab  which one of the following is correct
-I haven't seen her in a long time.
-I haven't seen her for a long time.
I think they are used in different contexts, what are they? |
'in a long time' and 'for a long time' are both acceptable today; that doesn't make them equivalent.
With a verb in the perfect (present or past) they're sometimes equivalent, although 'in a long time' is American and is not accepted by some BE speakers.
I haven't seen her in a long time =
I haven't seen her for a long time
But with a verb in the perfect referring to an ongoing process, 'for a long time' is the only option in BE:
I've been writing this novel for a long time.
(I suspect this may also apply to AmE, but am open to correction.)
With a verb that refers to the future, the only possibility in BE is 'for a long time':
I am going to France for a long time.
(I suspect this may also apply to AmE, but am open to correction.)
b