Who says?Grammatically only the second one is correct. However, in colloquial English the first might be used. Use the second one with the present perfect
How long is it since you went on holiday?
It is two years since I went on holiday.
How long has it been since you went on holiday?
It has been two years since I went on holiday.
Well I've read in several grammar books that "since" can be used with present / past perfect tense and present/past perfect continuous tense only.
Please clarify.
Thanks.
How long is it since you went on holiday?
It is two years since I went on holiday.
How long has it been since you went on holiday?
It has been two years since I went on holiday.
But you can't use it with present/past continuous,can you?
Eg.: It is/was raining since Tuesday. (This is incorrect, isn't it?)
I meant "simple past".I'm little confused here...
Does it mean you can't use "since" in "simple present" and "simple past" or can you use them in some specific constructions?
If you can then please explain how and when?
Thanks
Present perfect: I have been on a diet since Monday.
Past perfect: I had been on a diet since the preceding Tuesday.
Present perfect continuous: I have been dieting since Monday.
Past perfect continuous: I had been dieting since the preceding Tuesday.
1) It's two years since I went on holiday.
2) It's been two years since I went on holiday.
With states or activities extending from an earlier time point/period or action, we normally use a perfect aspect, as you can see in emsr2d2's examples:
and mine:
I have been on a diet since I met Fifi.
However in constructions with it + BE + time period, we can use either a non-perfect or a perfect form: