for years v. many years v. several years

Question

The words "for", "several" and "many" are vague I know, but can they substitue each other for the same time passed?

1. For years I know you
2. I know you several years.
3.Many years I know you.

Source:Self-made

Thank you.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

I've known you for years.
I've known you for several years.
I've known you for many years.
I've known you for fifty years.

Clive · Answer

Simple Present tense makes no sense here.
1. For years I have known you.
2. I have known you (for) several years.
3 (For) .Many years I have known you.

For is part of all 3, but in 2 ad 3, 'for' can be omitted.

All 3 are vague expressions, without much difference.

Hhtt · Answer

AlpheccaStarsI've known you for years.I've known you for several years.I've known you for many years.I've known you for fifty years.

I was asking especially about time adverbs "for", "several" and "many". Can they be substitute each other for the same time passed? From 1 year to 50 years?

Thank you.

CalifJim · Answer

hhtttime adverbs "for", "several" and "many".

None of those are adverbs. 'for' is a preposition which introduces the time period. for one year, for two years, for several years, for many years These prepositional phrases are adverbial though they contain no adverbs.

hhttCan they be substitute for each other for the same time passed?

No. 'several years' usually means 2 to 5 years. It depends on who you ask and on the context. 'many years' sounds like 10 or more years to me, but it depends on the context. 'many years' can be thousands of years in some contexts. 'for years' refers vaguely to a long time. It doesn't specify anything exactly, and it's closer to 'for many years' than to 'for several years'.

CJ

for years v. many years v. several years

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