Since last year: Como utilizar

Hello friends!!
I need you to give me a hand with my doubt, maybe there's no sense in what I'm writing, however, here it goes!!!

When I use Present perfect I can never mention past time, and this structure comes always followed by certain adverbs or prepositions as: Since, already, just, ever, for, before:
My doubt is:
If I have a sentence like that: I have spoken English "since" "last year"
Must I take into account the adverb "since" or the past time " last year " ?
If I only say: "I spoke English since last year" , chances are this sentence is right?

Thanks in advance and sorry if I made any mistake, I'm an English teacher, and the most of the things I know I was taught by myself, I studied in an English course (Wizard) that helped me a lot too, but I've already finished it and I didn't have an enough explanation about some grammar points, I can get by, but it's intricate when I need to explain my students about some structures, mainly Present Perfect!!!

Have a nice week, my friends!!!!
I learn a lot from this site!!!

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2 respostas
Ordenar por: Data
Donay Mendonça 23 127 1.7k
Olá Ricardo,

Levando-se em conta o que você mencionou,temos as seguintes possibilidades:

a)I have spoken English since last year.(Correta,mas menos comum a meu ver.)
b)I have been speaking English since last year.(Me parece um pouco mais comum.)
c)I have been able to speak English since last year.(Tenho "falado" inglês desde o ano passado.)..."able" passa a idéia de capacitação,é uma opção interessante e a recomendo.

*I spoke English last year.(Eu falei inglês ano passado.)...não passa a idéia de continuidade e "since" não fica bem neste caso.

Boa sorte
!
Thanks once again for your support, Donay!!!