She's loved singing since she was a kid. --> She loved singing after she was a kid. / She loved singing from the time (that) she was a kid.

Are these fine or are some of them ungrammatical?

Patterns:

• 1) since 1984/January/(etc.) --> from 1984/January/(etc.)
• 2) since he was ten/fifteen(etc.) --> after he turned ten, from the time (that) he turned ten/fifteen(etc.)
• 3) since he was a cop/child/(etc.) --> after he was a cop/child/(etc.), from the time (that) he was a cop/child/(etc.)
• 4) since "it" happened --> after "it" happened, from the time (that) "it" happened (it = whatever)

Examples:

• 1) I've been working here since 2014. --> I worked there from 2014.
• 2) He's riden a bike since he was eight. --> He rode a bike after he turned eight. / He rode a bike from the time (that) he turned eight.
• 3) She's loved singing since she was a kid. --> She loved singing after she was a kid. / She loved singing from the time (that) she was a kid.
• 4) I've worked for this company since we moved here. --> I worked for that company after we moved there. / I worked for that company from the time (that) we moved there.

+ Can you say "from when" instead of "from the time (that)"?
(I know in 2 you can also say, "He rode a bike from the age of eight").

Most are ok, but She loved singing after she was a kid. doesn't work.

Piscean said:

Most are ok, but She loved singing after she was a kid. doesn't work.

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Thanks!

Can you say "from when" instead of "from the time (that)" in these?

• He rode a bike from the time (that) he turned eight.
• She loved singing from the time (that) she was a kid.
• I worked for that company from the time (that) we moved there.

Try:

He learned how to ride a bike when he was eight, and he's been doing that regularly since.

Marika33 said:

Can you say "from when" instead of "from the time (that)" in these?

• He rode a bike from the time (that) he turned eight.
• She loved singing from the time (that) she was a kid.
• I worked for that company from the time (that) we moved there.

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Yes.

Tarheel said:

She has loved singing since she was a kid.

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This is not what we're talking about. We're talking about a time frame that starts in the past and also finishes in the past.

Marika33 said:

Can you say "from when" instead of "from the time (that)" in these?

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jutfrank said:

Yes.

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• He rode a bike from when he turned eight.
• She loved singing from when she was a kid.
• I worked for that company from when we moved there.

OK, so these three are fine with "from when", but what should I say instead of "since childhood"?

• He has been studying Italian since childhood.
  (= still studying or has recently stopped)
  --->
• He studied Italian ..(?).. childhood.
  (= no longer studying, maybe he's dead, but it doesn't actually matter since the point is to talk about a time frame that starts in the past and also finishes stops in the past)

Or you can't say that and you would change it to "... from he was a kid" or "... from when he was a kid"?

Marika33 said:

what should I say instead of "since childhood"?

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Use 'from' instead of 'since'.

He studied Italian from childhood.

Marika33 said:

Or you can't say that and you would change it to "... from he was a kid"

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That's wrong.

Marika33 said:

or "... from when he was a kid"?

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That's fine.

jutfrank said:

Use 'from' instead of 'since'.

He studied Italian from childhood.

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Is He studied Italian since childhood something a native speaker wouldn't say? Is it wrong to use "since" here or would it be acceptable in everyday speech?

kttlt said:

Is He studied Italian since childhood something a native speaker wouldn't say? Is it wrong to use "since" here or would it be acceptable in everyday speech?

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Not a teacher.

"Since" talks about an unfinished period of time, that's why it's mostly used with perfect tenses (meaning: from a particular time in the past – up to now).

• At this moment (now), she has been here since 4 o’clock.
• At that moment (which was “now” back then), she had been there since 4 o’clock. — reporting the same situation later

In the situation from about (#7), we're talking about a time frame that starts in the past and also stops in the past.

Marika33 said:

"Since" talks about an unfinished period of time, that's why it's mostly used with perfect tenses (meaning: from a particular time in the past – up to now).

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Marika33 said:

In the situation from about (#7), we're talking about a time frame that starts in the past and also stops in the past.

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I understand the general idea. What I was asking is whether a native speaker would always make such a distinction or if He studied Italian since childhood is something that could be heard in colloquial speech even if it's not entirely correct.

It's wrong and therefore proficient users wouldn't say it. There's nothing colloquial about it.

jutfrank said:

It's wrong and therefore proficient users wouldn't say it. There's nothing colloquial about it.

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OK, I'll be sure to never say it that way then!

jutfrank said:

Use 'from' instead of 'since'.

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Jacob Rothschild once quoted Baron James (the head of the Paris branch):

"In our family we've always tried to keep love in the family. In this sense it was more or less understood since childhood. The children would never think of marrying outside the family so our fortune would never leave it."

I believe this might be just a translation from French, but it is as is. Do you think "from" should've been in the place of "since" there?

"From" is correct and natural but so is since. Either will do.