For a while means for some time, often not very long. It doesn't name an exact period: it could be half an hour or several months. In negative sentences it suggests quite a long time: I haven't seen him for a while means it has been a long time since I last saw him.
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for a while (= some time); for quite a while (= a fairly long time); after a while; in a while (= soon)
- After lunch I sat in the park for a while and read my book.
- I haven't seen Mark for a while. Is he still working in Berlin?
- She worked as a waitress for a while before she found a job in marketing.
What changed
First versionI lived in Spain during a while after university.
RevisionI lived in Spain for a while after university.
During can look right because it is also about time. But during goes before a named event or period: during the summer, during the meeting. To say how long something lasts, use for: for two years, for a while. Only during was changed to for.
For a while is vague and usually not very long, while for a long time really means a long time: I lived there for a long time, almost twenty years. Don't confuse it with in a while, which means “soon, after a short time”: I'll call you back in a while.
Your turn
We chatted outside the station ___, maybe ten minutes, before she ran to catch her bus.
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for a while — The chat lasted about ten minutes: some time, but not long, so for a while fits. For a long time contradicts maybe ten minutes.
Think of a place where you lived, worked or studied for some time. Write what the place was and what you did there, using for a while.
I worked at a small hotel in Sochi for a while and helped foreign guests with bookings and excursions.
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