seit or ab?
a2Both mark a starting point, but in opposite directions: seit looks back (something has been going on since then), ab looks forward (something starts from then on). Both take the dative.
seit
A point in the past from which something has held until now. The verb stays in the present.
Ich wohne seit drei Jahren in Berlin.I've been living in Berlin for three years.
ab
A point from which something applies - usually in the future, though it can be narrated in the past.
Ab Montag habe ich Urlaub.From Monday I'm on holiday.
The mistake
Ich lerne Deutsch seit nächstem Monat.
Ich lerne Deutsch ab nächstem Monat.
„seit“ can only look backwards. A starting point in the future takes „ab“.
Rule of thumb
Mnemonic: seit already started, ab starts from there on.
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