[vc_row][vc_column][insignia_section_heading title=”Depuis, il y a, pendant : no more mistakes !” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h1″ font_weight=”font-weight-600″ sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]Once you start feeling confident with various tenses, including Passé Composé and Imparfait, you may want to use time connectors. However, how to avoid mistakes with depuis, il y a, pendant,…? Having more structured sentences and sounding more like a native French speaker is not so easy ! In this article, we are going to answer a few frequently asked questions about these French preposition of time.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”23139″ img_size=”700×400″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][insignia_section_heading title=”1. ‘Depuis’ vs ‘il y a’ : how to avoid mistakes ?” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h2″ font_weight=”font-weight-600″ sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]Firstly, the French expressions ‘depuis’ and ‘il y a’ have different meanings and uses. But still, they often present challenges for my French learners. Here is a detailed explanation of ‘depuis’ and ‘il y a’ to help you better understand the differences and avoid mistakes.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
Depuis in French
If an event began in the past and is continuing into the present, use ‘depuis’ . We translate ‘depuis’ as ‘for’ or ‘since’. And generally ‘depuis’ is in a sentence with the present tense. Let’s look at some examples :
- Il habite en France depuis 3 ans = He’s been living in France for 3 years (and he’s still there).
- Ils sont mariés depuis 1998 = They’ve been married since 1998 (and it’s still together).
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Depuis can also indicate how long an action had been going on in the past. In this case, we generally use the imparfait with depuis, while another past event may be expressed with the passé composé. For example:
- Je vivais à Sydney depuis 10 ans quand j’ai rencontré Marc. = I had been living in Sydney for 10 years when I met Marc.
- Depuis combien de temps travaillais-tu dans cette entreprise quand il est parti ? = How long had you been working for this company when he left?
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Il y a
Another tricky time indicator is ‘il y a’. It means ago and can only be found with the past tense. It indicates a moment in the past, something that took place previously.
- Je suis allée à Marseille il y a 10 ans = I went to Marseille 10 years ago
- Elle a vu la Tour Eiffel il y a une semaine = She saw the Eiffel Tower a week ago
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row gap=”0px” css_animation=”none” css=”.vc_custom_1788430770338{background-color: #E8F0EB !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]‘Il y a’ can also mean ‘there is’ or ‘there are’, thus a confusion. It is frequently used to make a description or a general observation as follows :
- Il y a du vent aujourd’hui = There is wind today.
- Il y a beaucoup de boulangeries à Paris = There are many bakeries in Paris
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”23142″ img_size=”700×400″][insignia_section_heading title=”2. When can we use ‘pendant’ ?” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h2″ font_weight=”font-weight-600″ sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]Now that you understand the difference between ‘il y a’ and ‘depuis’, let’s study ‘pendant’. This time connector can be translated as ‘for’ or ‘during’. It refers to the entire duration of an action in the past, present or future. For example:
- En général, j’aime faire du tennis pendant les vacances = I generally like to play tennis during holidays
- Je vais étudier le français pendant 6 mois = I’m going to study French during 6 months
- J’ai vécu à New-York pendant 3 ans. Aujourd’hui je vis à Paris = I lived in New-York for 3 years. Now I live in Paris.
‘Pendant’ can therefore be followed by a period of time or by a noun.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][insignia_section_heading title=”3. How to use ‘pour’ in French ?” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h2″ font_weight=”font-weight-600″ sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]Another way to express time in French is using ‘pour’. Remember that ‘pour’ can only be used to talk about the duration of an event in the future. As a result, the tenses are only the present or the future. And note that ‘pendant’ could also be used in all of these:
- J’ai un traitement pour 2 semaines = I have a treatment for 2 weeks (and it’s normally over after this)
- Nous partons en vacances pour 10 jours = We go on vacation for 10 days
And, of course, you can mix different prepositions of time, expressing a duration and a moment such as :
- Ils vont en Thaïlande pendant 3 semaines dans 10 jours = They are going to Thailand for 3 weeks in 10 days
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”23143″ img_size=”700×400″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][insignia_section_heading title=”4. What is the difference between ‘en’ and ‘dans’ ?” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h2″ font_weight=”font-weight-600″ sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]In French, the prepositions ‘en’ and ‘dans’ both mean ‘in‘. You can, however, only use one or the other. They express time and location but let’s focus here on the time indicator.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
Expressing time with ‘en’
We use en to indicate how long it takes to complete an action. The verb can be in the present, past or future tense. For example:
- J’ai fini ce livre en quatre jours. = I finished this book in four days.
- Il peut finir cet exercice en dix minutes. = He can complete this exercise in ten minutes.
- Tu corrigeras cet examen en quelques heures. = You will correct this exam in a few hours.
We also use en with months, seasons and years when talking about when something happens. You can learn more about this in my guide to expressing dates in French.
- J’adore skier en hiver. = I love skiing in winter.
- Mon frère vient en avril. = My brother is coming in April.
- Je suis née en 1985. = I was born in 1985.
Note: We say au printemps (in spring), not en printemps.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
Dans as a preposition of time
‘Dans’ is a moment in the future, so the tenses are in the present or the future :
- J’ai hâte, je pars en vacances dans une semaine = I can’t wait, I’m going on vacation in a week
- Je vais venir t’aider dans un petit moment = I’m going to help you in a short moment
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row gap=”0px” css_animation=”none” css=”.vc_custom_1788430799271{background-color: #E8F0EB !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Note; In French, we never say dans le matin for “in the morning” or dans le soir for “in the evening.” Instead, we use le matin, l’après-midi and le soir to refer to different times of the day.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][insignia_section_heading title=”5. Other French Time Connectors” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h2″ font_weight=”font-weight-600″ sub_font_weight=”default”][insignia_section_heading title=”Cela fait… que: Expressing Duration in French” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h3″ font_weight=”default” sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]Finally, ‘cela fait…que’ is another great way to express a duration in French. It is a synonym of ‘depuis’ but can only start a sentence. For a more familiar phrase, you can use ‘ça fait..que’:
- Cela fait un mois qu’elle habite à Vienne = She’s been living in Vienna for one month (and she’s still there)
- Ça fait une heure que je t’attends ! = I’ve been waiting for you for one hour !
[/vc_column_text][insignia_section_heading title=”Jusqu’à: Expressing an End Point in Time” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h3″ font_weight=”default” sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]To indicate the end point of an action or period of time, we use jusqu’à (until) in French. Jusqu’à combines with le and les to become jusqu’au and jusqu’aux. For example:
- Nous allons travailler jusqu’à midi. = We are going to work until noon.
- Il a dansé jusqu’au petit matin. = He danced until dawn.
- Elle reste ici jusqu’aux vacances. = She is staying here until the holidays.
Remember: jusqu’au = jusqu’à + le and jusqu’aux = jusqu’à + les.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row gap=”0px” css_animation=”none” css=”.vc_custom_1788430843188{background-color: #E8F0EB !important;}”][vc_column][insignia_section_heading title=”Master French Time Expressions” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h2″ font_weight=”default” sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]Choosing between depuis, pendant, il y a and en can take a little practice. Focus on when the action happens and how long it lasts, and these French time expressions will gradually become more natural.
Ready to take your French further? I’d be happy to help you build your confidence and reach your goals.[/vc_column_text][insignia_button btn_text=”Start your French Lessons” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frenchwithagnes.com%2Fcontact-private-french-tutor%2F|title:Start%20your%20French%20Lessons|target:_blank” button_size=”btn-medium” button_align=”text-center” enable_icon=”” text_font_weight=”font-weight-600″ btn_bg_color=”#5C977A” hover_bg_color=”#6FAF8F” border_color=”#5C977A” hover_border_color=”#6FAF8F”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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