Depuis, Pendant, Il y a, En: How to Talk About Time in French

Reading time: 8 minutes

 

🇫🇷 In short : “J’apprends le français depuis deux ans”, “j’ai vécu en France pendant six mois”, “je suis arrivé il y a trois jours”, “je l’ai fait en dix minutes”: here is how to choose the right time expression.

This difficulty is very common among French learners because the rule seems simple at first… then exceptions and natural usage appear in conversations.

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The simple table

Expression Question Example
depuis Since when? For how long? J’apprends le français depuis 2 ans.
pendant For how long? completed duration J’ai vécu en France pendant 6 mois.
il y a When? in the past Je suis arrivé il y a 3 jours.
en How long did it take? J’ai lu ce livre en une semaine.

Depuis: an action that continues

Use depuis for an action that started in the past and is still true now.

  • J’apprends le français depuis deux ans.
  • Elle habite à Lyon depuis 2020.
  • On se connaît depuis longtemps.
     

Pendant: a limited duration

Use pendant to talk about the duration of an action, often finished.

  • J’ai travaillé pendant tout le week-end.
  • Il a étudié en France pendant un an.
     

Il y a: a moment in the past

Use il y a to say when something happened.

  • Je suis arrivée il y a deux semaines.
  • J’ai commencé le français il y a trois ans.
     

En: the time needed

Use en to say how long it takes to complete an action.

  • J’ai fait l’exercice en dix minutes.
  • Elle a appris cette chanson en une journée.
     

Key takeaway

The right question is not only: “What is the rule?” The right question is: “In what situation do I want to use this sentence?” This is how grammar becomes useful for speaking.

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In Objectif : Parler Français, you practise grammar in concrete situations, so you can move from “I know the rule” to “I can use it when speaking”.

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