Mastering Time Prepositions: Depuis, Pendant, Pour, Il y a

Total Word Count: 1,750+ words

"J'habite à Paris pour 2 ans ?" ❌ "J'habite à Paris depuis 2 ans ?" ✅

Time prepositions in French are notoriously difficult because they don't map directly to English "For", "Since", or "Ago". Using the wrong one changes the meaning of the timeline entirely.

This guide clarifies the 5 distinct Time Travelers: Depuis, Pendant, Pour, En, Il y a.

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1. DEPUIS (Since / For)

Concept: Action started in the past and is still happening now. English equivalent: Have been doing... for / since. Tense used: Présent (mostly).

The Rule: Activity started in past -> Still going on -> DEPUIS.

Examples:

2. PENDANT (During / For)

Concept: Action started and finished in the past. It shows the duration of a completed event. English equivalent: For / During. Tense used: Passé Composé / Passé Simple.

The Rule: Activity Start -> Activity End -> It's over -> PENDANT.

Examples:

3. POUR (For - Future Intention)

Concept: Projecting a duration into the future. English equivalent: For (future). Tense used: Présent / Futur / Aller + Infinitive.

The Rule: I am going somewhere / Scheduling something -> intended duration -> POUR.

Examples:

4. IL Y A (Ago)

Concept: A point in time back in the past. English equivalent: Ago. Tense used: Passé Composé / Imparfait.

The Rule: Current moment minus X time = Event.

Examples:

5. EN (Time to Complete)

Concept: The amount of time it takes to finish a task. English equivalent: In (within).

The Rule: Start -> Work -> Finish. Total time = EN.

Examples:

6. DANS (Time Before Start)

Concept: The countdown before something happens. English equivalent: In (from now). Tense used: Futur / Présent.

The Rule: Now -> Waiting -> Start.

Examples:

Summary Cheat Sheet

Conclusion

Errors with "Depuis" and "Pour" are the most common indicators of an Anglophone speaker. Examiners listen for this. If you say "Je suis ici pour 2 ans" when you mean "since", it hurts your grammar score. Fix this map in your head: Past Completed = Pendant. Still Ongoing = Depuis. Future Plan = Pour.