PrepMyFrench
PrepMyFrench
Usage
Five time words cause the most confusion for French learners: depuis (since/for — ongoing, use present or imperfect), pendant (during/for — completed duration, use passé composé), il y a (ago — past reference, use passé composé), en (in/within — how long something took), and dans (in — future starting point). Each one pairs with specific tenses, and choosing the wrong tense is the real mistake, not the word itself.
PRESENT + depuis + duration/point | IMPARFAIT + depuis + duration/point
Depuis marks an action that started in the past and is still going on. In French, this takes the present tense — not the present perfect as in English. "I have been living here for five years" = j'habite ici depuis cinq ans (present, not passé composé). If the ongoing action was interrupted by a past event, use the imparfait: j'habitais à Paris depuis deux ans quand j'ai déménagé.
J'habite ici depuis 2019.
I've been living here since 2019.
Elle étudie le français depuis trois mois.
She's been studying French for three months.
Il pleuvait depuis une heure quand le soleil est apparu.
It had been raining for an hour when the sun appeared.
imparfait — interrupted ongoing action
PASSÉ COMPOSÉ + pendant + duration
Pendant measures a completed duration — something that lasted X time and is now over. It pairs naturally with the passé composé. In English, both depuis and pendant can translate to "for," which is why learners confuse them. The key: if the action is finished, use pendant; if it's still happening, use depuis.
J'ai vécu à Montréal pendant trois ans.
I lived in Montreal for three years.
Elle a travaillé pendant huit heures.
She worked for eight hours.
Nous avons discuté pendant toute la soirée.
We talked for the whole evening.
PASSÉ COMPOSÉ + il y a + duration
Il y a + time expression means "ago" and always looks backward from now. It pairs with the passé composé. Don't confuse it with il y a meaning "there is/are" — context makes the difference clear.
J'ai déménagé il y a deux ans.
I moved two years ago.
Elle est partie il y a une heure.
She left an hour ago.
VERB + en + duration
En answers "how long did it take?" — it measures the time needed to complete something. J'ai lu ce livre en trois jours = I read this book in three days (it took me three days). Don't confuse it with dans.
J'ai fini l'exercice en dix minutes.
I finished the exercise in ten minutes.
Il a couru le marathon en quatre heures.
He ran the marathon in four hours.
FUTURE/PRESENT + dans + duration
Dans + time expression means "in X time from now" — it looks forward. Le train part dans cinq minutes = the train leaves in five minutes. It pairs with the future or present (for scheduled events). The contrast with en is clear: dans = when something will start; en = how long something took.
Le cours commence dans dix minutes.
The class starts in ten minutes.
Je serai prêt dans une heure.
I'll be ready in an hour.
| Word | Meaning | Typical tense | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| depuis | since / for (ongoing) | présent / imparfait | past → now |
| pendant | during / for (completed) | passé composé | past (done) |
| il y a | ago | passé composé | past point |
| en | in / within (duration) | any | how long it took |
| dans | in (from now) | futur / présent | now → future |
English says "I have lived" (present perfect) but French says j'habite (present) with depuis. Writing "j'ai habité ici depuis 2019" is one of the most common errors English speakers make. If the action is still ongoing, use the present tense with depuis.
Time expressions are tested in every TEF/TCF section. Comprehension passages use depuis, pendant, and il y a as comprehension anchors — you must know which tense the sentence uses to determine the timeline. In writing, correctly pairing depuis + present (j'étudie le français depuis six mois) is a clean B1 signal. Mixing up depuis and pendant is the most penalised time-expression error in written production.
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For ongoing actions, yes — use present: j'habite ici depuis 2020. If the ongoing action was interrupted in the past, use imperfect: j'habitais là depuis un an quand j'ai déménagé. Depuis + passé composé is only correct when the action has NOT been happening: je n'ai pas mangé depuis hier.
Pendant is used for past completed durations (j'ai étudié pendant deux heures). Pour expresses intended future duration (je pars pour deux semaines). Some speakers use pour interchangeably with pendant for the past, but pendant is always safer for exams.
Yes, il y a has two meanings: "there is/are" (il y a un chat dans le jardin) and "ago" (il y a trois jours). Context and the presence of a time duration make the difference obvious.