Depuis, Il y a, Pendant Flashcards
Indicates the origin of an action/a situation that is still continuing at the moment or that was still going on at the time something else happened
Depuis
I’ve been here since 2001
Je suis ici depuis 2001
She had been ready for 3 hours when I went to fetch/pick her up.
Elle était prête depuis 3 heures quand je suis allée la chercher
Indicates the duration of an action/situation. It is mostly used when speaking in the past tense about an action that is over, but can also be used in the present when expressing a generality.
Pendant
Je suis restée en Angleterre pendant 5 jours
I stayed in England for 5 days.
used to project how long a specific action/situation will last in the future. You can conjugate the verb in the present if you’re speaking about schedules/timetables.
Pour
I am staying in England for 5 days
Je reste en Angleterre pour 5 jours
How long have you studied French?
Depuis quand étudiez-vous le français ?
I’ve studied French for 3 years (and still do).
J’étudie le français depuis 3 ans.
How long had you been sleeping when I arrived?
Depuis combien de temps dormais-tu quand je suis arrivé
He’d been living in France for two years when I saw him
Il vivait en France depuis 2 ans quand je l’ai vu.
How long did you study French?
Pendant combien de temps avez-vous étudié le français
J’ai étudié le français pendant 3 ans.
I studied French for 3 years (and then stopped)
Je vais habiter en France pendant 2 mois.
I’m going to live in France for 2 months
can express the duration of an event only in the future. Note that pendant could also be used in all of these.
Pour
