French Depuis vs Pendant vs Il y a

To translate French depuis, pendant and il y a correctly, identify whether the sentence describes a situation continuing from an earlier starting point, a bounded duration, or how long ago an event occurred. French depuis often connects a past starting point to an ongoing situation; pendant commonly identifies the duration of an event; temporal il y a locates an event a certain distance before the reference time. Natural English may need ‘since’, ‘for’, ‘ago’, a present perfect form, a past perfect form or an idiomatic rewrite.

This French-to-English translation guide answers “depuis vs pendant difference”, “il y a vs depuis”, “French since for ago translation”, “depuis present tense English present perfect”, and “how to translate French time expressions”. The crucial risk is changing the time line: ‘I have lived here for three years’ becomes ‘I lived here three years ago’, a completed appointment becomes an ongoing obligation, or a planned three-day trip is reported as though it has already lasted three days.

Begin by marking the event or condition, its start point, whether it still holds, and whether the duration is planned or observed. Only then choose English wording. This article provides first-principles explanations, thirty worked examples, a twelve-step method, failure modes, practice and FAQs. It also distinguishes related time expressions such as dans, pour, en and jusqu’à without competing with the separate French pronoun and past-narration guides in this series.

Fast distinctions before the detailed method

Depuis lundi: continuing from a named start point → since Monday.
Depuis trois ans: continuing over a measured span → for three years.
Pendant trois jours: an event occupies a three-day interval → for three days.
Il y a trois jours: an event occurred at a past distance → three days ago.
Dans trois jours: future time until an event → in three days.
Pour trois jours: planned duration; en trois jours: time required for completion; jusqu’à lundi: an endpoint.

The visible problem: three fluent English sentences, three different timelines

Compare ‘She has worked here for two years’, ‘She worked here for two years’ and ‘She left here two years ago’. Each is idiomatic, but the first presents continuation, the second a bounded past interval, and the third a point of departure located before now. If a translator treats French time markers as interchangeable vocabulary, the reader may receive the wrong timeline. This is particularly consequential in employment histories, appointment details, booking messages and records of what someone knew at a particular time.

First principles: twelve concepts that keep time intact

1. Time reference, duration and continuation are separate dimensions

A date can locate a starting point, a period can tell us how long a state lasts, and a different expression can say how far in the past an event happened. These dimensions are not interchangeable. A translator must know whether a line measures elapsed duration from a start to now, a complete earlier interval, or a distance from the present to a past event. English marks some of these distinctions through tense and aspect as well as prepositions. Reading the time phrase without its verb discards the information needed to choose.

Timeline audit: label the reference time, the starting point and the possible endpoint. Then distinguish what the sentence explicitly states from what seems likely in ordinary life. A continuing state does not promise future permanence, a bounded activity does not prove the larger task was completed, and an event that occurred ‘ago’ does not necessarily establish what happened afterward.

2. Depuis often connects an earlier point to a continuing condition

In ‘J’habite ici depuis 2020’, the sentence describes residence beginning in 2020 and continuing at the speaker’s reference time. Natural English may be ‘I have lived here since 2020’. French uses the present in that source sentence; an English simple present ‘I live here since 2020’ is not the usual way to express the same continuation. The translator must move from language-specific surface tense to a shared temporal model. The source’s continuation is more important than making the verb forms appear identical.

3. Depuis plus a duration and depuis plus a date answer different questions

‘Depuis lundi’ names a starting point, while ‘depuis trois jours’ names how long the situation has continued. English can use ‘since Monday’ and ‘for three days’ respectively. The common beginner error is to equate French depuis with English since even before a duration. English asks what kind of complement follows the preposition: point or measured span. Identify that distinction before choosing the final English expression.

4. French present and English perfect forms are often not aligned

‘Je travaille ici depuis cinq ans’ may become ‘I’ve worked here for five years’ or ‘I’ve been working here for five years’. The alternatives differ in English emphasis, but both can preserve an activity continuing to the present. Do not force the French present directly into the English simple present with ‘since’ or ‘for’ if the result is unidiomatic. Also avoid adding a guarantee that employment will continue indefinitely. The continuing situation is asserted only at the reference time.

5. Past reference points require past-perfect thinking

In ‘J’attendais depuis une heure quand elle est arrivée’, the waiting had been continuing for an hour before a later event in the past. English often uses ‘I had been waiting for an hour when she arrived’. The correct anchor is her arrival, not today’s date. A translation that says ‘I have been waiting’ wrongly moves the reference point to the present. Draw a simple timeline with two past points to make the relationship visible.

6. Pendant generally delimits duration

‘J’ai attendu pendant deux heures’ reports waiting lasting two hours. English ‘I waited for two hours’ fits naturally, and ‘for’ is the usual duration expression. But the sentence does not say whether an expected person arrived. If the French event is finished, choose English wording that preserves the bounded past period. When pendant introduces a time period or event, English can also require ‘during’, such as ‘during the renovations’. Translation depends on whether the complement names a duration or an occasion.

7. Temporal il y a places an event before the reference time

‘Il est parti il y a deux heures’ ordinarily means ‘He left two hours ago’. The phrase locates the departure; it does not assert that the person was away for exactly two hours. That distinction matters when scheduling a return or reporting a disappearance. An English duration phrase such as ‘for two hours’ could imply a state continuing over that period, which is not identical to placing one event in the past.

8. Il y a also has a non-temporal existential use

In ‘Il y a une erreur’, the words mean ‘There is an error’, not ‘an error ago’. The lexical string alone does not decide the function. Check whether a duration follows and whether a clause describes a past occurrence. An article about these time markers must make this boundary explicit because automatic translation systems can conflate short isolated phrases. The sentence ‘Il y a trois personnes’ means ‘There are three people’, not ‘three people ago’.

9. Dans locates a future event relative to now

‘Je reviens dans dix minutes’ means ‘I’ll be back in ten minutes’. The expression provides a future interval until an event, not a past elapsed duration. This is distinct from ‘il y a dix minutes’, which places an event ten minutes ago. The contrast becomes high stakes in transport updates, reminders or instructions: a person arriving in ten minutes and a person arriving ten minutes ago are not interchangeable.

10. Pour can indicate an intended duration

‘Elle part pour six mois’ can describe a departure with a planned six-month stay. This differs from an observed fact that someone remained away for six months. The translator should avoid changing an intention into a measured historical outcome. Natural English often says ‘She’s leaving for six months’. When a text is contractual or logistical, look for additional words indicating whether the duration is planned, approximate or confirmed.

11. En and jusqu’à answer different questions

‘Il a terminé le travail en deux heures’ says the time needed to complete the work was two hours. English ‘in two hours’ distinguishes completion time from working for two hours without necessarily finishing. ‘Jusqu’à lundi’ means ‘until Monday’, marking an endpoint. The distinctions are not covered by a simple since/for/ago table, yet a reliable translation audit must recognise them when they occur next to the core expressions.

12. Temporal interpretation survives tense and style changes

A French expression may sit in a literary narration, a personal message or a formal notice. An English translator can choose natural idiom and concise sentence order, but should preserve the start point, duration, event time, ongoing status, planned versus observed period and whether the event was completed. These are factual relationships. The final English can be elegant, but elegance never excuses changing which point on the timeline the source establishes.

Twelve-step French-to-English translation method

Step 1: Name the central event or condition

Identify the verb and ask whether it describes an ongoing state, a past event, a planned event or a completed task.

Write the temporal relationship as a simple timeline before drafting. Decide whether the English needs a perfect construction, past simple, future expression, duration phrase or existential phrase. Read the result without French and ask which point on the timeline an ordinary English reader will infer. If the inferred event is earlier, later, longer or more complete than the original, revise it.

Step 2: Find the reference time

Decide whether ‘now’ means the moment of speech, a point in a past narrative or a time stated in an administrative document.

Step 3: Identify point versus span

A calendar date, day or moment is a start point; three days or six years is a span. English since and for respond to this distinction.

Step 4: Check whether the situation continues

For depuis, determine whether the source says the condition still holds at the reference point.

Step 5: Examine the French verb tense

A French present with depuis may require English present perfect; a French past narration may require a past perfect.

Step 6: Separate completed duration from ongoing duration

Pendant often measures a bounded interval; depuis often spans a period continuing to a reference point.

Step 7: Treat il y a as potentially ambiguous

Decide from syntax whether it means ago or existential there is/are; do not rely on the string alone.

Step 8: Distinguish planned from observed duration

Pour plus a period may describe an intended stay; do not report it as a completed historical duration.

Step 9: Identify future countdowns

Dans plus a period often refers to time remaining until a future event, not time elapsed since a past event.

Step 10: Translate the timeline first

Write a rough English gloss placing the start, event and end or ongoing point in sequence; then improve style.

Step 11: Audit the English inference

Ask whether an English reader believes the event happened, is happening, will happen, or has continued up to now.

Step 12: Flag missing context

If the source lacks a reference time or the date is ambiguous, record that rather than adding a claim about an exact calendar interval.

Thirty-two worked translation examples

1. An ongoing residence

French: J’habite ici depuis 2020.

Natural English: I’ve lived here since 2020.

Reason: The residence started in 2020 and continues at the reference time. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: The present French verb corresponds naturally to an English present-perfect construction. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

2. An ongoing job

French: Je travaille dans cette école depuis cinq ans.

Natural English: I’ve worked at this school for five years.

Reason: Depuis plus a measured span yields English for, not since five years. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: Do not imply the employment has ended unless context says so. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

3. Rain since morning

French: Il pleut depuis ce matin.

Natural English: It’s been raining since this morning.

Reason: The rain started earlier today and continues at the moment in view. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: A simple ‘It rained this morning’ would remove the continuation. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

4. Waiting from noon

French: J’attends depuis midi.

Natural English: I’ve been waiting since noon.

Reason: Midi is the starting point of a still-ongoing period of waiting. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: The sentence does not specify when the waiting will end. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

5. Not seen since Monday

French: Je ne l’ai pas vu depuis lundi.

Natural English: I haven’t seen him since Monday.

Reason: The negative observation covers the interval from Monday to the present. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: Pronoun gender is context-dependent; the key temporal fact is no meeting in the interval. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

6. A duration in progress

French: Elle vit ici depuis trois ans.

Natural English: She has lived here for three years.

Reason: The complement is a duration and the residence still holds. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: The English present perfect is idiomatic without implying permanent residence. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

7. A continuing activity

French: Il étudie le français depuis six mois.

Natural English: He’s been studying French for six months.

Reason: The studying began six months earlier and continues. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: The sentence does not certify that he has passed an examination. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

8. A past reference point

French: J’attendais depuis une heure quand elle est arrivée.

Natural English: I’d been waiting for an hour when she arrived.

Reason: The waiting period leads up to a later event in the past. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: ‘I’ve been waiting’ would attach the interval to the present instead. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

9. A past ongoing condition

French: Il travaillait là depuis 2018 quand nous nous sommes rencontrés.

Natural English: He had been working there since 2018 when we met.

Reason: The employment had already begun before the past meeting. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: The source does not tell us whether he still works there today. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

10. Since a clause

French: Je la connais depuis qu’elle est arrivée.

Natural English: I’ve known her since she arrived.

Reason: Depuis que introduces a starting event through a clause. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: English uses ‘since’ with that event, not a direct duration count. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

11. How long?

French: Depuis quand habites-tu ici ?

Natural English: How long have you lived here?

Reason: English can ask for the length of residence without a literal ‘since when’. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: ‘Since when have you lived here?’ is possible in some contexts but may carry a challenging tone. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

12. Ago two hours

French: Il est parti il y a deux heures.

Natural English: He left two hours ago.

Reason: Temporal il y a locates the departure in the past. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: Do not infer he returned or that the absence lasted precisely two hours. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

13. Ago three days

French: Je l’ai rencontré il y a trois jours.

Natural English: I met her three days ago.

Reason: The meeting is anchored three days before the speaker’s time. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: The sentence does not establish an ongoing relationship. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

14. A past anniversary

French: Il y a dix ans, nous avons déménagé.

Natural English: We moved ten years ago.

Reason: The event occurred a measured distance in the past. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: The sentence does not prove we stayed at that address for ten years. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

15. Existential not temporal

French: Il y a une erreur dans le rapport.

Natural English: There is an error in the report.

Reason: Here il y a introduces existence, not a time interval. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: Translating it as ‘ago’ would be meaningless. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

16. Another existential

French: Il y a trois personnes dans la salle.

Natural English: There are three people in the room.

Reason: The quantity counts people present; it does not name a duration. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: Do not confuse a number following il y a with a number of time units. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

17. Two-hour completed wait

French: J’ai attendu pendant deux heures.

Natural English: I waited for two hours.

Reason: Pendant identifies the bounded time spent waiting. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: The sentence does not say whether the awaited person arrived. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

18. Three-day visit

French: Ils sont restés pendant trois jours.

Natural English: They stayed for three days.

Reason: The past stay occupied a bounded three-day span. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: Do not claim their visit is continuing now. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

19. During renovations

French: La bibliothèque est fermée pendant les travaux.

Natural English: The library is closed during the renovations.

Reason: The complement is an occasion or period, making during natural. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: This does not identify the exact reopening date. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

20. While reading

French: Pendant que je lisais, le téléphone a sonné.

Natural English: While I was reading, the phone rang.

Reason: Pendant que introduces a subordinate clause marking simultaneity. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: This is not the same construction as pendant plus a duration. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

21. Future countdown

French: Le train part dans vingt minutes.

Natural English: The train leaves in twenty minutes.

Reason: Dans places the departure ahead of the reference moment. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: Rendering ‘twenty minutes ago’ would reverse the timeline. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

22. Return soon

French: Je reviens dans dix minutes.

Natural English: I’ll be back in ten minutes.

Reason: The interval measures remaining time until a planned return. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: Do not report the person as having already returned. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

23. Completion time

French: Elle a fini le travail en deux heures.

Natural English: She finished the work in two hours.

Reason: En measures the time needed to reach completion. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: ‘She worked for two hours’ would not guarantee completion. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

24. A bounded task

French: J’ai réparé la chaise en une heure.

Natural English: I repaired the chair in an hour.

Reason: The activity culminated in a reported repair after an elapsed hour. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: Do not turn it into a promise to repair in the coming hour. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

25. Planned stay

French: Elle part pour six mois.

Natural English: She’s leaving for six months.

Reason: Pour indicates the intended duration of her absence or stay. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: This is a plan, not evidence of six months already completed. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

26. A future trip

French: Nous allons à Lyon pour une semaine.

Natural English: We’re going to Lyon for a week.

Reason: The period describes an intended length of visit. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: It does not assert arrival has happened. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

27. Closed until Monday

French: Le bureau est fermé jusqu’à lundi.

Natural English: The office is closed until Monday.

Reason: Jusqu’à gives the endpoint of the closure. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: Do not say it reopens at an exact hour without evidence. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

28. Start from Monday

French: Le service sera disponible à partir de lundi.

Natural English: The service will be available starting Monday.

Reason: À partir de marks the beginning of availability. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: The text does not specify indefinite continuation or a precise opening time. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

29. Ongoing illness

French: Cela fait trois jours que je suis malade.

Natural English: I’ve been ill for three days.

Reason: The construction relates a three-day period to a condition still relevant now. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: This is not the same as being ill three days ago. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

30. A negative continuation

French: Je n’ai pas mangé depuis hier soir.

Natural English: I haven’t eaten since last night.

Reason: The negative statement covers the interval from last night until now. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: It does not establish why no food was eaten. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

31. A recurring schedule

French: Je fais du sport depuis janvier.

Natural English: I’ve been exercising since January.

Reason: The activity has occurred over a period beginning in January. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: The source does not require continuous exercise every moment. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

32. A no-longer-ongoing period

French: Il a été malade pendant trois jours.

Natural English: He was ill for three days.

Reason: A bounded past condition is reported without the implication it continues today. The choice is driven by the event’s position and duration, not by replacing one French time marker with one English preposition. It should remain natural in English while preserving whether the source reports a continuing condition, a bounded activity, a past occurrence or a future expectation.

Check: If the text required an ongoing illness, depuis would often be used with a different construction. Draw the source and target timelines mentally and ask whether they align. Do not introduce an exact deadline, ending, completion, return, or reference date that the source did not establish. Where two English tenses are idiomatic, prefer the one that makes the speaker’s temporal focus clearest.

Twelve failure modes and repairs

1. Reading depuis as ‘since’ before every complement

‘Depuis trois ans’ normally becomes ‘for three years’ because the French complement measures a duration. ‘Depuis lundi’ is ‘since Monday’ because Monday is a starting point. Repair by classifying the complement before picking English.

To repair the problem, anchor the reference time and identify the relevant duration or start point. Test an alternative English phrase and determine what an English reader would infer about continuation or completion. Preserve the facts even if the final sentence uses an entirely different tense from the French.

2. Copying the French present tense mechanically

‘J’habite ici depuis 2020’ should not become the unidiomatic ‘I live here since 2020’ in ordinary English. Use the present perfect or present perfect progressive when the source communicates continuation to now.

3. Turning an ongoing condition into a past event

‘J’attends depuis midi’ describes waiting that continues. ‘I waited at noon’ reports a past event instead. Repair by drawing the interval from noon to the reference time and preserving its endpoint.

4. Confusing completed duration with time ago

‘J’ai attendu pendant deux heures’ reports two hours of waiting; ‘J’ai attendu il y a deux heures’ would locate a waiting event in the past. Translation must distinguish the length of the event from how long ago it happened.

5. Treating every il y a as temporal

‘Il y a un problème’ means ‘There is a problem’. A nearby number does not make the phrase temporal unless the following words function as a duration and the clause supports that reading.

6. Moving the reference point out of a past narrative

‘J’attendais depuis une heure quand…’ calls for a past-oriented English expression such as ‘had been waiting’. ‘Have been waiting’ points toward the present and can change story chronology.

7. Ignoring future dans

‘Dans vingt minutes’ is often ‘in twenty minutes’, a future interval. ‘Il y a vingt minutes’ places an event in the past. They are opposites on the timeline and cannot be interchanged.

8. Treating a planned period as observed fact

‘Partir pour six mois’ can state intended duration. Do not infer that the full absence occurred or that the traveller returned. Translate planning as planning.

9. Confusing en with pendant

Finishing a task ‘en deux heures’ gives the time required for completion; working ‘pendant deux heures’ gives a duration without necessarily proving completion. The English ‘in’ versus ‘for’ distinction may be crucial.

10. Omitting until and starting-from boundaries

Jusqu’à and à partir de establish different boundary directions. ‘Closed until Monday’ and ‘available from Monday’ say different things. In operational notices, preserving boundaries is essential.

11. Inventing an exact calendar date

A phrase like ‘three days ago’ is relative to a reference time, which may be a quoted speaker’s date rather than the current reader’s date. If the document date is unknown, avoid converting it to a specific calendar day.

12. Making an elegant sentence less precise

Natural English is valuable only when it maintains the event’s time relation. A fluent ‘He has been away two hours’ may imply continuing absence; ‘He left two hours ago’ asserts departure time. Check what was actually said.

Sixteen guided exercises with answers

Exercise 1. An ongoing project

Translate Nous travaillons sur ce projet depuis mars as ‘We’ve been working on this project since March’. The project started earlier and work continues; no completion date is promised.

For transfer, change the start point into a duration or move the reference time from the present into a past narrative. Does the English need ‘since’ or ‘for’, ‘has been’ or ‘had been’, ‘ago’ or ‘in’? Explain your answer with the timeline rather than memorising a fixed bilingual pairing.

Exercise 2. A continuing period

Translate Elle vit ici depuis deux mois as ‘She has lived here for two months’. The source gives duration. Avoid the unidiomatic English ‘since two months’.

Exercise 3. A past arrival

Translate Il est arrivé il y a cinq minutes as ‘He arrived five minutes ago’. This locates arrival; it does not tell us whether he is still there.

Exercise 4. A completed meeting

Translate La réunion a duré pendant une heure as ‘The meeting lasted one hour’. English can omit the preposition in this natural phrasing while preserving duration.

Exercise 5. A future departure

Translate Nous partons dans trois jours as ‘We’re leaving in three days’. Dans points forward from the reference time, not backward.

Exercise 6. A planned absence

Translate Elle part pour deux semaines as ‘She’s leaving for two weeks’. The trip is intended to last two weeks; it has not necessarily occurred.

Exercise 7. Past continuing wait

Translate J’attendais depuis vingt minutes quand le bus est arrivé as ‘I’d been waiting for twenty minutes when the bus arrived’. The reference point is the bus arrival in the past.

Exercise 8. An ongoing negative

Translate Je n’ai pas reçu de réponse depuis vendredi as ‘I haven’t received a reply since Friday’. The absence of reply covers the interval to the reference time.

Exercise 9. A finished task

Translate Il a fini en trente minutes as ‘He finished in thirty minutes’. En identifies completion time; do not replace it with an unqualified ‘worked for thirty minutes’.

Exercise 10. A closure notice

Translate Le magasin reste fermé jusqu’à mercredi as ‘The shop remains closed until Wednesday’. Do not assert that it reopens at 9 a.m. when no time is given.

Exercise 11. A continuing state

Translate Cela fait deux jours qu’il neige as ‘It’s been snowing for two days’. The weather started earlier and remains relevant now.

Exercise 12. Existential il y a

Translate Il y a deux fenêtres dans la pièce as ‘There are two windows in the room’. No time interval is present, despite the number two.

Exercise 13. An event inside a past interval

Translate Pendant que nous dormions, il a commencé à pleuvoir as ‘While we were sleeping, it started to rain’. Pendant que introduces an overlap between events; avoid the duration reading.

Exercise 14. A period of closure

Translate La route sera fermée pendant trois jours as ‘The road will be closed for three days’. This states a future closure duration; do not invent the exact starting date.

Exercise 15. Start of a service

Translate Les inscriptions sont ouvertes à partir du lundi 9 novembre as ‘Registration opens from Monday, 9 November’. For clarity in English, ‘Registration opens on Monday, 9 November’ may be preferable if the announcement concerns the start date.

Exercise 16. Unspecified reference time

If an archived message reads Il est parti il y a deux jours, translate ‘He left two days ago’ relative to the message’s original speaking time. Do not automatically convert it using the present-day calendar, which could introduce a false date.

Practical four-week learning route

In week one, classify short French time phrases as starting points, measured spans, past distances, future intervals, intended durations or completion times. Do this without translating complete sentences yet. In week two, translate present-tense sentences containing depuis and compare the English present perfect with present perfect progressive. Note what continues and what does not. In week three, move into past narratives with depuis, pendant and il y a, drawing a reference-time line for every example before writing English.

In week four, practise with small practical texts: a delayed train announcement, a study diary, a workplace history, a library closure and a travel schedule. After each translation, ask whether a reader could act on the stated date or duration without misunderstanding it. Keep an error log with columns for French marker, temporal function, English form, and unsupported inference caught during review. Once you consistently get the timeline right, proceed to the separate French past-narration guide; that guide owns a different problem, namely how events are framed using passé composé and imparfait.

Frequently asked questions

What is the main difference between depuis and pendant?

Depuis commonly links an earlier starting point or duration to a situation continuing at a reference time. Pendant commonly describes a bounded period or the time during which an event occurs. Verb tense and context refine the interpretation.

In consequential documents, confirm the reference date before converting relative periods into calendar dates. A natural English tense is useful only if it preserves the original interval and its degree of certainty.

When do I use ‘since’ or ‘for’ for depuis?

Use ‘since’ before a starting point such as Monday or 2020; use ‘for’ before a measured duration such as two weeks or five years. Then choose an English tense that preserves continuation.

Why is a French present tense often translated with English present perfect?

French can use the present with depuis for something begun earlier and still true. English often uses have lived, have worked or have been waiting to express the same span reaching toward the present.

Does pendant always require ‘during’?

No. Before a measured period, ‘for’ may be natural: pendant trois jours, for three days. Before an event or circumstance, ‘during’ may fit: pendant les travaux, during the renovations.

How does temporal il y a differ from depuis?

Il y a places an event a specified distance in the past: two hours ago. Depuis tracks a situation continuing from a starting point or across a span. They answer different timeline questions.

What does il y a mean when no time expression follows?

It often has the existential meaning ‘there is’ or ‘there are’, as in il y a une erreur. Check whether the construction introduces an object rather than a temporal distance.

What is the difference between dans and il y a?

Dans plus a period can locate a future event, while temporal il y a plus a period locates an event in the past. ‘In ten minutes’ and ‘ten minutes ago’ lead to opposite practical expectations.

What is the difference between en deux heures and pendant deux heures?

En deux heures can describe the time required to reach completion. Pendant deux heures describes the duration of an event or activity and does not on its own certify successful completion.

Does pour plus a duration mean the trip is completed?

No. In a departure or planning context, pour can identify an intended period. The translation should keep that planned status rather than turning it into an observed historical fact.

Can depuis be used with a past reference point?

Yes. In a past narrative, the continuing interval may end at another past event. English may need the past perfect or past perfect progressive to preserve the earlier-to-later relation.

Should I turn relative phrases into exact dates?

Only when the correct reference date is known and the editorial task requires conversion. Relative phrases belong to a speaker or document’s reference time; turning them into today’s dates may change the message.

Where should I go after this guide?

For the separate French past narrative tense choice, read the passé composé/imparfait article. For French pronoun reference, read y and en. For English timeline control and vocabulary precision, use How English Works and the Vocabulary Learning Hub.

Research references and contextual next reading

For a concise French-language teaching reference on these temporal markers, consult RFI Français facile’s time-marker learning worksheet, which contrasts il y a, pendant, depuis, pour and dans. The examples and diagnostic explanations in this guide are original and supplied for learning, not as a certified legal or immigration translation.

The final translation question is practical: where is the event on the timeline, how long does it last, and does the condition continue at the relevant reference point? If the English answers those questions as the French does, the writer has preserved the substance of the time expression even when the forms look different.

Top Ways to Translate Correctly | French Depuis, Pendant and Il y a: Since, For and Ago