French Time Expressions: Depuis, Pendant, and Pour

Use depuis for something that began in the past and continues, pendant for an event’s duration, and pour for an intended length of time. These French time expressions can all translate as “for,” so the English word alone won’t tell you which one fits.

The useful distinction is how the time relates to the action: elapsed time up to now, the length of an event, or a planned period. Start with that meaning, then choose the French wording and tense.

Key Takeaways

• Choose depuis when an action or state has continued up to the present. French commonly uses the present tense here.
• Use pendant to say how long an event lasts or lasted. It measures duration.
• Choose pour when giving an intended duration, especially with expressions about leaving or going away.

Learn each expression inside a complete sentence rather than memorizing three translations of “for.”

French time expressions at a glance

The University of Texas grammar guide groups these three prepositions together because each can express duration.

This comparison shows the central difference.

Expression	Main focus	French example	English meaning
Depuis	Time continuing up to now	J’habite ici depuis deux ans.	I’ve lived here for two years.
Pendant	The length of an event	J’ai habité ici pendant deux ans.	I lived here for two years.
Pour	An intended period	Je pars pour deux semaines.	I’m going away for two weeks.

The first sentence says the speaker still lives here. The second presents a two-year period as completed. The third gives the intended length of an absence.

Notice that deux ans appears with both depuis and pendant. The number doesn’t determine the preposition. The relationship between the action and the time does.

Also, choose the verb tense alongside the preposition. Changing only one word won’t always produce the meaning you want.

Use depuis for a situation that continues

Depuis connects an earlier beginning with a situation that still holds. Mango Languages explains this ongoing use of depuis as an action that started in the past and continues now.

Give a duration with “for”

Put a length of time after depuis when you want to say how long something has continued.

J’apprends le français depuis deux ans.
“I’ve been learning French for two years.”

J’attends depuis vingt minutes.
“I’ve been waiting for twenty minutes.”

In both sentences, the action continues. The learner still studies French, and the person waiting hasn’t finished waiting.

French uses the present tense here: j’apprends and j’attends. English instead uses “have been learning” and “have been waiting.” Translating the English verb form word for word would miss this difference.

Give a starting point with “since”

Follow depuis with a date, day, or other starting point when you want to say when the situation began.

J’habite à Lyon depuis 2024.
“I’ve lived in Lyon since 2024.”

J’habite à Lyon depuis deux ans.
“I’ve lived in Lyon for two years.”

The first sentence names the beginning. The second measures the elapsed time. Both describe someone who still lives in Lyon.

This is why depuis can mean either “since” or “for.” A starting point produces “since”; a duration produces “for.” The underlying connection to the present stays the same.

Use pendant to describe a duration

Pendant tells you how long an event lasts or lasted. For beginners, completed past activities provide a clear contrast with ongoing situations expressed using depuis.

Describe a completed period

Compare these sentences:

J’ai travaillé dans ce restaurant pendant six mois.
“I worked in this restaurant for six months.”

Je travaille dans ce restaurant depuis six mois.
“I’ve been working in this restaurant for six months.”

The first sentence presents six months of work as a completed period. The second says the employment continues.

For the completed event, j’ai travaillé is the passé composé. For the continuing situation, je travaille is present tense. Therefore, the difference involves both the preposition and the verb.

Don’t choose depuis simply because the event began in the past. Ask whether the situation still holds at the moment you’re describing.

Recognize durations without pendant

French can also state a duration without pendant, as Kwiziq’s duration guide explains.

J’ai attendu pendant vingt minutes.
“I waited for twenty minutes.”

J’ai attendu vingt minutes.
“I waited twenty minutes.”

Both sentences give the length of the wait. Omitting pendant doesn’t turn that completed wait into an ongoing one.

When learning the distinction, keeping pendant visible can help you notice the duration. However, don’t treat its absence as a missing word when you encounter a natural sentence like J’ai attendu vingt minutes.

The same stay can have three different meanings

Travel sentences make the contrast easy to hear because you can distinguish a stay in progress, a completed visit, and an intended trip.

Je suis à Lyon depuis trois jours.
“I’ve been in Lyon for three days.”

Here, the speaker is in Lyon now. Three days have already passed since arrival. The sentence doesn’t tell us when the speaker will leave.

Je suis à Lyon pour trois jours.
“I’m in Lyon for three days.”

Here, three days is the intended length of the stay. The speaker might have arrived earlier that day. The sentence doesn’t say that three days have already passed.

Finally:

J’ai séjourné à Lyon pendant trois jours.
“I stayed in Lyon for three days.”

This sentence reports the duration of a completed stay.

Depuis trois jours measures time already elapsed. Pour trois jours gives the intended length, which may include time still ahead.

You also hear pour naturally with departures:

Je pars à Lyon pour trois jours.
“I’m leaving for Lyon for three days.”

The present-tense je pars can describe an arranged departure. The intended duration comes from pour trois jours, so you shouldn’t select the preposition by looking for a future-tense verb alone.

Match the tense to the meaning you intend

English and French don’t always organize time in the same way. Before translating, decide whether you’re describing something continuing or reporting a completed event.

Don’t copy the English present perfect

An English sentence with “have” doesn’t automatically require a French compound tense.

Je connais Léa depuis dix ans.
“I’ve known Léa for ten years.”

Je suis ici depuis lundi.
“I’ve been here since Monday.”

French uses present-tense connais and suis because the situations continue. The speaker still knows Léa and is still here.

For an ongoing activity, apply the same reasoning:

J’étudie depuis deux heures.
“I’ve been studying for two hours.”

If you mean that you’re still studying, this present-tense construction is the useful pattern to remember. Learn the whole relationship between tense and meaning rather than matching individual English words.

Don’t use pour as a default translation

English “for” appears in many relationships. Knowing that pour often translates as “for” doesn’t make it the right choice for every duration.

To report a completed study session, say:

J’ai étudié pendant deux heures.
“I studied for two hours.”

To report studying that continues, say:

J’étudie depuis deux heures.
“I’ve been studying for two hours.”

Neither sentence needs pour. The first measures a completed activity; the second measures elapsed time during an ongoing activity.

Also, avoid memorizing “past equals pendant, future equals pour.” That shortcut confuses verb tense with the relationship expressed by the preposition. An intended stay and a continuing stay can both appear with present-tense verbs.

Turn examples into sentences you can recall

Comparing examples helps, but you also need to produce the pattern without looking. Keep the preposition, verb tense, and intended meaning together when you practice.

Complete these sentences using the English context:

1. J’habite ici ___ deux ans. You moved here two years ago and still live here.
2. J’ai attendu ___ quinze minutes. You’re reporting the length of a completed wait.
3. Je pars ___ trois jours. You’re stating the intended length of your absence.

The answers are depuis, pendant, and pour.

In the second sentence, you can also omit pendant: J’ai attendu quinze minutes. In the third, pour trois jours describes the planned period away.

Next, change one detail without changing the relationship. Replace deux ans with six mois, for example, and say the complete sentence aloud. Then cover it and retrieve it again later.

When you encounter an unfamiliar example, compare several sentences with the same meaning. Notice the verb form and the words around the preposition. Save one short sentence you understand instead of collecting many examples you can’t yet explain.

If you prefer guided exercises, our guide to French grammar app features can help you choose tools that combine explanations with practice. Keep your review focused on the distinction you missed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does depuis always mean “since”?

Depuis means “since” before a starting point and “for” before a duration. Compare depuis lundi, “since Monday,” with depuis trois jours, “for three days.” For a continuing present situation, both connect an earlier beginning to now.

Are pendant and pour interchangeable?

They can both translate as “for,” but they emphasize different relationships. Pendant measures an event’s duration, while pour often gives an intended period. In a travel sentence, choosing pour can describe the planned stay rather than report how long a completed visit lasted.

How do I ask how long something has continued?

Use depuis combien de temps to ask about duration:

Tu habites ici depuis combien de temps ?
“How long have you lived here?”

For the starting point, use depuis quand:

Tu habites ici depuis quand ?
“Since when have you lived here?”

Both questions use present-tense habites because the person still lives there.

Choose the time relationship first

The most useful distinction is continuing, measured, or intended time. Choose depuis for a situation continuing up to now, pendant for an event’s duration, and pour for an intended period.

Then match the verb tense to your meaning. Practicing complete sentence pairs will help you choose these French time expressions without relying on the English word “for.”