French prepositions of time: understanding and using à, en, dans, pendant, depuis, and more to express when events occur.
French prepositions of time are used to indicate when something happens, ranging from specific moments to durations and starting points. Understanding these prepositions is essential for expressing time relationships clearly in French.
- They can denote exact times, parts of the day, months, durations, and starting points.
- Some prepositions are followed by articles (e.g., “au mois de avril”).
- Others are followed by nouns, pronouns, or even clauses.
Main Time Prepositions
Here are the most common French prepositions of time, along with their primary uses:
- à — for specific times or parts of the day
- en — for months, years, seasons, and durations
- dans — for "in" a certain amount of time (future)
- pendant — for durations (how long something lasts)
- depuis — for actions that began in the past and continue
- vers — for approximate times (“around”)
- jusqu’à — until a certain time
- il y a — for “ago”
- avant — before a certain time
- après — after a certain time
- These prepositions can be combined with specific times, dates, or temporal expressions.
- They help situate events in past, present, or future contexts.
- Understanding them is key to mastering French time expressions.
Which French preposition indicates an approximate time, similar to 'around' in English?
vers
'vers' is used to suggest an approximate time and is never used with exact times.
Which French preposition is used for months, years, seasons, and to express durations?
en
'en' is used for non-specific times like months and years, as well as for expressing how long something takes.
Which French preposition is used to express the duration of an action, regardless of when it occurs?
pendant
'pendant' focuses on how long something lasts and can be used with past, present, or future actions.
Using Time Prepositions
This section explains how to use French time prepositions with examples:
à — at
Use à for specific clock times and certain parts of the day.
| French Example | English Example |
|---|---|
| Je me lève à 7 heures. | I get up at 7 o’clock. |
| Le train arrive à midi. | The train arrives at noon. |
| Nous dînons à 20 heures. | We have dinner at 8 p.m. |
- à is used with exact times (hour + minute).
- It can also be used with midi (noon) and minuit (midnight).
Can the French preposition 'à' be used with 'midi' and 'minuit'?
Yes, 'à' is used with both 'midi' and 'minuit'
'à midi' (at noon) and 'à minuit' (at midnight) are common expressions using 'à'.
en — in
Use en for months, years, seasons, and to express how long something takes.
| French Example | English Example |
|---|---|
| Je pars en juillet. | I’m leaving in July. |
| Elle est née en 1990. | She was born in 1990. |
| Nous partons en hiver. | We leave in winter. |
| Il a réparé la voiture en deux heures. | He fixed the car in two hours. |
- en is used for non-specific times (months, years, seasons).
- It also expresses the duration needed to complete something.
dans — in (after a certain time)
Use dans to indicate something will happen in a certain amount of time (future).
| French Example | English Example |
|---|---|
| Je pars dans dix minutes. | I’m leaving in ten minutes. |
| Elle arrivera dans une heure. | She will arrive in an hour. |
| Nous partirons dans trois jours. | We will leave in three days. |
- dans counts forward from the present moment.
- It always refers to the future.
pendant — for (duration)
Use pendant to express how long something lasts or lasted.
| French Example | English Example |
|---|---|
| J’ai travaillé pendant deux heures. | I worked for two hours. |
| Elle a dormi pendant toute la nuit. | She slept all night. |
| Nous sommes restés là pendant une semaine. | We stayed there for a week. |
- pendant can be used with past, present, or future verbs.
- It focuses on the duration of the action.
depuis — since/for (continuing action)
Use depuis for actions that began in the past and continue into the present.
| French Example | English Example |
|---|---|
| Je travaille ici depuis 2010. | I have been working here since 2010. |
| Elle étudie le français depuis deux ans. | She has been studying French for two years. |
| Nous attendons depuis une heure. | We have been waiting for an hour. |
- depuis is always used with the present tense (or present perfect in some cases).
- It indicates ongoing actions or states.
vers — around (approximate time)
Use vers to indicate an approximate time.
| French Example | English Example |
|---|---|
| Je suis arrivé vers 19 heures. | I arrived around 7 p.m. |
| Elle part vers midi. | She leaves around noon. |
| Notre rendez-vous est vers 15 heures. | Our meeting is around 3 p.m. |
- vers is never used with exact times.
- It implies “about” or “around” a given time.
jusqu’à — until
Use jusqu’à to indicate that something continues until a certain time.
| French Example | English Example |
|---|---|
| Je travaille jusqu’à 18 heures. | I work until 6 p.m. |
| Reste ici jusqu’à demain. | Stay here until tomorrow. |
| La boutique est ouverte jusqu’à 20 heures. | The shop is open until 8 p.m. |
- jusqu’à sets an endpoint in time.
- It can refer to past, present, or future contexts.
il y a — ago
Use il y a to express how much time has passed since something occurred.
| French Example | English Example |
|---|---|
| Il y a deux jours, j’ai vu ce film. | I saw that movie two days ago. |
| Elle est partie il y a une heure. | She left an hour ago. |
| Il y a longtemps que je ne t’ai pas vu. | I haven’t seen you for a long time. |
- il y a is followed by a time expression in the past.
- It can be used at the beginning or middle of a sentence.
avant — before
Use avant to indicate something happened before a certain time.
| French Example | English Example |
|---|---|
| J’ai mangé avant de sortir. | I ate before going out. |
| Il faut finir avant midi. | It must be finished before noon. |
| Elle est partie avant moi. | She left before me. |
- avant can be used with nouns, pronouns, or verbs (with de + infinitive).
- It sets a point preceding another event.
après — after
Use après to indicate something happens after a certain time.
| French Example | English Example |
|---|---|
| Je serai là après le dîner. | I’ll be there after dinner. |
| Elle est partie après avoir téléphoné. | She left after calling. |
| Nous sortirons après 20 heures. | We’ll go out after 8 p.m. |
- après can be followed by a noun or a clause (avoir/être + past participle).
- It marks a point following another event.
Summary of Usage
Here is a quick reference for when to use each French time preposition:
| Preposition | Use Case | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| à | specific times, parts of day | à 7 heures, à midi |
| en | months, years, seasons, durations | en juillet, en 2020, en hiver, en deux heures |
| dans | in (future: after a delay) | dans dix minutes, dans trois jours |
| pendant | for (duration) | pendant une heure, pendant la réunion |
| depuis | since/for (continuing action) | depuis 2010, depuis deux heures |
| vers | around (approximate time) | vers 19 heures, vers midi |
| jusqu’à | until (endpoint) | jusqu’à 18 heures, jusqu’à demain |
| il y a | ago (time elapsed) | il y a deux jours, il y a une heure |
| avant | before | avant midi, avant de partir |
| après | after | après le dîner, après avoir mangé |
- Always pair the preposition with the correct verb tense and time expression.
- Practice using these in context to build natural French time sentences.
- Mastery of these prepositions is essential for fluency in everyday conversation.
Flashcards (1 of 31)
- English Example: I get up at 7 o’clock.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
