In French, *temps and fois are two important nouns that express different aspects of "time." Temps refers to time as an ongoing, general, and sometimes abstract concept—much like "time" in English—while fois* denotes specific, countable occurrences or instances, similar to "time(s)" when you say, "I went there three times."
- temps: continuous, general, and abstract
- fois: discrete, countable occurrences or moments
Temps: Time as an Ongoing, General Concept
*Temps* (masculine) is used for time in all its general, continuous, and sometimes abstract forms. It covers the passage of time, weather, and even grammatical time (as in verb tenses).
- Used for: time, season, weather, tense
- Abstract and uncountable
- Common expressions:
- Quel temps fait-il ? (What’s the weather like?)
- Le temps passe vite. (Time flies.)
- Avoir le temps (To have time)
Example Sentences with Temps
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Le temps est précieux. | Time is precious. |
| Je n’ai pas le temps. | I don’t have time. |
| Avec le temps, tout s’arrange. | With time, everything gets better. |
| Le temps est magnifique aujourd’hui. | The weather is wonderful today. |
'temps' covers both 'time' and 'weather' but NOT 'instance'.
'temps' is used for time, weather, and even grammatical time, but not for events as discrete occurrences.
The noun 'temps' is masculine in French.
Fois: Countable Instances or Occurrences
*Fois (feminine when plural: fois*) is used to count how many times something happens. It always marks specific occurrences or repetitions.
- Used for: instances, occurrences, repetitions
- Countable: une fois (once), deux fois (twice), plusieurs fois (several times)
- Common expressions:
- Une fois par semaine. (Once a week.)
- Combien de fois? (How many times?)
Example Sentences with Fois
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je l’ai vu trois fois. | I’ve seen him three times. |
| C’est la première fois que je viens ici. | It’s the first time I’m coming here. |
| Elle oublie souvent, même plusieurs fois par jour. | She often forgets, even several times a day. |
'fois' can express a single occurrence, e.g., 'une fois'.
'fois' is used for once, twice, several times, and each time—not for abstract time.
'fois' is feminine both in singular and plural, and means 'time' (once) or 'times' (multiple instances).
Conclusion
Temps and fois serve distinct purposes in French: temps is for time in its broad, flowing sense, while fois zeroes in on specific moments or repetitions.
- temps: time, weather, seasons, grammatical time; abstract and uncountable
- fois: instances, occurrences, repetitions; always countable
- temps ≠ fois—don't swap them!