French Time Expressions: Depuis, Pendant, Pour — Stop Confusing Them
The Problem
All three — depuis, pendant, and pour — deal with time duration in French, yet they are used in completely different ways and with different tenses. Confusing them is one of the most common errors on TCF Canada and TEF Canada exams, and it immediately signals a gap in grammar knowledge.
DEPUIS — Since / For (Ongoing)
Depuis expresses an action or situation that started in the past and is still continuing right now. This is the most important point: the action has NOT ended.
Always used with the present tense (or imparfait for past ongoing situations).
- J'étudie le français depuis trois ans. → I have been studying French for three years. (and I still am)
- Elle travaille ici depuis 2020. → She has been working here since 2020. (still working here)
- Je l'attends depuis une heure ! → I've been waiting for him for an hour! (still waiting)
Depuis can be followed by:
- A duration: depuis trois ans (for three years)
- A point in time: depuis lundi, depuis 2015, depuis mon arrivée
With imparfait for an action that was ongoing in the past when something else happened:
- J'attendais depuis vingt minutes quand il est arrivé. → I had been waiting for twenty minutes when he arrived.
Never use depuis with passé composé for an action that is still ongoing. This is the most common error: ❌ J'ai étudié le français depuis trois ans. → This implies the studying has ended.
PENDANT — During / For (Completed)
Pendant refers to a completed period of time — the action happened for that duration and is now finished. It can be used with any tense.
- J'ai étudié le français pendant trois ans. → I studied French for three years. (and I'm done — no longer studying)
- Elle a vécu à Paris pendant cinq ans. → She lived in Paris for five years. (she no longer lives there)
- Pendant les vacances, je lis beaucoup. → During the holidays, I read a lot.
- Il a plu pendant toute la semaine. → It rained all week.
Pendant can also mean "during" (at the same time as a period):
- Pendant le cours, éteignez vos téléphones. → During class, turn off your phones.
- Qu'est-ce que tu as fait pendant mon absence ? → What did you do during my absence?
POUR — For (Planned Future Duration)
Pour is used to express a planned or expected future duration — how long you intend to do something or be somewhere. It is most common with verbs of movement (partir, aller, venir, rentrer).
- Je pars pour trois semaines. → I'm leaving for three weeks. (I plan to be away three weeks)
- Elle va à Montréal pour six mois. → She's going to Montreal for six months.
- Il est venu pour deux jours seulement. → He came for just two days. (planned short visit)
Pour is NOT used for habitual or completed durations. It is specifically for planned lengths of time.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Preposition | When to Use | Tense | Still Happening? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depuis | Ongoing action that started in past | Présent / Imparfait | Yes |
| Pendant | Completed duration / simultaneous period | Any tense | No (finished) |
| Pour | Planned/intended future duration | Présent / Futur | Not yet started / planned |
The Classic Test Sentence
Consider the scenario: learning French for 3 years. Which do you use?
- ✅ J'étudie le français depuis trois ans. → I have been studying French for 3 years (I still am)
- ✅ J'ai étudié le français pendant trois ans. → I studied French for 3 years (it's over)
- ✅ Je vais étudier le français pour trois ans. → I'm going to study French for 3 years (planned future)
Related Expressions: Il y a and Voilà
Il y a means "ago" when referring to how long ago something happened:
- Je suis arrivé il y a deux ans. → I arrived two years ago.
Voilà can replace depuis in informal spoken French to express how long something has been going on:
- Voilà trois ans que j'étudie le français. = J'étudie le français depuis trois ans.
Quick Reference for TCF/TEF
In listening and reading tasks, pay attention to the tense to determine which preposition is correct:
- Present tense + duration → almost always depuis
- Passé composé + duration → almost always pendant
- Motion verb + future duration → almost always pour
In your writing tasks, show range by using all three correctly across different sentences — examiners note grammatical variety as a B2 marker.
Want a structured path through grammar like this? Explore our French learning parcours for a complete course roadmap.