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when do you use depuis in french ?

# When Do You Use “Depuis” in French?

Learning French can be a delightful adventure, and mastering its grammar rules is a crucial part of it. Today, we are going to focus on the versatile preposition “depuis” and explore how it fits into sentences, especially in conjunction with the present tense.

## What Does “Depuis” Mean in French?

In French, “depuis” can mean “since” and can also indicate “for” in terms of duration. It’s predominantly used with the present tense to indicate an action that started in the past and continues in the present.

## Usage of “Depuis” with the Present Tense

When you want to express something that began in the past and is still ongoing, use “depuis” followed by a time expression.

– **Present Tense with “depuis”:** Il/Elle/On + [present tense of the verb] + depuis + [time expression]
– **Example:** Je vis à Paris depuis deux ans. – I have lived in Paris for two years.

This construction is commonly used in these scenarios:
– Il apprend le français depuis l’an dernier. – He has been learning French for a year.
– On joue au football chaque dimanche depuis 1995. – We have been playing football every Sunday since 1995.

## “Depuis” Can Also Mean “From” for Location

“Depuis” can also indicate a starting point in physical space, similar to “from” in English. However, in most cases, you can use “de” instead.

– **Example:** Il nous appelle depuis Paris. – He is calling us from Paris.

## “Depuis” in Negative Sentences

When negating an action that started in the past and continued up until the present, you need to link the negative statement to the temporal event.

– **Example:** Je ne lis plus de bande-dessinée depuis qu’il est parti. – I haven’t read any comic books since he left.

## Related Temporal Expressions

To master the use of “depuis”, it’s helpful to know how it compares with other prepositions of time:

– **Pendant:** used to express the duration of an action.
– Elle a joué pendant deux heures. – She played for two hours.

– **Il y a:** used to express something that happened in the past at a certain time.
– Elle est partie il y a une heure. – She left an hour ago.

– **Pour:** generally used for duration, but can also refer to the reason or purpose.
– Il est parti pour Paris. – He went to Paris.
– Elle a travaillé pour deux heures. -She worked for two hours.

### Tips to Remember:

– Use “depuis” with the present tense for actions that started in the past and continue into the present.
– For location, use “depuis” or simply “de”.
– Use “il y a” to refer to the exact past time.
– To indicate the duration that ended in the past, use “pendant”.

## Conclusion

Mastering “depuis” is an essential step towards fluid conversation in French. It’s fundamental for expressing ongoing past actions and starting points. Practice with different scenarios until it becomes second nature, and you’ll see how your French fluency improves.

## Resources

For further learning and practice, consider checking out the following resources:

– [French Learner](https://www.frenchlearner.com › grammar › depuis)
– [Transparent Blog](https://blogs.transparent.com › french › french-grammar-using-depuis)
– [Comme une Française](https://www.commeunefrancaise.com › blog › des-depuis-a-partir-french-starting-times)
– [FluentU](https://www.fluentu.com › blog › french › depuis-pendant-il-y-a)
– [Kwiziq French](https://french.kwiziq.com › revision › grammar › how-you-use-depuis-since-for-with-le-present-and-not-le-passe-compose-prepositions-of-time)

Happy learning, and keep practicing!

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