Time Expressions

🕐 Talking About Time in French

Your Journey Through Time Expressions

The Time Machine Analogy 🚀

Imagine you have a magical time machine. This machine doesn’t just travel through time—it helps you talk about time in French! Every button, dial, and lever on this machine represents a different way French speakers describe when things happen.

Today, you’ll learn to operate every part of this amazing machine. By the end, you’ll speak about time like a true French time traveler!

1. Time Expressions (Les Expressions de Temps) ⏰

These are the basic buttons on your time machine. They tell you when something happens.

The Essential Time Words

💡 The Magic Pattern

Notice how French uses ce/cette (this) + time word:

• ce + masculine words: ce matin, ce soir
• cette + feminine words: cette semaine, cette année

🎯 Quick Trick: “Ce” sounds like “suh” — short and snappy for short times (morning, evening). “Cette” sounds like “set” — longer for longer times (week, year)!

2. Frequency Expressions (Les Expressions de Fréquence) 🔄

These are the repeat buttons on your time machine. They tell you how often something happens.

The Frequency Scale

graph TD
    A["🔴 jamais<br>never"] --> B["🟠 rarement<br>rarely"]
    B --> C["🟡 parfois<br>sometimes"]
    C --> D["🟢 souvent<br>often"]
    D --> E["🔵 toujours<br>always"]

Examples in Action

🌟 Story Time!

Little Pierre has a cat named Minou. Here’s Minou’s schedule:

Minou dort toujours sur le lit. (Minou always sleeps on the bed.)

Il mange souvent du poisson. (He often eats fish.)

Il joue parfois avec une balle. (He sometimes plays with a ball.)

Il sort rarement dehors. (He rarely goes outside.)

Il ne chasse jamais les souris! (He never hunts mice!)

3. Time Telling (Dire l’Heure) 🕐

This is the clock dial on your time machine. Let’s learn to read it!

The Basic Formula

Il est + [number] + heure(s)

Hours Made Simple

Adding Minutes

graph LR
    A["Hour"] --> B["+ Minutes"]
    B --> C["Il est trois heures<br>DIX #40;3:10#41;"]
    B --> D["Il est trois heures<br>QUINZE #40;3:15#41;"]
    B --> E["Il est trois heures<br>ET DEMIE #40;3:30#41;"]

Special Time Words

🎭 Fun Fact!

French people often use the 24-hour clock for schedules:

• Le train part à 15h30. (The train leaves at 3:30 PM.)
• Le film commence à 20h00. (The movie starts at 8:00 PM.)

4. Dates and Years (Les Dates et Les Années) 📅

This is the calendar screen on your time machine!

Days of the Week

💡 Memory Trick: French days are NOT capitalized (unlike English)!

Months of the Year

The Date Formula

le + [day number] + [month] + [year]

Examples:

• le 14 juillet 1789 (July 14, 1789)
• le 25 décembre 2024 (December 25, 2024)

⚠️ Exception: For the first of the month, use premier: le premier janvier (January 1st)

Saying Years

• 2024 = deux mille vingt-quatre
• 1999 = mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-dix-neuf
• 2000 = deux mille

5. Depuis, Pendant, Pour ⏳

These are the duration buttons on your time machine. They’re tricky but super important!

The Big Three Explained

graph TD
    A["Duration Words"] --> B["DEPUIS<br>since/for<br>Still happening!"]
    A --> C["PENDANT<br>for/during<br>Action complete"]
    A --> D["POUR<br>for<br>Planned future"]

DEPUIS = “Since” or “For” (Still Going!)

Use depuis when something started in the past and continues NOW.

J’habite à Paris depuis 5 ans. (I’ve been living in Paris for 5 years.) — Still living there!

Il pleut depuis ce matin. (It’s been raining since this morning.) — Still raining!

PENDANT = “During” or “For” (Finished!)

Use pendant when an action is complete or finished.

J’ai étudié pendant 3 heures. (I studied for 3 hours.) — Finished studying!

Il a dormi pendant le film. (He slept during the movie.) — Movie is over!

POUR = “For” (Future Plans!)

Use pour when talking about planned future duration.

Je vais en France pour 2 semaines. (I’m going to France for 2 weeks.) — Future trip!

Elle part pour un mois. (She’s leaving for a month.) — Future plan!

🎯 Quick Decision Tree

1. Is it still happening NOW? → Use depuis
2. Did it finish in the PAST? → Use pendant
3. Is it a FUTURE plan? → Use pour

6. Avant and Après Constructions 🔀

These are the before/after switches on your time machine!

AVANT = Before

APRÈS = After

🌟 Story Examples

Marie prend une douche avant de manger. (Marie takes a shower before eating.)

Pierre fait ses devoirs après l’école. (Pierre does his homework after school.)

Après avoir fini le livre, j’ai regardé le film. (After finishing the book, I watched the movie.)

⚠️ Important Pattern!

After après, when using a verb, you need the infinitif passé:

• après avoir mangé (after having eaten)
• après être parti (after having left)

7. EN vs DANS with Time ⚡

These are the future time buttons—they look similar but work differently!

EN = How Long It Takes

Use en to say how much time an action takes to complete.

Je fais ce gâteau en 30 minutes. (I make this cake in 30 minutes.) — It takes 30 minutes!

Elle a lu le livre en 2 jours. (She read the book in 2 days.) — It took 2 days!

DANS = When It Will Happen

Use dans to say when something will start in the future.

Le bus arrive dans 10 minutes. (The bus arrives in 10 minutes.) — Starting point!

Je reviens dans une heure. (I’ll be back in an hour.) — Future start time!

🎭 The Perfect Comparison

💡 Memory Trick

• EN = Duration to complete (like filling a container)
• DANS = Countdown to start (like a rocket launch 🚀)

🎉 Congratulations, Time Traveler!

You’ve mastered the French time machine! Here’s what you can now do:

✅ Use basic time expressions (maintenant, demain, hier…) ✅ Express frequency (toujours, souvent, parfois…) ✅ Tell the time like a French person ✅ Say dates and years correctly ✅ Choose between depuis, pendant, and pour ✅ Use avant and après with confidence ✅ Pick the right one between en and dans

🚀 Your Mission: Try using one of these expressions every day. Time flies when you’re learning French! Le temps passe vite quand on apprend le français!

Bonne continuation dans votre apprentissage du français! 🇫🇷