Depuis and Il y a
They are used to describe how long you have been doing something for, since …, or ____ (amount of time) ago
Depuis
Depuis is a French preposition meaning “for” or “since” when followed by a reference to time. It is used with the present tense (it can also be used with an event and the imperfect tense).
~With a given period of time = _____ has/d been happening for that amount of time.
~With a specific point in time = _____ has/d been happening since that time/event.
Par exemple…
J’étudie depuis deux heures. | I’ve been studying for two hours. | ||
Elle t’écoute depuis 8h15. | She’s been listening to you since 8:15. | ||
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Note that there is no French equivalent for these verbal constructions. “Has been happening” must be translated by the present, while “had been happening” is the imperfect.
Il y a
Past tense + il y a + amount of time indicates that something happened that amount of time ago.
Par exemple…
J’ai mangé il y a une heure. | I ate an hour ago. | |
Nous sommes revenues il y a une semaine. | We came back a week ago. | |
Elle a joué au foot il y a 15 minutes. | She played soccer 15 minutes ago | |
Sommaire: Depuis vs Il y a
Ago
- Past tense + il y a + period of time
For/ Since
- Present tense + depuis + period of time