Je pars à 18h.
English: I leave at 6pm.
- Language
- French
- Level
- B1
- Unit
- Prépositions
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
Prepositions of time in French are small words used to indicate when something happens or for how long. They help you talk about dates, times, durations, and moments in the past or future.
When to use it
Use time prepositions in French to say when an event happens, how long it lasts, when it started, or until when it continues. They are important for talking about schedules, history, and plans.
Key forms
- à (je viens à 8h)
- en (en janvier, en 2020)
- depuis (depuis deux ans)
- pendant (pendant une semaine)
- pour (pour trois jours)
- il y a (il y a deux jours)
- jusqu'à (jusqu'à demain)
Examples
Nous sommes en avril.
English: We are in April.
Il travaille depuis 2019.
English: He has been working since 2019.
Elle reste pendant une semaine.
English: She is staying for a week.
J'ai voyagé il y a deux ans.
English: I traveled two years ago.
Tips
- Be careful: 'en' is used for months, years, and seasons (except 'au printemps').
- Use 'depuis' for actions that started in the past and continue now.
- 'Il y a' means 'ago' and is used before the time expression.
Exceptions and edge cases
- 'Au printemps' is used for spring, not 'en printemps'.
- 'Pour' is often used for planned duration in the future.