Marking the Passage of Time with Depuis

By Marie-Claire Lander

In English, we like to mark the passage of time with words such as “for" or "since.” Depuis is the general equivalent of these words in French, but often the translation isn't as straightforward as it might seem. As always, grammar and context come into play. So without further ado, let's explore how to use the preposition depuis (since, for).

Depuis + a period of time or a point in time is equivalent to “since” or “for” when talking about an action that started in the past but is still ongoing. In English, we have a specific tense for this situation: the present perfect continuous ("I have been doing X for/since Y"). French just uses the simple present with depuis:

Je crée et produis des boutons de manchette à Paris depuis sept ans.

I've been creating and producing cufflinks in Paris for seven years.

Caption 3, Samuel Gassmann Créateur de boutons de manchette
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Il habite à Paris depuis deux mille douze.

He has been living in Paris since two thousand twelve.

Here is a more complex example where the present tense is used in the main clause followed by a dependent clause in the passé composé (compound past tense):

C'est un sculpteur polonais qui a vécu en France depuis mille neuf cent soixante-dix-neuf.

It's a Polish sculptor who has lived in France since nineteen seventy-nine.

Caption 5, Lionel Le Musée du Calendrier de la Paix - Part 4
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Indeed, while depuis usually goes with the present tense, there are instances where the past tense is required. For example, in the construction depuis que (since) + a subordinate clause, the main clause (the sentence that comes before depuis que) remains in the present tense, but the subordinate clause (what comes after depuis que) is in the past tense. In the example below, the main clause comes last, but the order could be reversed:

Depuis que leur fille a intégré une grande agence de marketing... Gilles et Anna ne la voient qu'en coup de vent.

Since their daughter joined a large marketing agency... Gilles and Anna only see her in a whirlwind [briefly].

Captions 16-18, Le Jour où tout a basculé Mes parents se préparent à la fin du monde - Part 3
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When talking about two concurring events in the past, the ongoing or background action will be in the imperfect tense, while the more recent action or interrupting action will be in the passé composé:

Il jouait au foot depuis des années quand il s’est cassé la jambe et a dû abandonner.

He had been playing soccer for years when he broke his leg and had to give up.

If the subordinate clause (after depuis que) is in the pluperfect tense, the verb in the main clause will have to be in the imperfect tense:

Depuis qu'Hugo et Gaël avaient monté leur groupe, j'étais leur première fan.

Since Hugo and Gaël had formed their band, I was their number-one fan.

Captions 1-2, Mère & Fille L'arme absolue
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However, sometimes the passé composé is required instead, for example when depuis is preceded by a negative clause. Going back to our soccer example, we can assume that the action was completed in the past, as the player n’a pas rejoué (hasn’t played again) for a number of years:

Mon frère n’a pas rejoué au foot depuis son accident.

My brother hasn’t played soccer again since his accident.

En fait, il n’a pas joué au foot depuis au moins cinq ans.

In fact, he hasn’t played soccer for at least five years.

Here is a different example with a negative sentence with depuis that, this time, requires the imperfect to indicate that something has always been that way, from the beginning (depuis le début):

C'était absolument pas du tout ma tasse de thé depuis le début.

It was absolutely not my cup of tea at all from the beginning.

Caption 17, Micro-Trottoirs Sacrée France Gall
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Finally, here is a tricky example involving the expression depuis le temps que, which one might be tempted to take literally to mean “since the time that.” However, this is not the case. The French use this idiomatic expression to say that they’ve been meaning to do something for a long time but never got around to it and wished they had:

Depuis le temps que j'ai envie de parler de littérature sur cette chaîne YouTube, je crois que depuis le début j'ai envie de faire cette vidéo.

I've been wanting to talk about literature for a long time on this YouTube channel, I believe that from the beginning I've wanted to make this video.

Captions 1-4, Français avec Nelly 10 livres faciles à lire en français - Part 1
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In fact, Nelly even wonders out loud why she did not do it plus tôt (sooner):

Pourquoi je ne l'ai pas fait plus tôt ?

Why didn't I do it sooner?

Caption 5, Français avec Nelly 10 livres faciles à lire en français - Part 1
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Speaking of questions, depuis usually goes with the present tense in the interrogative form, as in depuis quand (since/from when):

Depuis quand date la première écluse ?

When does the first lock date from?

Caption 21, Lionel L'écluse de Réchicourt-le-Château - Part 1
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As in English, depuis quand (since when) sometimes comes with a good dose of sarcasm to question a sudden and sometimes unwelcome change of behavior. In this video, when Barbara decides to go out on a weekday, her mother challenges her decision:

Ah ouais, et depuis quand on sort en semaine ?

Oh yeah, and since when do we go out on weekdays?

Caption 62, Mère & Fille L'arme absolue
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Whether you’ve been learning French depuis des années (for years) or whether you're a beginner, it's never too late to start exploring our videos. And stay tuned for our next lesson on equivalents of depuis. Thank you for reading!

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Marking the Passage of Time with Depuis

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