In a previous lesson, we learned that the preposition depuis + a period of time or a point in time is the general equivalent of “since” or “for,” when describing an action that started in the past but is still ongoing. In the first part of this lesson, we will explore some informal alternatives to depuis. In the second part, we will discuss which prepositions can be used when referring to an action that started and was completed in the past.
Voilà + period of time + que (for + period of time) is often used in conversation as an informal equivalent to depuis. While the wording is different, voilà...que works in the same way as depuis for an action that started in the past but is still ongoing. We use the present tense in French and the present perfect continuous in English.
Voilà deux semaines que Julie et Mathieu sortent ensemble et qu'ils filent le parfait amour.
Julie and Mathieu have been going out for two weeks and been living the perfect love.
Captions 37-38, Le Jour où tout a basculé Je me suis fait voler ma musique - Part 3
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In this case, voilà deux semaines is equivalent to “for two weeks." But there are variations to the translation depending on context. In this example, voilà...que is equivalent to “it's been going on for X amount of time":
Voilà un petit moment que ça dure.
It's been going on for a little while.
An equivalent to this is cela fait + period of time + que, which translates in the same way in English. Both phrases are interchangeable:
Cela fait un petit moment que ça dure.
It's been going on for a little while.
Caption 3, Lionel & Lahlou La grève
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Here is another example with cela fait...que, which translates here as "for + period of time":
Cela fait quinze ans que Rudy s'attelle chaque année à métamorphoser son logis
For fifteen years, Rudy has been buckling down each year to transform his house
Caption 5, Alsace 20 Alsace: les plus belles déco de Noël!
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You can even combine cela fait...que with depuis to mean “it’s been X since Y point in time”:
Enfin, pour montrer que ce matériau est résistant, cela fait depuis quatre-vingt-cinq qu'il est dehors.
So to show how durable this material is, it's been outside since [nineteen] eighty-five.
Captions 24-25, Voyage dans Paris Mireille Bailly-Coulange
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Depuis and its informal equivalents, cela fait...que and voilà...que, are used with the present tense to describe an action that started in the past but is still ongoing. But these expressions can also be used to describe an action completed in the past. For this, you just need to switch to the past tense. Here is an example of depuis with the past tense:
Ce qu'elle a toujours voulu depuis la disparition de sa mère, c'est de réussir ce qu'elle entreprenait
What she always wanted since the passing of her mother was to succeed at what she undertook
Captions 64-65, Le Jour où tout a basculé Mon père s'oppose à ma passion - Part 7
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And here's an example with voilà...que and cela fait...que:
Voilà plus de vingt ans qu’il a disparu.
It’s been over twenty years since he passed away.
Cela fait plus de vingt ans qu’il a disparu.
It’s been over twenty years since he passed away.
Otherwise, for actions that are firmly set in the past, you can use the expression il y a to describe an action that occurred a while “ago." In his video on the town of Marsal, Lionel marvels at what happened many, many million years ago:
Incroyable, hein, donc il y a des millions et des millions d'années.
Incredible, right, so millions and millions of years ago.
Caption 19, Lionel Marsal - Part 10
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Of course, you can also use it to describe something that happened "a short time ago":
Savez-vous qu'il y a peu de temps que l'homme sait utiliser la vapeur ?
Do you know that it was just a short time ago that humankind learned how to use steam?
Caption 3, Il était une fois: Les découvreurs 13. Stephenson - Part 1
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To indicate the duration of a past action, use pendant (literally “during," but equivalent to “for” in this case). Here is an example with a specific duration:
J’ai étudié le français pendant dix ans.
I studied French for ten years.
The use of the past tense + pendant tells us that the person studied French in the past but is no longer doing so.
Whether you started studying French il y a peu de temps (a short time ago) or whether you've been studying it depuis longtemps (for a long time), we hope you've learned something from this lesson. Thank you for reading!
In our last lesson, we discussed the word tout (all) as an adjective in the constructions tout + noun versus tout + determiner + noun, and we learned that tout, like all adjectives, agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies. In this lesson, we'll explore tout as an adverb. And in the process, we'll discover how this strange adverb sometimes goes rogue and starts behaving like an adjective! So, buckle up!
Before we examine the quirks and tricks of adverbial tout, let's look at tout as a regular adverb, a word that is typically invariable (never changes form). Indeed, tout always stays the same in front of another adverb. The construction tout + adverb is equivalent to très (very) + adverb:
Et voilà. Allez, mélange tout doucement.
And there we are. Go on, mix very slowly.
Caption 40, Delphine et Automne Le gâteau au yaourt - Part 1
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Delphine could have said this instead:
Voilà. Allez, mélange très doucement.
And there we are. Go on, mix very slowly.
Tout also combines well with adverbs like simplement: tout simplement (quite simply).
Alors tout simplement parce que ça fait maintenant dix ans qu'on travaille à notre compte.
So quite simply because it has now been ten years since we've been self-employed.
Caption 22, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: le titre de Maître Restaurateur, c'est quoi?
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The adverb tout can also modify an adjective to mean "all" or "very," as in "to the full extent." Again, tout behaves like a typical adverb and does not change. In his song "Cha Cha du Marin," singer Cré Tonnerre describes a sailor in a happy mood, using the construction tout + singular masculine adjectives:
Tout heureux, tout amoureux, tout bleu comme le ciel bleu
All happy, all in love, all blue as the blue sky
Caption 26, Cré Tonnerre Cha Cha du Marin
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Did you notice that all the t’s are sounded except the last one? That's because it's necessary to employ liaison in constructions like tout heureux (all happy) and tout amoureux (all/totally in love).
But when the adverb tout appears before a feminine adjective, the liaison becomes a bit more dangerous (or at least trickier). If the feminine adjective (singular or plural) starts with a vowel, as in excitée (excited), tout does not change:
J'étais tout excitée d'avoir ce privilège.
I was all excited to have that privilege.
Caption 16, Melissa Mars From Paris with Love
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Tout also stays the same before a feminine adjective starting with a mute h (since a word beginning with a mute h behaves like a word beginning with a vowel, in the sense that it allows a liaison to occur):
Elle est tout heureuse.
She is very happy.
Elles sont tout heureuses.
They are very happy.
But wait, there is another type of h in French! Unlike the mute h, the aspirated h acts like a consonant. Therefore, no liaison is possible, which would make the second t in tout silent. Tout agrees in number and gender before a feminine adjective beginning with an aspirated h. In the example below, toute agrees with the feminine adjective honteuse (ashamed):
Elle est toute honteuse.
She is very ashamed.
In the same sentence in the plural form, toutes takes -es just like the feminine plural adjective it modifies:
Elles sont toutes honteuses.
They are very ashamed.
Just as adverbial tout agrees with a feminine adjective starting with an aspirated h, tout also agrees with a feminine adjective starting with a consonant:
Et puis après, je me retrouve toute seule...
and then after, I find myself all alone...
Caption 29, Amal et Caroline Pourquoi tu n'es pas venue à mon anniversaire ?
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Elles peuvent fonctionner toutes seules.
They can operate on their own.
Caption 66, Lionel & Lahlou La grève
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However, there is sometimes ambiguity in the feminine plural form. In some cases, you will need context to determine whether toutes is acting as an adverb (meaning "very," modifying the adjective) or as an adjective (meaning "all," modifying the subject):
Elles sont toutes tristes.
They are very sad./All of them are sad.
Elles sont toutes honteuses.
They are very ashamed./All of them are ashamed.
On the other hand, there is no ambiguity with the construction tout + plural feminine noun beginning with a vowel or mute h (e.g. tout heureuses). This tout can only act as an adverb, meaning "very":
Elles sont tout heureuses.
They are very happy.
Likewise, toutes heureuses can only mean "(they are) all happy." Rather than an adverb, toutes in this case is an adjective of quantity that modifies the subject elles:
Elles sont toutes heureuses.
All of them are happy.
Now let's recap the rules of the construction tout + feminine adjective (singular and plural):
Agreement
When tout is before a feminine adjective starting with a consonant:
When tout is before a feminine adjective starting with an aspirated h:
No Agreement
When tout is before a feminine adjective starting with a vowel:
When tout is before a feminine adjective starting with a mute h:
(And don’t forget that adverbial tout does not take agreement before ANY masculine adjective.)
Toute la leçon est terminée! (The whole lesson is over!) This may be a lot to take in, but keep in mind that exceptions are few. Tout only changes before feminine adjectives and only in limited situations. And don’t forget: L’équipe de Yabla est tout heureuse de vous aider! (The Yabla team is very happy to help you!)
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