Depuis, pendant, il y a, dans and en: duration, origin and deadline
CEFR B2
What you will learn
- Match depuis, pendant and il y a to continuity, bounded duration and distance into the past.
- Distinguish dans as a delay before a future event from en as the time needed to complete an action.
The idea
The choice does not depend on the number alone: distinguish continuity from an origin, bounded duration, distance into the past, future delay and completion time.
“Depuis” says since when, and it goes with the present if the thing is still going on: “j'habite ici depuis trois ans” — and I still live here. That present tense is the surprise, because English uses a perfect there.
“Pendant” presents a total duration as a bounded interval: “j’ai vécu à Lyon pendant deux ans”. The interval may be over, but it can also be current or future: “je travaillerai pendant deux heures”. In many contexts the preposition can be omitted: “j’ai vécu deux ans à Lyon”.
“Il y a” says how long ago something happened, and always looks back: “je suis arrivé il y a deux ans”. Do not confuse it with the existence phrase, which is spelt identically.
“Dans” says how soon something will happen, and always looks forward: “le film commence dans dix minutes”. And “en” says how long it takes to complete: “il a fait le trajet en une heure” — it took him an hour, he did not leave in an hour's time.
That last pair is the one English blurs, because your “in” does both jobs: “in an hour” can mean either. French splits them: “dans” marks a future point, “en” measures the effort.
Working paradigm
| Time relation | Expression | Typical tense |
|---|---|---|
| continue depuis | depuis | présent |
| durée délimitée | pendant | présent / passé / futur |
| événement passé | il y a | passé |
| début futur | dans | futur |
| temps de réalisation | en | passé / futur |
The numerical duration alone does not decide: the event’s relation to speaking time matters.
How it sounds
- Le technicien terminera la réparation en quarante minutes.The action is not yet complete. The sentence measures the time needed to finish it. Completion time selects en, not dans.
Your turn
Two or three, to check that the bit above landed.
Nous collaborons avec ce laboratoire ___ janvier 2024.
depuis — The present shows an ongoing collaboration that began in January 2024.
La réunion s’est terminée ___ vingt minutes.
en — The sentence measures the twenty minutes needed to complete the meeting.
Le prochain train partira ___ un quart d’heure.
dans — The train has not left yet: dans marks the delay until that future point.
When it doesn't hold
What breaks the rule, said out loud. Hiding it is what makes you feel cheated in the exam.
- Still continuingElle travaille ici depuis 2022.
- Finished periodElle y a travaillé pendant quatre ans.
- Starts laterElle commencera dans une heure.
What your own language pushes you to say
Wrong Je vis ici il y a cinq ans.
Right Je vis ici depuis cinq ans.
The present shows that the situation continues; il y a would date a past event.
Curriculum alignment and sources
- CEFR B2 · understand complex texts, interact fluently and produce clear, detailed texts; B2.1 is an internal editorial sequence. · Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Companion Volume
- La norma estatal usa el MCER como referencia, pero no asigna B2.1/B2.2 a un curso. Este catálogo no crea esa equivalencia. · Real Decreto 243/2022, currículo básico de Bachillerato
- La fuente reutilizada fija A1 al final del primer ciclo y no acredita B2 de Francés en una clase italiana concreta. · Decreto 9 dicembre 2025, n. 221 · nuove Indicazioni nazionali
Once it makes sense
Practise this: Depuis, pendant, il y a, dans, enAdvanced French negation: restriction, combinations and expletive neGérondif, participe présent and adjectif verbal: three -ant formsPronominal verbs: classes, auxiliary and participle agreementConditional for unconfirmed information: present, past and sourceNominalisation in written French: formation, complements and style