Expressing time in French is straightforward in some ways and treacherous in others. Naming the days, the months, and the seasons is a memorization exercise. Telling the time is mechanical. The trap, the place where English speakers reliably stumble, is the system of time-marker prepositions — depuis, pendant, pour, il y a, dans — which all overlap with English for, since, ago, in, during but slice the world differently than English does. Get this set wrong and your French will be misunderstood. Get it right and you sound markedly more native.
This page covers the full A2 toolkit: time of day, parts of the day, days and weeks, months and years, seasons, and then the all-important time markers.
Time of day and parts of the day
The basic time-of-day vocabulary uses the definite article in French — different from English, which uses no article.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le matin | in the morning |
| l'après-midi | in the afternoon |
| le soir | in the evening |
| la nuit | at night |
| à midi | at noon |
| à minuit | at midnight |
Je travaille mieux le matin qu'après le déjeuner.
I work better in the morning than after lunch.
On se retrouve à midi devant la fontaine.
Let's meet at noon in front of the fountain.
Le soir, on regarde toujours un film en famille.
In the evening, we always watch a film as a family.
Elle ne dort presque pas la nuit en ce moment.
She barely sleeps at night these days.
For specific clock times, use à + heures:
Le train part à huit heures et demie.
The train leaves at half past eight.
On dîne à vingt heures.
We have dinner at eight p.m. (literally 'twenty hours')
To say "early" and "late" as adverbs, use tôt and tard. Note these are time-of-occurrence words; en avance and en retard mean "early/late relative to a scheduled time" (i.e., ahead of or behind schedule).
Je me lève tôt tous les matins.
I get up early every morning.
On est arrivés en retard à cause du trafic.
We arrived late because of traffic.
Tu es en avance — la réunion commence à dix heures.
You're early — the meeting starts at ten.
Maintenant, bientôt, tout de suite: now, soon, right away
These are the everyday adverbs of present and near-future time:
Je dois partir maintenant, sinon je vais rater le train.
I have to leave now, or I'll miss the train.
Bientôt, on aura fini ce projet.
Soon, we'll have finished this project.
Tu peux venir tout de suite ?
Can you come right away?
Je reviens dans cinq minutes — à tout à l'heure !
I'll be back in five minutes — see you in a bit!
Tout à l'heure is doubly useful: it can mean a little while ago (Je l'ai vu tout à l'heure) or in a little while (À tout à l'heure !). Context resolves the direction.
Hier, aujourd'hui, demain — and their relatives
The basic three-day axis is hier, aujourd'hui, demain. French extends them with two further-out forms:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| avant-hier | the day before yesterday |
| hier | yesterday |
| aujourd'hui | today |
| demain | tomorrow |
| après-demain | the day after tomorrow |
Avant-hier, on a fait une longue randonnée en montagne.
The day before yesterday, we went on a long hike in the mountains.
Aujourd'hui, je vais essayer de finir mon livre.
Today, I'm going to try to finish my book.
Après-demain, c'est l'anniversaire de ma sœur.
The day after tomorrow is my sister's birthday.
These adverbs do not take prepositions: never say en demain or à hier. They stand alone.
For weeks, months, and years, French uses dernier(ière) and prochain(e) with a definite article:
La semaine dernière, j'étais à Lyon pour le travail.
Last week, I was in Lyon for work.
L'année prochaine, on déménage en Bretagne.
Next year, we're moving to Brittany.
Le mois dernier, il a beaucoup plu.
Last month, it rained a lot.
The adjective always follows the noun (la semaine dernière, not la dernière semaine — that would mean "the final week" of something).
Days of the week
The days of the week in French are not capitalized: lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche. They are masculine.
There are two ways to use a day of the week, and the difference matters:
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| lundi (no article) | this coming/past Monday — a specific Monday |
| le lundi (with article) | every Monday, on Mondays — habitual |
Lundi, j'ai un rendez-vous chez le dentiste.
On Monday, I have an appointment at the dentist's. (this coming Monday)
Le lundi, je travaille de chez moi.
On Mondays, I work from home. (habitual)
Samedi dernier, on a fait un grand barbecue.
Last Saturday, we had a big barbecue.
Le samedi, je fais le marché tôt le matin.
On Saturdays, I do the grocery shopping early in the morning.
This is a real distinction — when a French speaker says le lundi, they mean every Monday as a habit; lundi alone refers to a specific Monday near the moment of speaking.
Months, dates, and years
Months are masculine and not capitalized: janvier, février, mars, avril, mai, juin, juillet, août, septembre, octobre, novembre, décembre.
To say in [month], use en:
On part en vacances en juillet.
We're going on vacation in July.
Mon anniversaire est en mars.
My birthday is in March.
For full dates, French puts the day first, then the month, with le and the cardinal number (except le premier for the 1st):
Mon fils est né le 15 mai 2018.
My son was born on May 15, 2018.
On se voit le premier juin pour la fête.
See you on June 1st for the party.
Le 14 juillet, c'est la fête nationale en France.
July 14th is the national holiday in France.
For years, French uses en + year:
Je suis arrivé en France en 2010.
I arrived in France in 2010.
En 1969, l'homme a marché sur la Lune.
In 1969, man walked on the moon.
Seasons
The four seasons are masculine: le printemps, l'été, l'automne, l'hiver. The prepositions are slightly irregular — three use en, one uses au:
| Season | "in [season]" |
|---|---|
| le printemps | au printemps |
| l'été | en été |
| l'automne | en automne |
| l'hiver | en hiver |
Au printemps, les arbres sont en fleurs partout dans Paris.
In spring, the trees are in bloom all over Paris.
En été, on part toujours dans le sud.
In summer, we always go to the south.
En automne, j'aime les couleurs des feuilles.
In autumn, I love the colours of the leaves.
En hiver, il fait nuit à cinq heures.
In winter, it gets dark at five.
The time markers: depuis, pendant, pour, il y a, dans
This is the section that determines whether your French time expressions sound right or wrong. English uses for, since, ago, in, and during in overlapping ways. French distributes the work across five different prepositions, each with a precise meaning. Confusing them is the most common time error at A2 and B1.
Depuis: since / for, with an ongoing situation
Depuis marks a starting point or duration of a situation that began in the past and continues into the present. In French, this triggers the present tense, not the past — even though English uses the present perfect ("I have lived..."). This is the single biggest tense trap.
J'habite à Lyon depuis 2018.
I have been living in Lyon since 2018.
On se connaît depuis dix ans.
We've known each other for ten years.
Elle apprend le français depuis six mois.
She has been learning French for six months.
Tu attends depuis combien de temps ?
How long have you been waiting?
The verb is in the présent because the situation is still going on. Use depuis with either a date/moment (depuis 2018, depuis lundi) or a duration (depuis dix ans, depuis longtemps).
If the situation started in the past and ended, use pendant, not depuis — see below.
Pendant: for, during (a completed period)
Pendant marks the duration of a completed event — something that lasted for a stretch of time and is now over.
J'ai vécu à Berlin pendant trois ans.
I lived in Berlin for three years. (and I don't anymore)
Pendant le confinement, on a beaucoup cuisiné.
During the lockdown, we cooked a lot.
Il a parlé pendant deux heures sans s'arrêter.
He spoke for two hours without stopping.
On a discuté pendant tout le repas.
We talked throughout the meal.
The verb is in the passé composé (or whichever past tense fits) because the action is completed. Pendant roughly equals "for" or "during" of a finished period.
Pour: for (a planned, intended duration)
Pour marks a planned or intended duration, usually with verbs of going, staying, or planning. The duration is in the future or imagined; you have not necessarily completed it yet.
Je pars en Italie pour deux semaines.
I'm going to Italy for two weeks.
On loue cette maison pour l'été.
We're renting this house for the summer.
Il est venu pour quelques jours seulement.
He came for just a few days. (intended duration)
The contrast with pendant is important: J'ai habité à Berlin pendant trois ans says "I lived there for three years and that period is over." Je vais à Berlin pour trois ans says "I am going there with the intention of staying three years." If you want to express that the three years are completed, use pendant, not pour.
Il y a: ago
Il y a + duration means ago — measuring time backwards from the present.
J'ai déménagé il y a deux ans.
I moved two years ago.
Elle est partie il y a une heure.
She left an hour ago.
On s'est rencontrés il y a longtemps.
We met a long time ago.
The structure is invariable: il y a + duration. Note that il y a also means "there is/are" in other contexts; here it functions as a time marker.
Dans: in (a future moment)
Dans + duration means in [time] — a future point measured forward from the present.
On part dans deux heures.
We're leaving in two hours.
Le film commence dans dix minutes.
The film starts in ten minutes.
Dans un an, j'aurai fini mes études.
In a year, I'll have finished my studies.
The English "in" is treacherous because it covers two French prepositions: en (the duration something takes — Je l'ai fait en deux heures, "I did it in two hours") and dans (when something will happen — Je le ferai dans deux heures, "I'll do it in two hours, i.e., two hours from now"). Mix these up and you flip past for future.
Il a écrit son roman en six mois.
He wrote his novel in six months. (it took him six months)
Il commence un nouveau roman dans six mois.
He's starting a new novel in six months. (six months from now)
A summary table of time markers
| Preposition | Meaning | Tense triggered | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| depuis | since/for, ongoing | present (or imparfait for past-ongoing) | Je travaille ici depuis 2010 |
| pendant | for, during a completed period | passé composé / past | J'ai travaillé là pendant trois ans |
| pour | for, planned duration | future or movement | Je pars pour deux semaines |
| il y a | ago | past | Il est parti il y a une heure |
| dans | in (future moment) | future | Je pars dans une heure |
| en | in (duration of completion) | any tense | Je l'ai fait en une heure |
Avant and après: before and after
For relative time, avant (before) and après (after) take noun phrases directly:
Avant le repas, on prend toujours un apéritif.
Before the meal, we always have an apéritif.
Après la réunion, on ira boire un verre.
After the meeting, we'll go for a drink.
To take a verb, use avant de + infinitif (always infinitive after avant de) and après + infinitif passé (with avoir/être + past participle):
Lave-toi les mains avant de manger.
Wash your hands before eating.
Après avoir fini ses devoirs, il a regardé la télé.
After finishing his homework, he watched TV.
This last construction — après avoir/être + past participle — is essential at A2: avant takes the bare infinitive (avant de partir), après takes the past infinitive (après être parti). The two structures are not symmetric, and trying to make them symmetric (après partir) is a frequent error.
Common Mistakes
❌ J'ai habité ici depuis cinq ans.
Incorrect — depuis with an ongoing situation requires the present tense.
✅ J'habite ici depuis cinq ans.
I have lived here for five years (and still live here).
❌ J'ai vécu à Berlin pour trois ans.
Incorrect — completed durations take 'pendant', not 'pour'.
✅ J'ai vécu à Berlin pendant trois ans.
I lived in Berlin for three years.
❌ Le film commence il y a dix minutes.
Incorrect — 'il y a' means 'ago' (past), not 'in' (future).
✅ Le film commence dans dix minutes.
The film starts in ten minutes.
❌ Je suis né en le 15 mai 2010.
Incorrect — for full dates, use 'le' alone, not 'en le'.
✅ Je suis né le 15 mai 2010.
I was born on May 15, 2010.
❌ Au été, il fait très chaud.
Incorrect — 'au' is only used with 'printemps'; the other seasons take 'en'.
✅ En été, il fait très chaud.
In summer, it's very hot.
❌ Après finir mes devoirs, je suis sorti.
Incorrect — 'après' requires a past infinitive, not a bare infinitive.
✅ Après avoir fini mes devoirs, je suis sorti.
After finishing my homework, I went out.
❌ Le lundi prochain, je commence le nouveau travail.
Awkward — 'le lundi' implies habit; for the upcoming Monday, drop the article.
✅ Lundi prochain, je commence le nouveau travail.
Next Monday, I'm starting the new job.
Key Takeaways
The five time markers are the heart of the chapter. Depuis (ongoing → present tense), pendant (completed duration → past), pour (planned/intended duration → motion verbs), il y a (ago → past), dans (in [a future moment] → future). Get these five right and you handle most of A2/B1 time expression.
The seasons are au printemps, en été, en automne, en hiver — the au is the asymmetric one.
Days of the week: bare lundi = this coming Monday; le lundi = every Monday.
Dates use le + cardinal number + month: le 15 mai, with le premier (not le un) for the 1st.
Avant takes bare infinitive (avant de partir); après takes past infinitive (après être parti).
The hardest single point is the présent tense with depuis. English uses the present perfect; French uses the present. J'habite ici depuis 2010 — never j'ai habité. Internalize this and one of the most visible learner errors disappears.
Now practice French
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning French→Related Topics
- Exprimer la FréquenceA2 — How French expresses how often something happens — toujours, souvent, parfois, rarement, jamais — and how to build precise frequencies like 'twice a week' or 'every other day'. Includes the all-important question of where these adverbs go in the sentence.
- Exprimer le LieuA2 — How French expresses 'where' — from countries and cities to position prepositions, neighbourhoods, and the all-important gendered country system. Master à, en, au, aux for places, plus chez, dans, sur, sous, devant, derrière, and the rest.
- Le Passé Composé avec Pendant, Pour, En, Depuis, Il y aA2 — How French time expressions interact with the passé composé — the pendant / pour / en / depuis / il y a system, and the central English-speaker trap of depuis + present, not past.
- L'Imparfait pour la DescriptionA2 — How French uses the imparfait to paint past scenes — weather, surroundings, people's appearance, mental and physical states. The descriptive backdrop on which passé-composé events unfold, plus the critical state-vs-change-of-state distinction.
- Temporal Prepositions: a complete mapA2 — French uses a tightly organized set of prepositions to locate events in time — at a clock time, around a date, before/after, in/within a duration, since, for, ago, until, starting from. This page maps the entire system in one place.