A temporal clause (subordonnée temporelle) places one event in time relative to another. French uses a generous set of conjunctions to do this — quand, lorsque, pendant que, avant que, après que, jusqu'à ce que, dès que, and others — and the choice of conjunction does two things simultaneously: it specifies the time relation (simultaneous, before, after) and it dictates the mood (indicative or subjunctive) and often the tense of the subordinate verb.
Three time relations organize the system, and the conjunctions split cleanly across them: simultaneity (when something happens at the same time), anteriority (when something happens before something else), and posteriority (when something happens after something else). The mood follows the relation: anteriority pulls the subjunctive (because the event is anticipated, not yet real), simultaneity and posteriority stay indicative.
Simultaneity — quand, lorsque, pendant que, tandis que, alors que, dès que, aussitôt que, tant que, une fois que
These conjunctions answer the question when? They link two events that overlap in time, follow each other immediately, or coincide. All take the indicative.
Quand and lorsque — "when"
Quand is the everyday conjunction. Lorsque is its formal counterpart, common in writing and elevated speech but rare in casual conversation. They are interchangeable in meaning.
Quand il arrive en retard, il s'excuse toujours.
When he arrives late, he always apologizes.
Lorsque la nuit tombe, les rues du village se vident.
When night falls, the village streets empty out. (literary)
Quand j'étais petit, on passait l'été en Bretagne.
When I was little, we used to spend the summer in Brittany.
In the past, quand-clauses use the imparfait or passé composé to match the main clause's perspective. In habitual narration, quand + imparfait pairs with another imparfait in the main clause: Quand il pleuvait, on jouait aux cartes (When it rained, we'd play cards).
Pendant que, tandis que, alors que — "while"
These mark simultaneous, parallel actions — two things happening at the same time.
Pendant que je prépare le dîner, tu peux mettre la table.
While I'm making dinner, you can set the table.
Tandis qu'elle lisait son livre, lui regardait la télé.
While she was reading her book, he was watching TV.
Alors que je sortais du bureau, j'ai croisé un vieil ami.
As I was leaving the office, I bumped into an old friend.
The three are close in meaning but carry slightly different overtones. Pendant que is the most neutral. Tandis que often introduces a contrast (her vs him, work vs play). Alors que leans even more strongly toward contrast and concession — it is the closest French gets to "whereas."
Dès que, aussitôt que — "as soon as"
These mark a tight, almost immediate succession: B happens just after A, with no delay.
Dès qu'il arrive à la maison, il met de la musique.
As soon as he gets home, he puts on music.
Aussitôt que tu seras prêt, on partira.
As soon as you're ready, we'll leave.
Dès que is more common in everyday French; aussitôt que is slightly more formal but also widely used.
Tant que, une fois que
Tant que means "as long as" (duration of a condition). Une fois que means "once" (a threshold crossed).
Tant que tu vivras sous mon toit, tu suivras mes règles.
As long as you live under my roof, you'll follow my rules.
Une fois que tu auras compris la règle, tout le reste suivra.
Once you've understood the rule, everything else will follow.
The futur trap — French requires the futur for future events
Here is the single biggest difference between English and French temporal clauses. When the event in the temporal clause is in the future, English uses the simple present (when you arrive), but French uses the futur.
Quand tu arriveras à Paris, appelle-moi tout de suite.
When you arrive in Paris, call me right away.
Dès que tu auras fini ton travail, on pourra sortir.
As soon as you've finished your work, we'll be able to go out.
Lorsque j'aurai assez d'argent, je m'achèterai une maison.
When I have enough money, I'll buy myself a house.
Tant que tu travailleras ici, tu auras un salaire.
As long as you work here, you'll have a salary.
The logic is straightforward: both clauses talk about the future, so both go in the futur. English is the historical anomaly here — most languages match the temporal clause's tense to the actual time of the event. Quand tu arriveras is structurally consistent with je serai là; both are looking at the same future moment.
The conjunctions that require the futur when the event is in the future are: quand, lorsque, dès que, aussitôt que, tant que, une fois que. With anteriority within a future scenario, French uses the futur antérieur in the subordinate clause (dès que tu auras fini, on partira — once you have finished, we'll leave). This contrasts sharply with English's "as soon as you've finished" (present perfect).
Anteriority — avant que, jusqu'à ce que, en attendant que (+ subjunctive)
These conjunctions place the subordinate event before the main event. The subordinate event is therefore anticipated from the main clause's perspective — it has not yet happened. French marks this anticipation with the subjunctive.
Avant que + subjunctive (+ optional ne explétif)
Avant que requires the subjunctive. In careful writing or formal speech, it often pairs with an expletive ne — a non-negative ne with no negative meaning, present purely as a stylistic marker.
Dis-lui au revoir avant qu'il parte.
Say goodbye to him before he leaves.
J'aimerais te voir avant que tu (ne) prennes ta décision.
I'd like to see you before you make your decision.
Sors le gâteau du four avant qu'il (ne) brûle.
Take the cake out of the oven before it burns.
The expletive ne is optional. It is more common in writing and formal speech; in casual conversation, it is often dropped. Both avant qu'il parte and avant qu'il ne parte are correct.
Avant de + infinitive (same subject)
When the subject of the subordinate is the same as the subject of the main clause, French strongly prefers a reduced construction: avant de + infinitif.
Réfléchis bien avant de prendre une décision.
Think carefully before making a decision.
Je vais relire le contrat avant de le signer.
I'm going to reread the contract before signing it.
This same-subject reduction is strongly preferred in French. Je vais relire avant que je signe sounds awkward and bookish; native speakers will almost always switch to avant de signer. With different subjects, the full subordinate is required: Je vais relire avant qu'il signe (I'll reread before he signs).
Jusqu'à ce que + subjunctive
Jusqu'à ce que means "until" — the main action continues up to the moment the subordinate event occurs.
Attends ici jusqu'à ce que je revienne.
Wait here until I come back.
On a discuté jusqu'à ce que la nuit tombe.
We talked until night fell.
J'insisterai jusqu'à ce qu'il accepte.
I'll keep insisting until he accepts.
The subjunctive is required because the subordinate event is the endpoint the main action is heading toward — it is anticipated, not yet realized.
En attendant que + subjunctive
"While waiting for / until."
En attendant que tu sois prêt, je vais lire un peu.
While I wait for you to be ready, I'll read a bit.
Posteriority — après que + indicative (the surprise)
The anteriority/subjunctive pairing has a counterpart that is the source of the most-quoted French quirk in temporal subordination: après que, despite being the mirror image of avant que, takes the indicative, not the subjunctive.
Après que + indicative
The action in the après que clause has already happened from the main clause's perspective — it is real, not anticipated. The Académie française has insisted on the indicative for centuries on this logical ground.
Il a appelé après qu'on est rentrés.
He called after we got home.
Après qu'elle a fini son discours, tout le monde a applaudi.
After she finished her speech, everyone applauded.
Je suis parti après qu'il est arrivé.
I left after he arrived.
In practice, however, many French speakers — including educated ones — use the subjunctive after après que by analogy with avant que. You will hear après qu'il soit parti very frequently, and even reputable newspapers print it. Strict prescriptive sources still mark this as an error; descriptive sources accept it as an emerging norm. For the B1 student, the safe answer remains the indicative, both because it is the prescribed form and because it has clear logical grounding.
Après + infinitif passé (same subject)
When the subjects match, French uses the compound infinitive (infinitif passé): après avoir + past participle or après être + past participle. This is the standard same-subject reduction — far more common in writing than the full après que clause.
Après avoir mangé, il a fait une sieste.
After eating, he took a nap.
Après être rentrée chez elle, Marie a tout de suite appelé sa mère.
After getting home, Marie immediately called her mother.
Après avoir étudié pendant trois ans, j'ai enfin obtenu mon diplôme.
After studying for three years, I finally got my degree.
The choice of avoir or être follows the same rules as the passé composé: most verbs take avoir; the small set of être-verbs (movement, naître/mourir, etc.) and all pronominal verbs take être. The past participle agrees with a preceding subject (with être) just as in normal compound tenses.
This construction has no exact English equivalent — English uses the gerund (after eating, after going home), which doesn't show whether the action is anterior to or simultaneous with the main verb. French is more precise: après avoir mangé unambiguously places the eating before the nap, while en mangeant would mean "while eating."
Summary table
| Conjunction | Meaning | Mood | Same-subject reduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| quand, lorsque | when | indicative (futur for future events) | — |
| pendant que, tandis que, alors que | while | indicative | en + participe présent (gérondif) |
| dès que, aussitôt que | as soon as | indicative (futur / futur antérieur for future) | — |
| tant que | as long as | indicative (futur for future) | — |
| une fois que | once | indicative (futur antérieur for future) | une fois + participe passé |
| avant que (+ ne explétif) | before | SUBJUNCTIVE | avant de + infinitif |
| jusqu'à ce que | until | SUBJUNCTIVE | — |
| en attendant que | while waiting for | SUBJUNCTIVE | en attendant de + infinitif |
| après que | after | indicative (prescribed) | après + infinitif passé |
Common Mistakes
❌ Quand tu arrives à Paris, appelle-moi.
Incorrect — for a future event, French requires the futur after 'quand', not the présent.
✅ Quand tu arriveras à Paris, appelle-moi.
When you arrive in Paris, call me.
This is the classic English-to-French transfer error. English uses the simple present after "when" for future events; French uses the futur. Memorize: quand + futur (for future), quand + imparfait/passé composé (for past), quand + présent (for habitual).
❌ Avant que tu pars, dis-moi au revoir.
Incorrect — 'avant que' takes the subjunctive, not the indicative.
✅ Avant que tu (ne) partes, dis-moi au revoir.
Before you leave, say goodbye to me.
Avant que is one of the standard subjunctive triggers. Tu pars (indicative) → tu partes (subjunctive). The expletive ne is optional but stylistically common in writing.
❌ Avant que je parte, je veux finir ce livre.
Awkward — same subject across clauses; French strongly prefers the reduced 'avant de' construction.
✅ Avant de partir, je veux finir ce livre.
Before leaving, I want to finish this book.
When the subject is the same in both clauses, the reduced avant de + infinitif is the natural form. Using the full avant que je parte is grammatical but sounds unidiomatic — like saying "before I do leave" in English.
❌ Après il est parti, j'ai téléphoné.
Incorrect — 'après' as a conjunction requires 'que' before a clause.
✅ Après qu'il est parti, j'ai téléphoné.
After he left, I called.
Après without que is only correct when followed by a noun (après le repas) or a compound infinitive (après être parti). To introduce a clause with a different subject, you need après que + indicative.
❌ Pendant qu'il sera là, on parlera.
Slightly awkward — 'pendant que' uses the same tense as the main clause, so for parallel future events, both can be in the futur.
✅ Pendant qu'il sera là, on parlera.
While he's there, we'll talk. (Actually fine — both clauses in futur for future events.)
A non-error worth noting because pendant que surprises learners who expect a present tense. With pendant que, the rule is symmetric: the subordinate matches the time frame of the main clause. For future events, both clauses use the futur.
❌ Après qu'il soit parti, on a fermé la porte.
Prescriptively incorrect, though widely heard — 'après que' should take the indicative.
✅ Après qu'il est parti, on a fermé la porte.
After he left, we closed the door.
The après que + subjunctive error is so common that many native speakers don't even notice it. The Académie française and traditional prescriptive grammar still insist on the indicative. For a B1 student, learn the rule (indicative) and stick to it; don't import the colloquial subjunctive into your writing.
Key takeaways
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
- Les Phrases Conditionnelles: les Trois TypesB1 — The three patterns of French conditional sentences — real, hypothetical, and counterfactual past — with the tense pairings, the iron rule that 'si' never takes the conditionnel, and the high-frequency English transfer errors learners must unlearn.
- Subjunctive after Temporal Conjunctions: avant que, jusqu'à ce que, en attendant queB1 — When a clause refers to an event that has not yet happened from the perspective of the main clause — before, until, while waiting for — French uses the subjunctive. The mirror-image conjunction après que takes the indicative, creating one of French's most surprising asymmetries.
- Le Futur après Quand, Dès Que, Aussitôt QueB1 — Why French uses the future tense after temporal conjunctions like quand, dès que, lorsque, and aussitôt que — where English insists on the present. The single biggest tense-choice trap for English-speaking learners.
- Never Use the Futur After Si: The Present-Tense Rule for ConditionalsB1 — The single rule that catches every English speaker: in real-condition sentences (Si tu viens, je serai content), the si-clause takes the present, never the futur. Plus the three-tier conditional system, the whether-exception, and a French mnemonic to lock it in.
- Avant, Après: before, afterA2 — Avant and après look symmetrical — both express temporal sequence, both pair with nouns, infinitives, and clauses. But the way each combines with verbs is sharply different, and the mood asymmetry between avant que and après que is one of the most-tested points in French grammar.
- Les Propositions Temporelles au futur: tense in temporal clausesB1 — When a temporal subordinate clause refers to a future event, French requires the futur — never the present, even though English uses the present in this position. Si-clauses are the major exception: they always take the present, never the futur. Understanding this asymmetry is the key to producing accurate French in any future-oriented context.