Quand means "when," and most of the time it does exactly what English speakers expect: it introduces a temporal subordinate clause that locates an event in time. Quand il vient, il est content — "When he comes, he's happy." But two non-obvious facts about quand trip up nearly every English-speaking learner. First, it never triggers the subjunctive — even though English subordinators sometimes feel like they should require something special, French quand is firmly indicative. Second, when the time being referred to is in the future, French insists on the futur in the quand-clause itself, where English uses the present. Quand tu *viendras, on partira — literally "When you *will come, we will leave" — is correct French for "When you come, we'll leave." This page covers quand and its temporal-conjunction siblings (lorsque, dès que, aussitôt que, tant que, pendant que, tandis que) and the tense-selection logic that governs them all.
Quand always takes the indicative
The first point to internalize: quand takes the indicative in every modern French use. This sets it apart from the temporal subordinators that do require the subjunctive — avant que ("before"), jusqu'à ce que ("until"), en attendant que ("while waiting for"). With those, the action of the subordinate clause is unrealized at the moment of the main clause and the subjunctive marks that. With quand, the action is treated as locatable in real time — past, present, or future — and the indicative does the work.
Quand il vient, il est content.
When he comes, he's happy.
Quand j'étais petit, j'aimais le chocolat.
When I was little, I loved chocolate.
Quand elle est arrivée, tout le monde s'est tu.
When she arrived, everyone fell silent.
In each of these, the quand-clause carries an indicative tense (présent, imparfait, passé composé) selected by the temporal frame. This is the normal pattern. The trap, as we'll see, is what happens when the frame is the future.
Quand with the imparfait: habitual past
When quand introduces a habitual or repeated action in the past, the verb is in the imparfait. The main clause is also typically in the imparfait, since the two events are co-ongoing or repeatedly co-occurring.
Quand j'étais étudiant, je travaillais le soir.
When I was a student, I used to work in the evenings.
Quand il pleuvait, on restait à la maison.
When it rained, we'd stay home.
Quand elle parlait, tout le monde l'écoutait.
When she spoke, everyone listened to her.
This use of quand corresponds to English "whenever" or habitual "when." If the action happened repeatedly or characterized a period of life, the imparfait is correct in both clauses.
Quand with the passé composé: a single past event
When the quand-clause refers to a single, completed past event, it takes the passé composé (in conversation) or the passé simple (in literary writing). The main clause is then typically in the imparfait if it describes the surrounding state, or the passé composé if it describes another bounded event.
Quand je suis rentré, ma femme dormait déjà.
When I got home, my wife was already asleep.
Quand elle a vu le résultat, elle a éclaté en sanglots.
When she saw the result, she burst into tears.
Quand le téléphone a sonné, j'étais sous la douche.
When the phone rang, I was in the shower.
The aspect choice in the main clause follows the standard imparfait/passé composé contrast (see verbs/imparfait-vs-passe-compose/overview): bounded event in the quand-clause, ongoing state in the main clause; or two bounded events in succession.
Quand with the futur: the English-speaker trap
This is the section that requires the most attention. When the time referred to is in the future, French uses the futur in the quand-clause — even where English uses the simple present.
Quand il viendra, on partira.
When he comes, we'll leave.
Quand tu seras grand, tu comprendras.
When you're grown up, you'll understand.
Quand j'aurai le temps, je t'appellerai.
When I have time, I'll call you.
In each English translation, the when-clause is in the present (when he comes, when you're grown, when I have time) but the French quand-clause is in the futur (quand il viendra, quand tu seras grand, quand j'aurai). This is not a quirk; it is a strict rule of French grammar. If the action of the quand-clause has not yet happened at the moment of speaking and is being projected into the future, the verb must be in the futur (or futur antérieur).
The English convention of using the present tense in temporal subordinate clauses ("when he comes," "as soon as you arrive," "before he leaves") is not shared by French. In English, the future-marking is left implicit because the present can serve as a default. In French, every clause carries explicit tense, and a future-time clause must be explicitly future.
Quand with the futur antérieur: anteriority
If the action of the quand-clause must be completed before the main-clause action (and both are in the future), the quand-clause takes the futur antérieur, the compound future:
Quand j'aurai fini mes devoirs, je sortirai.
When I've finished my homework, I'll go out.
Quand tu auras lu ce livre, tu changeras d'avis.
When you've read this book, you'll change your mind.
Quand nous serons arrivés, on t'appellera.
When we've arrived, we'll call you.
The futur antérieur (aurai fini, auras lu, serons arrivés) marks "will have done." Use it when the quand-clause action must be complete before the main-clause action begins. The main clause stays in the futur simple.
This double-future system — futur in the quand-clause for simultaneity or general future framing, futur antérieur for anteriority — does not exist in English at all. English just uses the present perfect ("when I've finished") or the simple present ("when I finish") and lets context disambiguate.
Lorsque: the formal twin
Lorsque means exactly the same thing as quand and follows exactly the same tense rules. The only difference is register: lorsque is (formal) or written, while quand is the everyday word.
Lorsque le président est entré, l'assemblée s'est levée.
When the president entered, the assembly stood up.
Lorsqu'il viendra, nous l'accueillerons chaleureusement.
When he comes, we'll welcome him warmly.
You will see lorsque in news articles, official speeches, formal correspondence, academic writing, and literature. In conversation it sounds slightly elevated, occasionally pretentious. Lorsque elides before a vowel (lorsqu'il, lorsqu'elle, lorsqu'on), exactly like que.
Dès que and aussitôt que: as soon as
Dès que and aussitôt que both mean "as soon as" — they introduce a temporal clause whose action triggers the main-clause action without delay. They follow the same tense rules as quand: indicative throughout, with the futur required for projected future events.
Dès qu'il arrive, dis-le-moi.
As soon as he arrives, tell me.
Dès que tu auras les résultats, appelle-moi.
As soon as you have the results, call me.
Aussitôt qu'il a vu le danger, il a réagi.
As soon as he saw the danger, he reacted.
Aussitôt que je le saurai, je te le dirai.
As soon as I know, I'll tell you.
The English-speaker trap repeats here: as soon as you have the results (English present) translates to dès que tu auras les résultats (French futur antérieur, because the action of having the results is projected into the future). Don't be fooled by the English present.
Dès que is slightly more common than aussitôt que in conversation; aussitôt que leans slightly toward written register but is not formal in the way lorsque is. Both are fully usable in everyday speech.
Tant que: as long as
Tant que means "as long as" — duration of one event measured against the duration of another. It follows the same tense logic.
Tant que tu es là, je suis tranquille.
As long as you're here, I'm at ease.
Tant qu'il fera beau, on restera à la plage.
As long as the weather's nice, we'll stay at the beach.
Tant que je n'aurai pas reçu sa réponse, je ne pourrai pas décider.
Until I've received his answer, I won't be able to decide.
The last example illustrates a subtlety: tant que ... ne ... pas — "as long as ... not" — translates idiomatically into English as "until." French has jusqu'à ce que for "until," but it requires the subjunctive; tant que ... ne ... pas is the indicative alternative and is more common in conversation.
Pendant que and tandis que: while
Pendant que and tandis que both express simultaneity — "while" — but with a meaningful nuance. Pendant que is purely temporal: two things happening at the same time. Tandis que often carries a contrastive sense: "whereas," highlighting a contrast between the two clauses.
Pendant que tu fais la cuisine, je mets la table.
While you cook, I'll set the table.
Pendant qu'il parlait, je prenais des notes.
While he was speaking, I was taking notes.
Tandis que mon frère travaille beaucoup, ma sœur préfère voyager.
While my brother works a lot, my sister prefers to travel.
Il a réussi, tandis que les autres ont échoué.
He succeeded, whereas the others failed.
If the meaning is purely "at the same time as," use pendant que. If you want to highlight a contrast — "while X, by contrast Y" — use tandis que. Both take the indicative and follow the same future-projection rule when applicable, though contrastive tandis que is more often paired with present or past tenses than future.
Quand vs si: the asymmetry
Quand is sometimes confused with si, particularly because both can introduce a clause about a future eventuality. The distinction is fundamental:
- Quand
- futur
- Si
- présent
Quand tu viendras, on mangera.
When you come, we'll eat. (You will come — it's a matter of when.)
Si tu viens, on mangera.
If you come, we'll eat. (You may or may not come.)
This contrast is critical and is treated in detail at syntax/si-with-present-not-future. The mnemonic: quand says "this will happen" (so use futur to mark it); si says "this might happen" (so use présent to leave it open).
Common Mistakes
❌ Quand il vienne, on partira.
Incorrect — quand never takes the subjunctive in French.
✅ Quand il viendra, on partira.
When he comes, we'll leave.
The subjunctive vienne would be triggered by avant qu'il vienne ("before he comes"), but quand always takes the indicative. The futur viendra is correct because the action is projected into the future.
❌ Quand il vient demain, on partira.
Incorrect — vient (présent) cannot describe a future event in a quand-clause.
✅ Quand il viendra demain, on partira.
When he comes tomorrow, we'll leave.
This is the central English-transfer error. English uses the present when he comes tomorrow; French requires the futur because the action is in the future.
❌ Dès que tu arrives, appelle-moi.
Incorrect if the arrival is in the future — present cannot project futurity in a dès que-clause.
✅ Dès que tu arriveras, appelle-moi.
As soon as you arrive, call me.
The same trap with dès que. If the arrival hasn't happened yet, the verb must be in the futur. (Note: with general or habitual statements — dès qu'il arrive, il enlève son manteau "as soon as he arrives, he takes off his coat" — the present is correct, since the meaning is generic, not future.)
❌ Quand j'aurai le temps, je t'appelle.
Mismatched tenses — if the quand-clause is futur, the main clause should generally also be futur.
✅ Quand j'aurai le temps, je t'appellerai.
When I have time, I'll call you.
In careful French, when both events are projected into the future, both clauses take a future tense. In casual speech you may hear je t'appelle used as a near-future ("I'll call you" with implicit immediacy), but the symmetric futur ... futur is the textbook correct form.
❌ Lorsque je serai arrivée, j'appellerais.
Wrong tense in the main clause — appellerais is conditional, not futur.
✅ Lorsque je serai arrivée, j'appellerai.
When I've arrived, I'll call.
Watch out for the conditional/futur distinction in the main clause. The conditional (appellerais) belongs to hypothetical constructions; the futur (appellerai) belongs after temporal lorsque/quand/dès que-clauses about the future.
Key takeaways
Quand and its siblings (lorsque, dès que, aussitôt que, tant que, pendant que, tandis que) all take the indicative — never the subjunctive. The most important fact about them is which indicative tense to use. Past habitual: imparfait. Past completed event: passé composé. Future projected event: futur. Future event anterior to the main-clause future: futur antérieur. The single biggest English-transfer error is using the present tense in a quand-clause about the future; train yourself to hear that mismatch, and the rest of the system follows naturally.
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Start learning French→Related Topics
- 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.
- Quand au futur: when followed by future tenseB1 — When quand introduces a clause about a future event, French requires the futur — never the present, even though English uses the present in this position. With anterior actions, French uses the futur antérieur. This is one of the highest-frequency English-transfer errors at B1 and the rule that, once internalized, transforms learners' speech.
- Si au présent: never with the future or conditionalB1 — The iron rule of si-clauses in French: si is followed by the présent (for real conditions), the imparfait (for hypotheticals), or the plus-que-parfait (for counterfactual past) — never by the futur and never by the conditionnel. This is the central French conditional rule and the one that separates B1 accuracy from a dozen common transfer errors.
- Le Futur: OverviewA1 — French has two main futures — the synthetic futur simple (je parlerai) and the analytic futur proche (je vais parler) — plus the futur antérieur (j'aurai parlé) for completed future actions. This page maps how each is built, when each is used, and how they divide up the future-time space.
- Le Futur AntérieurB1 — The future perfect of French — the 'will have done' tense. How to form it, when to use it (especially after quand, dès que, lorsque), and how it pairs with the futur simple to mark which future action finishes first.
- L'Ordre des Mots: SVOA1 — French is a Subject-Verb-Object language, like English — but the surface similarity hides three big differences: clitic pronouns sit before the verb, negation wraps around the verb with ne and pas, and questions optionally invert. Get these three right and your French will sound natural.