To express the intended duration of a future stay, trip, or assignment, use the preposition pour followed by a time expression (like un an or trois mois). French uses pour to state how long a specific event is planned to last.
Present and Future Tenses
You can use pour with future-tense verbs, or with present-tense verbs when making the arrangement.
| She is taking a sabbatical leave for a year. | Elle prend un congé sabbatique pour un an. |
| We will be on sabbatical leave in Rome for a year. | On sera en congé sabbatique à Rome pour un an. |
| He accepts the assignment in our subsidiary for six months. | Il accepte l'affectation dans notre filiale pour six mois. |
Professional Arrangements
This is common when discussing overseas assignments (les affectations) or secondments (les détachements). The preposition can follow the verb être (to be) or adjectives like renouvelable (renewable).
| The secondment at the institute is for three months. | Le détachement à l'institut est pour trois mois. |
| The contract is renewable for a year. | Le contrat est renouvelable pour un an. |
Temporary vs. Permanent
You can further contrast short-term plans using temporairement (temporarily) and définitivement (permanently).
| We are not leaving permanently, it is just for a month. | On ne part pas définitivement, c'est juste pour un mois. |
| She accepts the assignment for one year, but she is staying permanently. | Elle accepte l'affectation pour un an, mais elle reste définitivement. |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io