Actions that are still happening
In English, you use "have been" (as in, "I have been playing") for actions that started in the past and are still happening. In French, because the action is still ongoing, you simply use the present tense with the preposition depuis.
"For" an amount of time
When depuis is followed by a duration—like days, months, or years—it means "for".
| I have been playing the piano for ten years. | Je joue du piano depuis dix ans. |
| He has been working in this studio for three months. | Il travaille dans ce studio depuis trois mois. |
"Since" a point in time
When depuis is followed by a starting point—like a date or stage of life—it means "since".
| We have been learning the guitar since last year. | Nous apprenons la guitare depuis l'année dernière. |
| They (fem.) have been playing the violin since the age of five. | Elles jouent du violon depuis l'âge de cinq ans. |
Questions and general timeframes
To ask how long someone has been doing something, use Depuis quand (Since when) or add a depuis phrase to a yes/no question.
| Since when have you been playing in this orchestra? | Depuis quand est-ce que vous jouez dans cet orchestre ? |
| Have you been taking violin lessons for a year? | Est-ce que tu prends des leçons de violon depuis un an ? |
You can also use depuis with general time expressions, such as longtemps (a long time) or toujours (always).
| They have been musicians for a long time. | Ils sont musiciens depuis longtemps. |
| The guitar has always been his passion. | La guitare est sa passion depuis toujours. |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io
