Learn French: Depuis que tu es là, je suis content. - Since you have been here, I am happy.

Depuis que tu es là, je suis content.

Since you have been here, I am happy.

Breakdown of Depuis que tu es là, je suis content.

être

to be

you (informal singular)

Questions & Answers about Depuis que tu es là, je suis content.

Why does the French sentence use the present tense (tu es) when the English translation says "you have been"?

In French, when a state or action started in the past and is still continuing right now, you use depuis que (since) followed by the present tense. Because you are still here, French uses the present tense tu es, whereas English requires the present perfect "you have been".

Why is it depuis que instead of just depuis?

You use depuis que when it is followed by a full clause, which means a subject and a conjugated verb (in this case, tu es). If you were just following it with a noun or a specific point in time, you would use depuis on its own, like in depuis ce matin (since this morning).

Doesn't là usually mean "there"? Why does it mean "here" in this sentence?

While ici strictly means "here" and là translates to "there", in everyday spoken French, là is very often used to mean "here" when talking about someone's presence or location. Saying tu es là is the most natural way to say "you are here".

Would the end of the sentence change if the speaker were a woman?

Yes! The adjective content (happy or pleased) must agree with the subject je. If a woman is speaking, she would add an "e" to the end and say je suis contente.