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Mon frère est flic depuis dix ans.

Mon frère est flic depuis dix ans.
My brother has been a cop for ten years.
From Lesson 284:Informal French·French

Questions & Answers about Mon frère est flic depuis dix ans.

Why does the French sentence use the present tense (est) instead of a past tense for "has been"?
In French, when a situation started in the past and is still continuing right now, you use the present tense with depuis. Because his brother is still a cop today, we say est (is). English does this differently by using the present perfect ("has been").
Why is there no French word for "a" before flic?
In French, when you state someone's profession directly after the verb être (to be), you drop the article (un or une). The profession acts almost like an adjective. If you were to describe him further, you would need the article, such as C'est un bon flic (He is a good cop).
I learned that "for" translates to pendant or pour. Why is depuis used here?
You use depuis (since/for) with a length of time, like dix ans, when the action is still ongoing. You would use pendant for a completed duration in the past, for example if he was a cop for ten years but then quit. Pour is generally only used for scheduled future durations.
Is flic the standard word for a police officer?
No, flic is informal, everyday slang, exactly like "cop" in English. The standard, neutral term for a police officer is policier.

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