The past and time markers
The past and time markers
Key Words & Phrases
Il a pleuré toute la soirée.
Il pleure tous les soirs.
Il y a longtemps que je n’ai pas vu ce film.
Ça fait longtemps que je n’ai pas vu ce film.
Je n’ai pas vu ce film depuis qu’il est sorti au cinéma.
J’ai vécu à Paris pendant vingt ans.
Je vis à Nice depuis trois ans.
Il ne fume plus depuis des années.
Il a arrêté de fumer il y a trois ans.
Ça fait des années qu’il ne fume plus.
Learn
“depuis”, “pendant”, “pour”, “il y a”
time markers
time prepositions
Lawless French: “an” vs “année”
Le Cours de français: time markers “depuis”, “pendant”, and “il y a”
Le FLE pour les curieux: tenses of the past
Watch
Français avec Pierre: time markers “il y a”, “depuis”, “ça fait… que”
innerFrench: time markers “il y a”, “depuis”, “pendant”
Love Learning Languages: “an” vs “année”
Learn French with Alexa: “depuis” or “pendant”
Read
Talk in French: time and duration
Lawless French: “depuis” vs “il y a”
Patenotte: all about chronology
Practice
Lingolia: practice “depuis” and “il y a”
Français facile: practice time markers
Didier FLE: Practice time markers
Ecoute: revise the tenses of the past
Using one of the recommended resources to get writing feedback, respond to the prompt below.
Translate the following sentences into French:
- I haven’t gone to the cinema since last year.
- We have been living in France for two years.
- My parents have been studying French since 2016.
- They studied French for a few months before going to live in Paris.
- I didn’t drive cars for years after having an accident.
Using one of the platforms for finding a tutor or language exchange partner, practice the speaking activities below.
Partner Speaking Exercise:
- Ask your partner at least three questions using time markers. You can talk about your occupations, hobbies, etc. Your partner can also ask you questions.
Example: Depuis combien de temps vis-tu dans cette ville ?
Je suis arrivé à Bordeaux il y a sept ans.
Independent Speaking Exercise:
- Think about important events in your life (birth, success, diploma, travels etc.) – you can make events and dates up.
- Make three sentences about these important events, using “depuis”, “il y a” and “ça fait… que”. Don’t forget you might need a specific date (e.g: le 5 janvier 2019) for some phrases and a duration (deux ans) for others.
Lesson Content
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