DEPUIS QUE – DÈS QUE – JUSQU’À CE QUE
These three expressions are all conjunctions of time, but they behave differently and are followed by different tenses. You can download a PDF of this lesson guide in my private French Grammar Library.
DEPUIS QUE = since (a moment when something started)
- Followed by a subject + indicative verb
- Use it to express that something began in the past and is still true now.
Structure: depuis que + subject + verb (indicative)
Example 1 – Present perfect in English. French doesn’t have a tense called the “present perfect”, but the closest equivalent is the passé composé.
Il n’a plus beaucoup de temps libre depuis qu’il a commencé son nouveau travail.
He hasn’t had much free time since he started his new job.
Example 2 – Still ongoing – Use the present tense.
Je me sens mieux depuis que je fais du yoga tous les jours.
I’ve been feeling better since I started doing yoga every day.
Example 3 – With negation
Elle ne me parle plus depuis que j’ai oublié son anniversaire.
She hasn’t spoken to me since I forgot her birthday.
Use ‘depuis que’ to express a starting point in time + a change that is still relevant.
Common mistake to avoid:
Don’t confuse depuis que (followed by a verb) with depuis (followed by a specific time or duration):
Je ne l’ai pas vu depuis deux jours.
I haven’t seen him in two days.
Je ne l’ai pas vu depuis qu’il est parti en vacances.
I haven’t seen him since he left on vacation.
DÈS QUE = as soon as
- Followed by a subject + indicative verb
- Used to talk about something that will happen immediately after another action.
Structure: dès que + subject + verb (indicative)
Example 1 – Talking about the future
Je vous appellerai dès que j’arriverai à l’hôtel.
I’ll call you as soon as I arrive at the hotel.
In French, we use the future tense after dès que when referring to the future, even though English uses the present tense.
Example 2 – Habitual present
Elle se brosse les dents dès qu’elle se lève.
She brushes her teeth as soon as she gets up.
Example 3 – Past tense
Dès qu’il a entendu la nouvelle, il m’a appelé.
As soon as he heard the news, he called me.
You’ll often see ‘dès que’ used when giving instructions, planning events, or narrating sequences in the past.
JUSQU’À CE QUE = until (someone does something)
- Followed by a subject + verb in the subjunctive
- This expression signals that one action continues until another action happens (or will happen).
- Because there’s a bit of uncertainty or subjectivity, the verb that follows must be in the subjunctive.
Structure: jusqu’à ce que + subject + verb (subjunctive)
Example 1 – Present subjunctive
Le chien va continuer d’aboyer jusqu’à ce que le facteur parte.
The dog will keep barking until the mailman leaves.
Note: “Parte” is the subjunctive form of “partir”.
Example 2 – Present subjunctive
Attends ici jusqu’à ce que je revienne.
Wait here until I come back.
Example 3 – Present subjunctive with past context
Ils ont marché jusqu’à ce qu’ils soient trop fatigués pour continuer.
They walked until they were too tired to continue.
‘Jusqu’à ce que’ always triggers the subjunctive.
