“Depuis” is a powerful French adverb, preposition, and conjunction that can be used in various contexts to express time, duration, causality, and more. You can download a free PDF of this lesson guide in my private French Grammar Library.
Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced French learner, understanding how to use depuis in French will greatly enhance your language skills.
From expressing past actions to indicating a starting point or even conveying a sense of continuity, explore the multitude of possibilities with “depuis” and elevate your French proficiency to new heights.
| Time Reference | Depuis + Specific point in time | J’étudie le français depuis 5 ans. | I have been studying French for 5 years. |
| Depuis +Duration | Il travaille ici depuis une semaine. | He has been working here for a week. | |
| Depuis + Event in the past | Je ne l’ai pas vu depuis la fête. | I haven’t seen him since the party. | |
| Cause and Effect | Depuis que + Verb | Depuis qu’il est arrivé, tout a changé. | Since he arrived, everything has changed. |
| Depuis (cela) | Depuis (cela), ilest très prudent. | Since then, he has been very cautious. | |
| Comparison | Depuis + Adjective/noun | Elle est heureuse depuis sa promotion. | She has been happy since her promotion. |
| Depuis +Verb | Il est fatigué depuis qu’il a couru. | He is tired since he ran. | |
| Source or Origin | Venir de +Verb (recent past construction) | Il vient de partir depuis l’aéroport. | He just left (from) the airport. |
| Consecutive Actions | Depuis +Verb | Elle mange depuis qu’elle est rentrée à la maison. | She has been eating since she came home. |
| Spatial Reference | Depuis + Location | Il observe la mer depuis la terrasse. | He is looking at the sea from the terrace. |
