Equivalents of Depuis

In a previous lesson, we learned that the preposition depuis + a period of time or a point in time is the general equivalent of “since” or “for,” when describing an action that started in the past but is still ongoing. In the first part of this lesson, we will explore some informal alternatives to depuis. In the second part, we will discuss which prepositions can be used when referring to an action that started and was completed in the past.

Voilà + period of time + que (for + period of time) is often used in conversation as an informal equivalent to depuis. While the wording is different, voilà...que works in the same way as depuis for an action that started in the past but is still ongoing. We use the present tense in French and the present perfect continuous in English. 

Voilà deux semaines que Julie et Mathieu sortent ensemble et qu'ils filent le parfait amour.

Julie and Mathieu have been going out for two weeks and been living the perfect love.

Captions 37-38, Le Jour où tout a basculé Je me suis fait voler ma musique - Part 3

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In this case, voilà deux semaines is equivalent to “for two weeks." But there are variations to the translation depending on context. In this example, voilà...que is equivalent to “it's been going on for X amount of time":

Voilà un petit moment que ça dure.

It's been going on for a little while.

An equivalent to this is cela fait + period of time + que, which translates in the same way in English. Both phrases are interchangeable:

Cela fait un petit moment que ça dure.

It's been going on for a little while.

Caption 3, Lionel & Lahlou La grève

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Here is another example with cela fait...que, which translates here as "for + period of time":

Cela fait quinze ans que Rudy s'attelle chaque année à métamorphoser son logis

For fifteen years, Rudy has been buckling down each year to transform his house

Caption 5, Alsace 20 Alsace: les plus belles déco de Noël!

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You can even combine cela fait...que with depuis to mean “it’s been X since Y point in time”:

Enfin, pour montrer que ce matériau est résistant, cela fait depuis quatre-vingt-cinq qu'il est dehors.

So to show how durable this material is, it's been outside since [nineteen] eighty-five.

Captions 24-25, Voyage dans Paris Mireille Bailly-Coulange

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Depuis and its informal equivalents, cela fait...que and voilà...que, are used with the present tense to describe an action that started in the past but is still ongoing. But these expressions can also be used to describe an action completed in the past. For this, you just need to switch to the past tense. Here is an example of depuis with the past tense:

Ce qu'elle a toujours voulu depuis la disparition de sa mère, c'est de réussir ce qu'elle entreprenait

What she always wanted since the passing of her mother was to succeed at what she undertook

Captions 64-65, Le Jour où tout a basculé Mon père s'oppose à ma passion - Part 7

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And here's an example with voilà...que and cela fait...que:

Voilà plus de vingt ans qu’il a disparu.

It’s been over twenty years since he passed away.

Cela fait plus de vingt ans qu’il a disparu.

It’s been over twenty years since he passed away.

Otherwise, for actions that are firmly set in the past, you can use the expression il y a to describe an action that occurred a while “ago." In his video on the town of Marsal, Lionel marvels at what happened many, many million years ago:

Incroyable, hein, donc il y a des millions et des millions d'années.

Incredible, right, so millions and millions of years ago.

Caption 19, Lionel Marsal - Part 10

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Of course, you can also use it to describe something that happened "a short time ago":

Savez-vous qu'il y a peu de temps que l'homme sait utiliser la vapeur ?

Do you know that it was just a short time ago that humankind learned how to use steam?

Caption 3, Il était une fois: Les découvreurs 13. Stephenson - Part 1

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To indicate the duration of a past action, use pendant (literally “during," but equivalent to “for” in this case). Here is an example with a specific duration:

J’ai étudié le français pendant dix ans.

I studied French for ten years.

The use of the past tense + pendant tells us that the person studied French in the past but is no longer doing so. 

Whether you started studying French il y a peu de temps (a short time ago) or whether you've been studying it depuis longtemps (for a long time), we hope you've learned something from this lesson. Thank you for reading!