Time Expressions in French
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Time Expressions in French

Lesson: Time Expressions in French

Introduction:

Welcome back to our expanded lesson on time expressions in French. Mastering these will help you articulate past experiences, present actions, and future plans with precision. Let’s dive deeper into each category, with more examples to solidify your understanding.

Basic Time Expressions:

Present:

➡︎ Maintenant (Now)

Examples:
  • Je mange maintenant.               I am eating now.
  • Ils étudient maintenant.           They are studying now.
  • Nous travaillons maintenant.  We are working now.

➡︎Aujourd’hui (Today)

Examples:
  • Aujourd’hui, il fait chaud.                              Today, it’s hot.
  • Aujourd’hui, elle visite ses amis.                Today, she is visiting her friends.
  • Aujourd’hui, vous avez un rendez-vous.  Today, you have an appointment.

➡︎ En ce moment (At the moment)

Examples:
  • En ce moment, il lit un livre.                    At the moment, he’s reading a book.)
  • En ce moment, elle regarde dehors. (At the moment, she’s looking outside.)
  • En ce moment, ils préparent le dîner. (At the moment, they are preparing dinner.)

Past:

➡︎ Hier (Yesterday)

Examples:
  • J’ai rencontré Paul hier.           I met Paul yesterday.
  • Elle a acheté une robe hier.    She bought a dress yesterday.
  •  Ils ont joué au football hier.   They played football yesterday.

➡︎ Avant (Before)

Examples:
  • Avant, je vivais à Paris. (Before, I lived in Paris.)
  • Avant, il ne connaissait pas ce problème. (Before, he didn’t know this problem.)
  • Avant, nous allions à l’école ensemble. (Before, we used to go to school together.)

 

➡︎  L’année dernière (Last year)

Examples:
  • Nous avons voyagé en Espagne l’année dernière.           We traveled to Spain last year.
  • Elle a commencé le piano l’année dernière.                       She started playing the piano last year.
  • Example: L’année dernière, il a obtenu son diplôme.      Last year, he graduated.

Future:

➡︎  Demain (Tomorrow)

Examples:
  • Je partirai demain.                                              I will leave tomorrow.
  • Elle arrivera demain.                                          She will arrive tomorrow.
  • Nous irons à la plage demain.                        We will go to the beach tomorrow.

 

➡︎  Plus tard (Later)

Examples:
  • Je te verrai plus tard.                                         I will see you later.
  •  Ils décideront plus tard.                                  They will decide later.
  •  Nous parlerons de cela plus tard.               We will talk about this later.

 

➡︎  Bientôt (Soon)

Examples:
  • Elle déménagera bientôt.             She will move soon.
  • Le film commencera bientôt.      The movie will start soon.
  • Nous nous reverrons bientôt.      We will see each other again soon.

🍀 EXERCISES 🍀

❖ Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Use the appropriate time expression to complete the sentences:

questions
  1. ______, j’apprendrai à nager. (Tomorrow)
  2. Elle a reçu son colis ______. (Yesterday)
  3. Nous ferons les courses ______. (Later)
  4. Il a vécu à Rome ______. (Before)
  5. Vous devriez arriver ______. (Soon)
  6. Les enfants dorment ______. (Now)
  7. Elle partira pour New York ______. (Tomorrow)
  8. Nous avons vu ce film ______. (Yesterday)
  9. Le soleil brille fort ______. (Today)
  10. J’étudierai plus ______. (Later)
answers & translation
  1. Demain, j’apprendrai à nager.
  2. Elle a reçu son colis hier.
  3. Nous ferons les courses plus tard.
  4. Il a vécu à Rome avant.
  5. Vous devriez arriver bientôt.
  6. Les enfants dorment maintenant.
  7. Elle partira pour New York demain.
  8. Nous avons vu ce film hier.
  9. Le soleil brille fort aujourd’hui.
  10. J’étudierai plus plus tard.

Translation :

  1. Tomorrow, I will learn to swim.
  2. She received her package yesterday.
  3. We will do the shopping later.
  4. He lived in Rome before.
  5. You should arrive soon.
  6. The children are sleeping now.
  7. She will leave for New York tomorrow.
  8. (We saw this movie yesterday.
  9. The sun is shining brightly today.
  10. I will study more later.

Exercise 2: Translate to French

Translate the following sentences into French:

English
  1. I studied at the library yesterday.
  2. We will meet again soon.
  3. They are playing soccer now.
  4.  You will finish your homework tomorrow.
  5. He met his friends before.
  6. We will go on vacation next year.
  7. She was in Paris yesterday.
  8. They will be home later.
  9.  I will have my breakfast now.
  10. We heard this song before.
English to French
  1. J’ai étudié à la bibliothèque hier. I studied at the library yesterday.
  2. Nous nous reverrons bientôt.        We will meet again soon.
  3. Ils jouent au football maintenant.  They are playing soccer now.
  4. Tu finiras tes devoirs demain.          You will finish your homework tomorrow.
  5. Il a rencontré ses amis avant.       He met his friends before.
  6. Nous partirons en vacances l’année prochaine.  We will go on vacation next year.
  7. Elle était à Paris hier.         She was in Paris yesterday.
  8. Ils seront à la maison plus tard.      They will be home later.
  9. Je prendrai mon petit-déjeuner maintenant.  I will have my breakfast now.
  10. Nous avons entendu cette chanson avant.  We heard this song before.

Exercise 3: Translate from English to French

Translate the following sentences using appropriate time expressions:

  1. They are playing soccer now.
  2. He will buy a new car soon.
  3. You were singing beautifully yesterday.
  4. We will discuss it tomorrow.
  5. She had visited that museum before.
  6. They will start their journey next month.
  7. I am meeting my friends today.
  8. We were happy to see them last year.
answers
  1. Ils jouent au football maintenant.
  2. Il achètera une nouvelle voiture bientôt.
  3. Tu chantais merveilleusement hier.
  4. Nous en discuterons demain.
  5. Elle avait visité ce musée avant.
  6. Ils commenceront leur voyage le mois prochain.
  7. Je rencontre mes amis aujourd’hui.
  8. Nous étions heureux de les voir l’année dernière.

Conclusion:

Time expressions are a crucial part of conversational French, enabling you to discuss past events, present activities, and future plans accurately. Practice these phrases and try to use them in daily conversations or writing tasks to improve your fluency in French. Remember, the more you use these expressions, the more naturally they will come to you in conversation.

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