Depuis vs Il y a in French What’s the difference?
French learners often confuse depuis and il y a, because both are connected to the past. But they answer two very different questions. Depuis means that something started in the past and is still true now. Il y a tells you when a finished event happened in the past. In English, it usually means ago.
Use depuis for a situation that started in the past and continues now: I have lived here for two years → J’habite ici depuis deux ans.
Use il y a for a completed event in the past: I arrived two years ago → Je suis arrivé il y a deux ans.
Quick contrast
1. Use depuis for something that started in the past and continues now
Depuis connects the past to the present. It tells you how long a situation has been true, or when it started. The important idea is that the situation is still true now.
English often uses the present perfect: I have lived here for two years. French usually uses the present tense: J’habite ici depuis deux ans.
2. Use il y a to say “ago”
Il y a places a completed event in the past. It tells us how much time has passed since that event happened. In English, it usually translates as ago.
Use il y a + duration with a past event: il y a deux jours, il y a trois ans, il y a longtemps.
3. Common English to French translations
The best way to understand the difference is to compare common English sentences. Notice how English often uses for with depuis, but ago with il y a.
| English | French | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| I have lived here for two years. | J’habite ici depuis deux ans. | The situation is still true now. |
| I arrived here two years ago. | Je suis arrivé ici il y a deux ans. | The arrival is a past event. |
| She has worked there since 2020. | Elle travaille là-bas depuis 2020. | She still works there now. |
| She started working there in 2020. | Elle a commencé à travailler là-bas il y a quelques années. | The start is a past event. |
| I have been waiting for ten minutes. | J’attends depuis dix minutes. | I am still waiting now. |
| I called ten minutes ago. | J’ai appelé il y a dix minutes. | The call happened in the past. |
| We have known each other for a long time. | Nous nous connaissons depuis longtemps. | We still know each other now. |
| We met a long time ago. | Nous nous sommes rencontrés il y a longtemps. | The meeting happened in the past. |
4. Same duration, different meaning
The same time expression can be used with both depuis and il y a, but the meaning changes completely.
| With depuis | With il y a |
|---|---|
| J’apprends le français depuis deux ans. I have been learning French for two years. |
J’ai commencé le français il y a deux ans. I started French two years ago. |
| Elle vit à Paris depuis cinq ans. She has lived in Paris for five years. |
Elle est arrivée à Paris il y a cinq ans. She arrived in Paris five years ago. |
| Il est marié depuis dix ans. He has been married for ten years. |
Il s’est marié il y a dix ans. He got married ten years ago. |
| Je travaille ici depuis un mois. I have worked here for one month. |
J’ai commencé ici il y a un mois. I started here one month ago. |
Depuis describes the duration of a current situation. Il y a points to the moment when something happened in the past.
5. Tense patterns: present with depuis, past with il y a
In many common sentences, depuis goes with the present tense in French, while il y a goes with a past tense.
| French pattern | Example | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| present + depuis | Je suis ici depuis lundi. | I have been here since Monday. |
| passé composé + il y a | Je suis arrivé lundi, il y a trois jours. | I arrived on Monday, three days ago. |
| present + depuis | Elle étudie le français depuis janvier. | She has been studying French since January. |
| passé composé + il y a | Elle a commencé en janvier, il y a quelques mois. | She started in January, a few months ago. |
Do not translate “I have lived here for two years” as J’ai habité ici il y a deux ans. That means something like “I lived here two years ago,” not “I have lived here for two years.”
Say: J’habite ici depuis deux ans.
6. Mini practice: choose depuis or il y a
Complete each sentence with depuis or il y a.
- J’apprends le français ______ deux ans.
- J’ai commencé le français ______ deux ans.
- Elle travaille ici ______ 2021.
- Elle a commencé ce travail ______ trois ans.
- Il attend le bus ______ vingt minutes.
- Il est arrivé ______ vingt minutes.
- Nous nous connaissons ______ longtemps.
- Nous nous sommes rencontrés ______ longtemps.
See the answers
- J’apprends le français depuis deux ans. I am still learning French now.
- J’ai commencé le français il y a deux ans. The start happened two years ago.
- Elle travaille ici depuis 2021. She still works here now.
- Elle a commencé ce travail il y a trois ans. The start happened three years ago.
- Il attend le bus depuis vingt minutes. He is still waiting now.
- Il est arrivé il y a vingt minutes. He arrived twenty minutes ago.
- Nous nous connaissons depuis longtemps. We still know each other now.
- Nous nous sommes rencontrés il y a longtemps. We met a long time ago.
Final recap
Use depuis when a situation started in the past and continues now: J’habite ici depuis deux ans. Use il y a when a completed event happened in the past: Je suis arrivé ici il y a deux ans.
The easiest way to choose is to ask: Am I talking about a current situation or a past event? If it is still true now, use depuis. If it happened in the past, use il y a.
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