Pendant vs Pour in French What’s the difference?
English speakers often translate for + duration with pour in French. But when you talk about time, pour is not always the best choice. In many common sentences, French uses pendant for the real duration of an action, and pour for a planned duration, a project, or an intention.
Use pendant for the real duration of an action: I studied for two hours → J’ai étudié pendant deux heures.
Use pour for a planned duration, a project, or an intended period: I’m leaving for two weeks → Je pars pour deux semaines.
Final practical advice: if you hesitate and you are talking about duration, use pendant. It is often the safer choice for English speakers.
Quick contrast
1. Use pendant for the real duration of an action
Use pendant when you describe how long an action really lasts, lasted, or will last. The focus is on the duration of the action itself.
If English says for + duration and you mean “during this amount of time,” French often uses pendant.
English speakers often want to say J’ai étudié pour deux heures because English says “for two hours.” But for the real duration of studying, French uses pendant.
Say: J’ai étudié pendant deux heures.
2. Use pour for a planned duration or project
Use pour when the duration is presented as a plan, a project, an intention, or a period announced in advance. This is very common with verbs like partir, venir, aller, prévoir, and sometimes with reservations, contracts, or commitments.
Pour often answers the question: “for what planned period?” It looks forward to a duration, rather than describing the real duration after the action.
3. English “for” does not always mean pour
This is the main trap. In English, for is used for many different ideas. In French, you need to ask what kind of “for” it is.
| English sentence | French translation | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| I worked for three hours. | J’ai travaillé pendant trois heures. | Real duration of an action. |
| I’m leaving for three weeks. | Je pars pour trois semaines. | Planned duration of a trip. |
| We stayed there for ten days. | Nous sommes restés là-bas pendant dix jours. | Real duration of the stay. |
| We are going there for ten days. | Nous y allons pour dix jours. | Planned duration. |
| She waited for one hour. | Elle a attendu pendant une heure. | Real duration of waiting. |
| The meeting is planned for one hour. | La réunion est prévue pour une heure. | Planned length of the meeting. |
| I lived in Paris for two years. | J’ai vécu à Paris pendant deux ans. | Real duration of a past situation. |
| I’m going to Paris for two years. | Je pars à Paris pour deux ans. | Projected duration of a future stay. |
4. Same duration, different meaning
Sometimes the same time expression can appear with pendant or pour, but the meaning changes. The difference is not the duration itself. The difference is the point of view.
| With pendant | With pour |
|---|---|
| Je suis parti pendant deux semaines. I was away for two weeks. The sentence describes the actual duration. |
Je suis parti pour deux semaines. I left for two weeks. The sentence presents the intended duration. |
| Nous sommes restés à Paris pendant une semaine. We stayed in Paris for a week. The stay really lasted one week. |
Nous sommes partis à Paris pour une semaine. We went to Paris for a week. This presents the planned trip. |
| Elle a travaillé à Madrid pendant six mois. She worked in Madrid for six months. This describes the real duration. |
Elle est partie à Madrid pour six mois. She left for Madrid for six months. This presents the project. |
Pendant looks at the duration as something that is happening, happened, or lasted. Pour presents the duration as a plan, intention, booking, contract, or projected period.
5. When should English speakers avoid pour?
If you are simply describing how long an action lasted, do not automatically use pour. This is especially important after verbs like travailler, étudier, attendre, dormir, vivre, rester, and parler.
If your sentence means “the action lasted this amount of time,” use pendant. This will correct many common mistakes made by English speakers.
6. Mini practice: choose pendant or pour
Complete each sentence with pendant or pour.
- J’ai étudié ______ deux heures.
- Je pars en France ______ deux semaines.
- Nous avons attendu ______ trente minutes.
- Le cours est prévu ______ une heure.
- Elle a vécu à Nice ______ six mois.
- Elle va à Nice ______ six mois.
- Ils ont parlé ______ toute la soirée.
- Ils ont réservé la maison ______ trois semaines.
See the answers
- J’ai étudié pendant deux heures. This is the real duration of studying.
- Je pars en France pour deux semaines. This is the planned duration of the trip.
- Nous avons attendu pendant trente minutes. This is the real duration of waiting.
- Le cours est prévu pour une heure. This is the scheduled duration.
- Elle a vécu à Nice pendant six mois. This is the real duration of a past situation.
- Elle va à Nice pour six mois. This is a projected stay.
- Ils ont parlé pendant toute la soirée. This is the real duration of the action.
- Ils ont réservé la maison pour trois semaines. This is a reservation period.
Final recap
Use pendant when you describe the real duration of an action: J’ai travaillé pendant trois heures, Nous sommes restés à Paris pendant une semaine, Elle a attendu pendant vingt minutes.
Use pour when the duration is planned, projected, booked, scheduled, or connected to an intention: Je pars pour deux semaines, Le cours est prévu pour une heure, J’ai réservé l’appartement pour six mois.
When in doubt, especially if you are translating English for + duration, use pendant. It is often the safest choice for expressing time in French.
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