Grammar: Verbs - Use of Depius and Venir De in Present and Imperfect Tenses

Grammar: Verbs - Use of Depius and Venir De in Present and Imperfect Tenses

Section: Use of Depuis in Present and Imperfect Tenses

  • The French word depuis translates as ‘since’ or ‘for’ in English.
  • When used with a verb in the present tense, it indicates that the action began in the past and is still ongoing. For instance, Je travaille depuis deux heures (I have been working for two hours).
  • When used with a verb in the imperfect tense, it specifies that the action was ongoing in the past but is no longer happening at the time of speaking. For instance, Je travaillais depuis deux heures quand tu es arrivé (I had been working for two hours when you arrived).

Section: Use of Venir De in Present and Imperfect Tenses

  • The construction venir de + infinitive verb is used to express an action that has just taken place. Contrastingly, in English this is often expressed using the present perfect tense with ‘just’. For example, Il vient de partir translates to ‘He has just left’.
  • When venir de is in the present tense, the action it precedes is very recent. For example, Je viens de finir mon travail means ‘I have just finished my work’.
  • When venir de is in the imperfect tense, it indicates that an action had just been completed in the past. For example, Je venais de finir mon travail quand tu as appelé means ‘I had just finished my work when you called’.

Section: Tips on Using Depuis and Venir De

  • Seemingly, depuis and venir de can both be used to talk about recent past actions. But their usage is distinct: depuis is about ongoing actions (whether continuing into the present or into a past time point), whereas venir de is about actions that have just been completed.
  • Remember the important time aspect associated with these phrases: depuis involves a duration (‘for two hours’), while venir de refers to a point in time just before the present or a past time point.
  • Practice with a range of verbs, time durations and tenses to improve fluency and flexibility with these forms.