pendant + Duration

Duration with Pendant

Level 2

Pendant + duration is the standard way to say 'for' or 'during' in French. It describes how long an action lasted from start to finish.

How It Works

1. Basic Usage
Pendant is an invariable preposition used before a noun of time (e.g., trois jours, une heure). It is the most common way to express duration in French. In casual speech, pendant is sometimes omitted: J'ai travaillé (pendant) deux heures.

2. Tense Compatibility

  • Past (Finished): Most commonly used with the passé composé for completed actions. J'ai dormi pendant huit heures.
  • Past (Background/Habit): Used with the imparfait to describe a duration that was a background state or a habit. Pendant la guerre, elle travaillait dans une ferme.
  • Present: Used for habitual actions. Je lis pendant une heure chaque soir.
  • Future: Used for planned durations. Je vais voyager pendant un mois.

3. Pendant vs. Pour
English speakers often over-use pour. In French, pour is used for planned durations (even if the plan was made in the past, e.g., Il était parti pour trois jours) or deadlines (C'est pour demain). Pendant remains the standard choice for describing the actual time elapsed.

4. Pendant vs. Depuis
Use depuis if the action is still happening. Use pendant if the action is finished.

5. Pendant vs. En
Use pendant to say how long you did something. Use en to say how long it took to finish it. J'ai couru pendant une heure (I ran for an hour) vs. J'ai couru cinq kilomètres en vingt minutes (It took me 20 minutes to finish the 5km).

6. Formal Alternative: Durant
In formal writing, you may see durant. It is a direct synonym for pendant but carries a more sophisticated tone.

Examples (6)

  1. J'ai habité à Lyon pendant deux ans.

    I lived in Lyon for two years.

    Word by Word: I have lived at Lyon during two years.

    The use of the passé composé and 'pendant' indicates that the two-year period is finished and the speaker no longer lives there.

  2. Nous avons marché pendant toute la journée.

    We walked for the whole day.

    Word by Word: We have walked during all the day.

    'Pendant' emphasizes the entire span of time spent walking.

  3. Il fait la sieste pendant une heure tous les après-midi.

    He takes a nap for an hour every afternoon.

    Word by Word: He makes the nap during one hour all the afternoons.

    Here, 'pendant' is used in the present tense to describe a habitual duration.

  4. Pendant la guerre, elle travaillait dans une ferme.

    During the war, she used to work on a farm.

    Word by Word: During the war, she worked in a farm.

    When used with the imparfait, 'pendant' describes a duration that served as a background or a habit in the past.

  5. Je vais rester en France pendant trois semaines.

    I am going to stay in France for three weeks.

    Word by Word: I go to stay in France during three weeks.

    'Pendant' is perfectly natural for expressing a planned duration in the future.

  6. Elle a étudié pendant le voyage.

    She studied during the trip.

    Word by Word: She has studied during the trip.

    'Pendant' can also be translated as 'during' when followed by an event rather than a specific number of hours/days.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'pour' for elapsed past durations.

    J'ai travaillé ici pour six mois.
    J'ai travaillé ici pendant six mois.

    While 'pour' can be used for planned durations (e.g., 'Il est parti pour trois jours'), it cannot be used to describe how long a completed action lasted. For elapsed time, use 'pendant'.

  • Using 'pendant' with the present tense for ongoing actions.

    J'attends le bus pendant vingt minutes.
    J'attends le bus depuis vingt minutes.

    If you are still waiting for the bus, you must use depuis with the present tense. 'Pendant' would imply you usually wait that long (habit) or that the waiting is over.

  • Confusing 'pendant' with 'en' for completion time.

    J'ai fini mes devoirs pendant dix minutes.
    J'ai fini mes devoirs en dix minutes.

    Use 'pendant' to show how long an activity lasted. Use 'en' to show how much time it took to complete a specific task from start to finish.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

pendant + DurationLevel 2Duration with Pendant

Learn This First

To use 'pendant' to express duration, you need to be able to form a basic sentence and use numbers to quantify time. Since 'pendant' often describes how long a completed action lasted, familiarity with past tense structures like the passé composé is highly beneficial for practical usage.

Words in This Pattern