Time — AQA GCSE French
Test yourself on Time with AQA GCSE practice questions.
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Time explained
The preposition depuis (since/for) is used with the imperfect tense to describe an action that had been going on for a certain amount of time in the past when another past action interrupted it or occurred.
Read the full explanation
In English, this is usually translated using the past perfect continuous ("had been doing"). For example, Je jouais au foot depuis deux heures quand il a commencé à pleuvoir translates to "I had been playing football for two hours when it started to rain." The action of playing was ongoing in the past (imperfect tense) until the rain started. Understanding this structure is crucial for accurately sequencing past events in reading and listening comprehension.
Your focus
- Recognise the use of depuis with the imperfect tense in written and spoken French.
- Translate sentences containing depuis and the imperfect tense accurately into English.
- Differentiate between actions that are still ongoing (present + depuis) and those that were ongoing in the past (imperfect + depuis).
Time exam tips
Marking Points
- Identify the imperfect tense used in conjunction with depuis.
- Translate the structure accurately into English using "had been" + "-ing" or "had" + past participle.
- Distinguish between depuis with the present tense (ongoing now) and depuis with the imperfect tense (ongoing in the past).
- Recognise the time phrase following depuis as indicating the duration or starting point of the past action.
Examiner Tips
- 💡When translating a sentence with depuis and an imperfect verb into English, use "had been [verb]-ing" to capture the correct meaning.
- 💡Look for a second verb in the perfect tense within the same sentence, as it often indicates the interrupting action.
- 💡Pay close attention to verb endings to determine if the tense is present or imperfect, as this completely changes the time frame of the depuis phrase.
Common Mistakes
- Mistake: Translating depuis + imperfect as a simple past action (e.g., "I played for two hours"). Correction: Translate it as an action that was ongoing up to a point in the past (e.g., "I had been playing for two hours").
- Mistake: Confusing the use of depuis + present tense with depuis + imperfect tense. Correction: Check the tense of the verb; if it is imperfect, the action was ongoing in the past but is now finished.
- Mistake: Using the pluperfect tense in French instead of the imperfect with depuis (e.g., J'avais joué depuis...). Correction: Use the imperfect tense with depuis to express "had been doing" (e.g., Je jouais depuis...).