French Grammar Explained /
For 2 years / it's been 2 years / it's been 2 years that...
You remember the little word depuis, right?
Je le connais depuis peu.
Nice sentence!
J'habite à Paris depuis trois mois.
I've been living in Paris for three months.
For that sentence you can also say:
Il y a trois mois que j'habite à Paris.
I've been living in Paris for three months.
Ça fait trois mois que j'habite à Paris.
I've been living in Paris for three months.
Pay attention to the tenses!
When using il y a... que and ça fait... que in the sense of since/for:
use PRESENT TENSE ⇒ "j'habite"
This overview can help you better understand:
since/for | Depuis → Je vis en Belgique depuis 6 mois. → I have been living in Belgium for 6 months. Il y a ... que → Il y a 6 mois que je ne vis plus en France. → It's been 6 months since I lived in France. (I don't live there anymore) Ça fait ... que → Ça fait 6 mois que je ne vis plus en France. → It's been 6 months since I lived in France. | + present tense |
ago | Il y a → Il y a 2 ans, je vivais en France. → I used to live in France 2 years ago. Ça fait ... que → Ça fait 2 ans que j'ai déménagé. → I moved two years ago. | + past tense |
If this seems like a lot to you, here is a list of questions you can answer using these different constructions.
Tip: Try to provide different types of answers for each question.
- Depuis combien de temps vis-tu dans ta ville ?
(How long have you lived in your town?)
- Quand as-tu commencé à étudier le français ?
(When did you start studying French?)
- Quand as-tu fini l'école ?
(When did you finish school?)