4.2 Prepositions of Time, Duration & Spatial Relations

4.2 Prepositions of Time, Duration & Spatial Relations

Temporal and spatial prepositions require rigorous aspectual precision on the CLEP French Language exam. English speakers frequently falter when translating time expressions because English uses the single preposition for across multiple distinct temporal contexts. In French, duration, completion, scheduled future intervals, and ongoing past actions are grammatically segregated into specific lexical markers—depuis, pendant, pour, en, and dans—each mandating strict correlation with verbal tenses. Similarly, spatial prepositions govern precise topological coordinates and mandatory article contractions.

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1. The Temporal System: Duration, Inception & Future Intervals

Selecting the correct French temporal preposition depends entirely on two grammatical criteria: aspectual boundedness (is the action finished or continuing?) and temporal orientation (is the timeframe past, future, or a measurement of required effort?).

                                ┌─── Action started in past, continuing now ────► DEPUIS (+ Present Tense)
                                │
                                ├─── Completed, bounded duration ───────────────► PENDANT (+ Passé Composé)
Temporal Duration & Intervals ──┼─── Time needed to complete an action ──────────► EN (+ Elapsed Time)
                                │
                                ├─── Delay before future action starts ─────────► DANS (+ Future Time)
                                │
                                └─── Intended future duration / project ────────► POUR (+ Projected Duration)

Detailed Analysis of French Temporal Prepositions

A. Depuis: Ongoing Actions Initiated in the Past

Depuis denotes an action that began in the past and is still actively taking place in the present moment.

• Mandatory Tense: Unlike English, which requires the compound present perfect (have lived / have been living), French strictly demands the simple present tense (présent de l'indicatif):
  • Je vis dans cette ville depuis trois ans. (I have been living in this city for three years).
  • Elle travaille à la banque depuis six mois. (She has been working at the bank for six months).
• Past-in-Past (Imparfait): When the reference point is set in the past, an action that was ongoing prior to that moment requires the imparfait:
  • J'attendais depuis une heure quand le train est enfin arrivé. (I had been waiting for an hour when the train finally arrived).
• Negated Sentences with Passé Composé: When expressing that an event has not occurred over a duration of time, depuis can accompany the passé composé:
  • Je ne l'ai pas vu depuis trois semaines. (I haven't seen him for three weeks).
• Syntactic Equivalents: The CLEP often tests periphrastic idioms equivalent to depuis:
  • Il y a trois ans que j'habite ici.
  • Ça fait trois ans que j'habite ici.
  • Voilà trois ans que j'habite ici.

B. Pendant: Completed, Bounded Duration

Pendant designates a duration of time that has a definitive beginning and end. The action is completely finished and does not continue into the present moment.

• Mandatory Tense: Typically pairs with the passé composé:
  • J'ai dormi pendant huit heures. (I slept for eight hours — I am awake now).
  • Elle a habité à Lyon pendant deux ans. (She lived in Lyon for two years — she no longer lives there).
• Habitual or Future Complete Blocks: Pendant can also be used in the present to indicate repeated habitual duration, or in the future for an entire closed timeframe:
  • Il s'entraîne pendant deux heures chaque matin. (He trains for two hours every morning).
  • Nous voyagerons pendant tout le mois de juillet. (We will travel for the entire month of July).
• Exam Note: In informal French, pendant is often omitted (J'ai dormi huit heures), but on the CLEP it is explicitly tested against depuis and pour.

C. Pour: Intended Future Duration

Pour is restricted to intended, planned, or scheduled future duration, primarily following verbs of motion, departure, reservation, or future planning (partir, aller, venir, louer, s'engager):

• Il part pour le Japon pour deux semaines. (He is leaving for Japan for two weeks).
• Nous avons loué un appartement pour tout l'été. (We rented an apartment for the entire summer).
• Elle est engagée pour un contrat de six mois. (She is hired for a six-month contract).

[!CAUTION] The Classic CLEP Anglicism Trap: In English, speakers say I lived in Paris for five years. Translating this as J'ai vécu à Paris pour cinq ans is strictly ungrammatical in French. Because the action is completed and located in the past, French mandates pendant cinq ans. Never use pour for past duration.

D. En: Time Required to Complete an Action

En expresses the amount of elapsed time needed to accomplish or finish a specific action ("in", "within", or "it took [time] to"):

• Elle a lu ce roman volumineux en deux heures. (It took her two hours to finish reading the novel).
• Le champion peut courir le cent mètres en dix secondes. (The champion can run the hundred meters in ten seconds).
• Contrast:
  • Elle a peint pendant deux heures. (She engaged in the activity of painting for two hours; no completion implied).
  • Elle a peint le tableau en deux heures. (She completed the entire painting within two hours).

E. Dans: Time Before an Action Begins

Dans indicates the temporal interval remaining before a future action will commence ("in [amount of time] from now"):

• Le train partira dans dix minutes. (The train will depart ten minutes from now).
• Nous passerons l'examen dans deux semaines. (We will take the exam in two weeks).
• Compare: Il finira l'examen en une heure (it will take him one hour to write) vs. L'examen commencera dans une heure (the exam starts one hour from now).

F. Dès and Jusqu'à: Inception and Terminal Boundary

• Dès: Denotes the immediate point of inception ("as early as", "from the very moment of"):
  • Les paysans étaient au travail dès l'aube. (As early as dawn).
  • Il a protesté dès son arrivée. (From the moment he arrived).
  • Correlates with the temporal conjunction dès que + indicative (dès qu'il arrivera).
• Jusqu'à: Denotes the terminal end point ("until", "up to") and contracts with definite articles:
  • La bibliothèque reste ouverte jusqu'à 22 heures. (Until 10 PM).
  • Il a attendu jusqu'au matin. (jusqu'à + le matin = jusqu'au).
  • Nous marcherons jusqu'aux remparts. (jusqu'à + les remparts = jusqu'aux).

Master Comparison: Temporal Prepositions

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2. Spatial Prepositions and Relative Locative Locutions

Spatial prepositions in French specify topological position, orientation, trajectory, and geographic proximity. They are categorized into simple prepositions and compound locutions (locutions prépositives).

A. Core Spatial Prepositions

• Chez: Expresses presence at or movement to the home, office, or professional establishment of an animate being:
  • Je vais chez le dentiste. (At the dentist's office).
  • Nous restons chez nous ce soir. (At our home / house).
  • Cultural/Intellectual extension: Le tragique chez Racine (In the works of Racine); Une coutume chez les Bretons (Among the Bretons).
• Vers: Indicates physical direction toward an objective, or temporal approximation:
  • L'enfant court vers sa mère. (Toward his mother).
  • Nous arriverons vers dix-huit heures. (Around / toward 6:00 PM).
• À travers: Indicates movement through the expanse of an open or permeable space:
  • Ils marchaient à travers la forêt. (Through the forest).
  • La lumière passe à travers les rideaux. (Through the curtains).
• Par: Indicates transit through a specific aperture, passage, or conduit:
  • Le cambrioleur est entré par la fenêtre. (Through the window).
  • Passer par la douane. (Through customs).
• Sur vs. Au-dessus de and Sous vs. Au-dessous de:
  • Sur: Physical contact on a surface (Le livre est sur la table).
  • Au-dessus de: Overhead, superior position without physical contact (L'avion vole au-dessus de la ville).
  • Sous: Direct position underneath, often covered (Le chat est sous le lit).
  • Au-dessous de: Lower level without direct contact (La température est au-dessous de zéro).

B. Compound Locutions of Proximity & Mandatory Contractions

Most compound locutions of relative position incorporate the preposition de. On the CLEP, you must systematically apply contraction rules when de encounters a definite article:

• de + le = du
• de + les = des
• de + la = de la (no contraction)
• de + l' = de l' (elision before vowel/mute h)

Spatial Preposition Diagnostic Matrix

                                  ┌─── Physical contact on surface ─────────────► SUR la table
                    ┌─── Above ───┤
                    │             └─── Suspended overhead (no contact) ────────► AU-DESSUS DE la ville
Spatial Orientation ┤
                    │             ┌─── Directly underneath / covered ──────────► SOUS le lit
                    └─── Below ───┤
                                  └─── Inferior level / altitude (no contact) ──► AU-DESSOUS DE zéro

[!IMPORTANT] Diagnostic Check for Exam Day: When encountering spatial questions, ask:

1. Is the destination a human being or professional? → Use chez (chez l'artisan).
2. Is the locution compound with de? → Verify whether the following noun is masculine (du) or plural (des).
3. Does motion penetrate an aperture (par) or traverse a physical expanse (à travers)?