Published July 6, 2024 • Updated July 18, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Pendant — Meaning and Pronunciation
Pendant is a French preposition meaning “during” or “for.” It is used to show when an action happens or how long it lasts. For example, pendant les vacances (during vacation), pendant trois ans (for three years) and pendant que (while).
The IPA pronunciation of pendant is /pɑ̃.dɑ̃/, which sounds approximately like “pahn-dahn.”
Example Sentences
Est-ce que tu t’es amusé pendant les vacances ?
Did you have fun during vacation?
J’ai étudié le chinois pendant trois ans avant d’aller à Taïwan.
I studied Chinese for three years before going to Taiwan.
Elle a grandi en France pendant les années quatre-vingts.
She grew up in France during the eighties
Je prépare le dessert pendant que tu prépares les hors-d’œuvre.
I’m preparing the dessert while you’re preparing the appetizers.
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⚠️ Pendant vs. pour
In French, to say “I studied for three hours”, you must say J’ai étudié pendant trois heures and not J’ai étudié pour trois heures. Unlike English “for,” pour is not used for the actual duration of a completed action; use pendant instead.
👉 See also: Complete pour lesson »
Related words and expressions
- lors de — during, at the time of
- pour — for, when referring to a planned duration
- depuis — since, for an action still continuing
- en — in, within a certain amount of time
- durant — during, for
- au cours de — during, over the course of
- tout au long de — throughout
- entre-temps — meanwhile, in the meantime
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