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Words Relating To Time (50+ Temporal Phrases)

Words Relating To Time (50+ Temporal Phrases)

In this lesson you will learn several useful words for describing time in French including the present, future and past. If you’re a beginner to learning the French language focus on the “present” time words. These mainly include “now, today, this morning, this evening, tonight and right now”. When describing what you’re currently doing you’ll need to know these words.

Time words

Present Time Words

  • today aujourd’hui
  • tonight / this evening ce soir
  • now maintenant
  • right now tout de suite
  • this morning ce matin
  • this week cette semaine 
  • this afternoon cet après midi
  • this month ce mois

Words using to describe the past

  • ago il y a
  • fives days ago il y a cinq jours
  • an hour ago il y a une heure
  • one minute ago il y a une minute
  • last month le mois dernier
  • last night hier soir
  • last week la semaine dernière
  • last night hier soir
  • last year l’année dernière
  • last week la semaine dernière
  • since depuis
  • yesterday hier
  • yesterday morning hier matin
  • yesterday evening hier soir
  • yesterday afternoon hier après-midi

Words relating to the future

  • day after tomorrow après-demain
  • in dans
  • in one day dans un jour
  • in four months dans quatre mois
  • next prochain
  • next week la semaine prochaie
  • next month le mois prochain
  • next year l’année prochaine
  • tomorrow demain
  • tomorrow morning demain matin
  • tomorrow afternoon demain après-midi
  • tomorrow night demain soir
  • until jusqu’à
  • until Tuesday jusqu’à mardi
  • within one month d’ici un mois

More vocabulary

  • day le jour
  • night la nuit
  • morning le matin
  • afternoon l’après-midi
  • midday noon midi
  • midnight minuit
  • dawn l’aube
  • sunrise lever de soleil
  • sunset coucher de soleil
  • duration of the day la journée
  • dusk le crépuscule
  • day after/the next day le lendemain
  • before yesterday avant-hier
Related Lesson:

French vocabulary | Word of the day | Lessons by David Issokson

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David Issokson Founder & French Teacher at FrenchLearner.com
David Issokson is the founder of FrenchLearner.com, where he’s been helping students master French through vocabulary, grammar, and cultural lessons since 2012.

    David Issokson

    About the Author โ€“ David Issokson David Issokson is an online French teacher and the founder of FrenchLearner.com (established 2012). He has been teaching French online since 2014 and brings over 30 years of experience as a passionate French learner and fluent speaker. David creates clear, structured lessons supported by native audio recorded by Marie Assel Cambier, a professional voice artist and native French speaker. A graduate of McGill University in Montreal, he has taught hundreds of learners worldwide and publishes daily French lessons for more than 12,000 email subscribers. ๐Ÿ“˜ About David ยป ๐ŸŒ Davidโ€™s personal site ยป ๐Ÿ‘ Follow on Facebook ยป

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