When talking about time or durations introduced by in - in two hours, in 1876,... - in French you will either use dans or en.
Dans or en with time/durations in French
Here is how to know which one to use :
En une heure = (With)in an hour
Nous avons mangé en 40 minutes.We ate in forty minutes.
Ils ont fini ce marathon en quatre heures quarante minutes. They finished that marathon in four hours and forty minutes.
Léonard de Vinci a peint la Joconde en quatre ans.Leonardo Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa in four years.
En expresses the length of time something takes to be done.
Dans une heure = In an hour
Nous mangerons dans une heure We will eat in an hour's time
Je serai là dans deux semaines.I will be there in two weeks.
Votre colis sera livré dans cinq jours.Your package will be delivered in 5 days.
Dans indicates the time until something will happen.
En 1998 / En octobre = In 1998 / In October
En 1815, Napoléon fut vaincu.In 1815, Napoleon was defeated.
En quelle année vous êtes-vous rencontrés ?In what year did you meet?
Mon fils est né en septembre.My son was born in September.
Il part toujours en vacances en juillet.He always goes on holiday [US: vacation] in July.
En is used with years and months.
You will never say : dans 1998 / dans octobre
See also how to pronounce years in French : Expressing dates in French
See also À + [heure] = At + [time] in French
and After/before versus in front of/behind (French Prepositions of Time and Place)
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