You have already seen that in affirmative sentences with depuis (= I have done this since/for + [date/duration]), you must use Présent indicatif in French, unlike the English Present Perfect.
See lesson Using 'depuis' (since / for) with Le Présent and NOT Le Passé Composé (prepositions of time)
But things change when it comes to negative statements (ne...pas) with depuis.
Indeed, in such cases, you will actually use Passé composé in French, as such:
Elle n'est pas allée au cinéma depuis 1998.
She hasn't gone to the cinema since 1998.
Elle ne t'a pas vu depuis trois mois.
She hasn't seen you for three months.
Je n'ai pas fumé depuis novembre dernier.
I haven't smoked since last November.
Tu n'as pas bu d'alcool depuis cinq ans.
You haven't drunk alcohol for five years.
Here we use Passé composé because the use of the negation ne ... pas insists on the fact that the action stopped happening at the specific time mentioned (since/for) in the past.
If we used Présent indicatif here, it would make it sound like the action "keeps on stopping" during the given length of time.
To say that a (recurring) action in the past has now stopped happening with depuis, you can also use Présent indicatif with ne ... plus (not any more) instead of ne ... pas:
Special case of depuis longtemps = not long vs not in a long time
Je ne vis pas en France depuis longtemps.
I haven't been living in France for long.
Je n'ai pas vécu en France depuis longtemps.
I haven't lived in France in a long time.
Il ne m'a pas parlé depuis longtemps.
He hasn't spoken to me in a long time.
Nous n'habitons pas ici depuis très longtemps.
We haven't lived here very long.
OR
Ne...plus + Présent indicatif + depuis longtemps
= not for a long time / not in ages
-> It's over and done in the past
ATTENTION:
-> It started a short while ago, and is still ongoing
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Elle ne t'a pas vu depuis trois mois.
She hasn't seen you for three months.
Martin n'est pas arrivé depuis longtemps.
Martin hasn't been here long.
Je n'ai pas vécu en France depuis longtemps.
I haven't lived in France in a long time.
Tu n'as pas bu d'alcool depuis cinq ans.
You haven't drunk alcohol for five years.
Tu ne bois plus d'alcool depuis cinq ans.
You haven't drunk alcohol for five years.
Tu n'es pas allé en Australie depuis quelques années.
You haven't been to Australia for a few years.
Il ne m'a pas parlé depuis longtemps.
He hasn't spoken to me in a long time.
Elle n'est pas allée au cinéma depuis 1998.
She hasn't gone to the cinema since 1998.
Nous n'habitons pas ici depuis très longtemps.
We haven't lived here very long.
Je ne vis pas en France depuis longtemps.
I haven't been living in France for long.
Je n'ai pas fumé depuis novembre dernier.
I haven't smoked since last November.
Je ne fume plus depuis 1998.
I haven't smoked since 1998.
Q&A
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
26/08/18
Hi Lewis,
I will try and explain further but I can understand your confusion ...
I am not sure what test you are referring to, but have a look at the following examples:
Je n'ai pas mangé depuis trois jours. = I have not eaten for three days. (meaning it is likely to change today)
Je ne mange pas depuis trois jours... = I have not eaten for three days...(meaning it is likely to carry on today and it is maybe worrying you
On ne se parle pas depuis longtemps. = we have not spoken for ages . (sounds like you won't do it again, maybe you have had a fall out )
On ne s'est pas parlé depuis longtemps. = We have not spoken in ages. (meaning you need to have a catch-up soon)
Hope this helps!
SA
Kwiziq community member
7/09/18
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
8/09/18
Chris
Kwiziq community member
17/05/18
Hi Kate,
the correct use of times with depuis can be tricky. Here are the rules in a nutshell.
If stating something that has been happening for a while and still ongoing, you use depuis with the present tense:
J'habite à Paris depuis 5 ans. -- I have been living in Paris for five years (and I still live here).
In negative sentences where the action is already past, you use the passé composé:
Je ne l'ai pas vu depuis son départ. -- I haven't seen him since his departure.
You may use the present tense if you are referring to a (frequently recurring or habitual) action which stopped in the past:
Tu ne fumes plus depuis l'été dernier. -- You don't smoke anymore since last summer.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
CrystalMaiden
Kwiziq community member
3 May 2018
3 replies
When describing past events with depuis, can you substitute Present Indicative for Imperfect?
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
3/05/18
Bonjour CrystalMaiden !
Could you give me a specific case ?
CrystalMaiden
Kwiziq community member
6/05/18
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
13/06/18
Yes, in cases where the enunciation time is in the past, you will indeed use L'Imparfait instead of Le Présent.
However, your sentence here is not quite right: you cannot use "à cette époque de sa vie", and then talk about something that started before (depuis cinq jours).
You would use either say :
Il était sans domicile depuis cinq jours.
OR
À cette époque de sa vie, il était sans domicile.
I hope that's helpful!
Bonne journée !
Michael
Kwiziq community member
24 December 2017
2 replies
Instruction manque le "Ne...pas +"
Je pense que cette instruction: "Le Passé Composé + depuis longtemps OR ne...plus + Le Présent + depuis longtemps = not for a long time / not in ages -> It's over and done in the past" manque le "Ne ... Pas + " au début.
Michael
Kwiziq community member
24/12/17
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
29/12/17
Ron
Kwiziq community member
1/10/17
If I am correctly understanding your question: «Comme je ne faisais pas de bruit depuis un moment, maman est venue voir ce qui se passait.» ---> As I was quiet for a while, mother came to see what was going on. Because you indicated that this came from a book, it appears to me that the author was writing descriptive text. Also, the quietness had been going on when the mother came to see what was happening, it had begun prior to her entering the area and was continuing up until she entered. In French this is a normal use of l'imparfait and depuis.
« the action started in the past, but is still ongoing at the time we speak.
In French, you use depuis to express an ongoing duration.»
«Note that L'Imparfait is also used for descriptions, i.e. to help visualise the setting or atmosphere in which an action took place, characters, location, time frame ...
In a similar way, L'Imparfait is also used to express opinions about the past:»
J'espère que ma réponse vous aiderait.
Bonne chance et bonne continuation dans vos études en français, la langue de Molière et qui a été utilisé par le monde français depuis l’époque d’Hugues Capet
abt
Kwiziq community member
9/10/17
Ron
Kwiziq community member
1/10/17
abt
Kwiziq community member
9/10/17
Gruff
Kwiziq language super star
17/07/17
harriet
Kwiziq community member
17/07/17
Gruff
Kwiziq language super star
19/07/17
harriet
Kwiziq community member
19/07/17
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
14/07/17
The case of "arriver" is tricky because you use "to be" in English:
Literally, the French sentence means "We haven't arrived for long", referring to the action of arriving, not being there.
Therefore, this is not an action that is still ongoing: you have stopped arriving in the past, you don't "keep" arriving.
That's why you will use Le Passé Composé here.
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
steven
Kwiziq community member
28/05/18
Hi Aurélie,
Could we also write "Nous ne sommes pas là depuis longtemps" as an alternative translation for "We haven't been here for long"? That way we omit the verb arriver altogether.
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
13/06/18
Bonjour Steven !
This is a correct alternative, though note that the "arriver" option is very colloquial and therefore worth remembering :)
Bonne journée !
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
20/12/16
Jason
Kwiziq community member
20/12/16
Kathy
Kwiziq community member
7/05/17
Marnie
Kwiziq community member
5 December 2018
0 replies
ne...pas...be...plus..,depuis longtempsOne explanation box lacks example of lesson
the box for ne...pas...depuis longtemps and "ne...plus...depuis longtemps" doesn't have any examples for the "ne...plus" part of lesson