can pendant be used for duration in the past using imparfait eg J'etudiais le francais pendant 2 ans

LA0Kwiziq community member

can pendant be used for duration in the past using imparfait eg J'etudiais le francais pendant 2 ans

This question relates to:French lesson "Using the present tense (Le Présent) - and not the compound past (Le Passé Composé) - in sentences with "depuis" (since/for) in French (French Prepositions of Time)"

Asked 5 years ago

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CécileKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Hi L,

No, you cannot say, 'J'étudiais le français pendant deux ans.' as it lasted two years in now finished, the only possibility is-

'J'ai étudié le français pendant deux ans.'

Like15 years ago

ChrisC1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Pendant, in this context, refers to a well defined period in the past. Therefore I would say:

J'ai étudié le français pendant deux ans.

I don't think there is a rule forbidding the use of imparfait in conjunction with pendant. It's just that in this example, I would use the passé composé.

The opinion of a native speaker would be greatly appreciated, though.

Like05 years ago

JoanA1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Can we use l'imparfait with pendant?

Like04 years ago

L asked:View original

can pendant be used for duration in the past using imparfait eg J'etudiais le francais pendant 2 ans

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« une fois deux / un multiplié par deux il y a une semaine, j'ai vu un film. Is this the typical way of saying this. In English, we would typically reverse the order-I saw a film a week ago »

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