Depuis que + verb = (ever) since + verb

No! I don't think so.

Depuis que as I understand it makes reference to a time earlier which is continuing now.

I understand that "depuis" is used with the present tense.

It would be nice to have an expert comment though.

Hope that helps.

Alan

Not an expert, but depuis can be used with other tenses as well:

Elle ne m'a pas téléphoné depuis quelques jours. -- She hasn't called me since several days. 

There's even a lesson on kwiziq: Using Le Passé Composé or Le Présent in negative sentences with ''depuis''

Just to expand upon my previous answer:-

With depuis or depuis que the present is used to express the action starting in the past but still continuing in the present. Hence the text "Depuis il est petit" etc etc. In English we say "Since he was small  ..... because we are referring to the earlier status. but the French expresses this as "Depuis il est petit" ......

Best wishes,

Alan

Hi Hugh,

this is a tough question for English speakers. I'll give it a shot.

In the first sentence you are still wearing glasses presently, so it is present tense.

In the second example, we still now each other today, so it is present tense.

In the third example, her life changed at a certain instant in time which lies in the past. Therefore the passé composé.

I hope that helps, -- Chris (not a native speaker).

Hi Hugh,

You will have learnt that depuis .... is followed by the present tense. e.g.

J'habite Paris depuis deux ans = I have lived in Paris for two years 

Je connais Pierre depuis vingt ans = I have known Pierre for twenty years

et ça continue ...(and it is carrying on).

That is why in French you will use the present tense and not the perfect .

(You will hear foreigners making the same mistake in reverse: I live in since two years )

The first example is a continuous action,  the person has been wearing glasses since the age of four.

In the following sentences the action is finished: They now know it and their life has changed.

That is why I feel, the past tense has to be used.

Hope this helps!

Oops! See above. H.

I tried to answer this question in your later post.

Hi Barbara,

yes, in fact, it can. Here is an example of a nice French idiom:

Depuis que les poules ont des dents. -- Literally: since hen have teeth. In English one would say, "since pigs can fly".

You use the indicative present tense when the action is still ongoing at the moment. In the example above it is implied that hen still have teeth now. You use the passé composé if the action is something that's a thing of the past, like in the following example.

Nous le savons depuis que tu nous l'as dit. -- We know it since you told us.

The action of telling us happened in the past and is not presently ongoing. This asks for the passé composé.

Greetings, -- Chris.

Interestingly one of the examples is actually not in the passé composé, even though the translation is in the past tense. Maybe the phrase "j'ai X ans" is an exception?

Depuis que j'ai quatre ans, je porte des lunettes.

Ever since I was four, I've been wearing glasses.

Ah - I see Aurélie has already explained this in the answers to previous questions.

Hi Jaqui,

I agree that this lesson still lacks an explanation since it only gives three examples with no rule or explanation.

You may want to look here: http://patenotte.name/Aix/Ecriture/Feuilles_aides_pedagogiques/depuis_pendant_il_y_a.htm
I found this page very helpful for this topic.

-- Chris (not a native speaker).

Bonjour Jose, Here is a lesson Laura has written that speaks to this subject: https://www.thoughtco.com/does-des-que-need-subjunctive-1369144 Also, here is another lesson on the same subject from a different source: https://www.francaisfacile.com/exercices/exercice-francais-2/exercice-francais-73036.php At times when I become stuck on a topic, I will use a different site reference that can provide a different perspective on the topic. I find that usually provides an explanation that compliments this site. 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 Ron (also a non-native speaker)

Thanks!

Bonjour Géraldine, Je mange beaucoup de poissons depuis quand j’étais jeune I eat a lot of fish since the time I was young. This would use l'imparfait; however, the sense of the phrase changes somewhat. Bonne chance,

Hi Geraldine, 

You would probably say,

"Je mange beaucoup de poisson depuis ma jeunesse..."

Bonjour Danielle, La leçon m'a l'air de dire oui à votre question. Voir l'example au-dessous: Depuis que je t'ai rencontré, ma vie a complètement changé. Et from le Collins-Robert: «since --> You use since when you are mentioning a time or event in the past and indicating that a situation has continued from then until now .» J'espère que cela vous aidera. Ron

Merci Rob! So 'depuis que je te connais' could be translated as 'since I have known you...' eg. since I have known you, my life has been happier' Depuis que je te connais, ma vie a été (or, est?) plus heureuse...?

Bonjour Danielle ! The answer is yes, you can use Le Présent after "depuis que" when referring to an action that is still ongoing in the present. When you say "depuis que je te connais", the action of *knowing you* is still valid in the present, hence the use of Le Présent. By contrast, in the example Ron quoted "Depuis que je t'ai rencontré", the action of *meeting you* is completely in the past, finished, hence the use of Le Passé Composé. See also: Using 'depuis' (since / for) with Le Présent and NOT Le Passé Composé (prepositions of time) I hope that's helpful! À bientôt !

Strictly speaking: depuis quand = since when; depuis combien de temps = how long. However, in everyday speech, it would not be uncommon to hear the following dialog: — Depuis quand es-tu au chômage ? — Oh, ça doit faire deux mois.

Bonjour Richard ! As Ron said, "depuis quand" means "since when" (specific starting time), whereas "depuis combien de temps" would be "For how long" (duration). Bonne journée !

Bonjour Yellamaraju ! Yes, you could also say "We've known IT since you told us", although it's less colloquial in English :) À bientôt !

Merci beaucoup, Aurélie