During / For / While
When something happens · How long it lasts · Two things at the same time — Complete Guide
During / For / While
Quand quelque chose se passe · Combien de temps ça dure · Deux choses en même temps — Guide Complet
Learn the key differences between during (when), for (how long), and while (at the same time as) — three words that French speakers frequently confuse.
Apprenez les différences essentielles entre during (quand), for (combien de temps) et while (en même temps que) — trois mots que les francophones confondent souvent.
Three words cause persistent confusion: during, for, and while. The key questions to ask are: Is it about WHEN something happens, or HOW LONG it lasts? And: Does a noun or a subject + verb follow? During answers “when” and takes a noun. For answers “how long” and takes a time period. While means “at the same time as” and takes a subject + verb.
Trois mots posent souvent des difficultés : during, for et while. Les questions clés sont : S’agit-il de QUAND quelque chose se passe, ou COMBIEN DE TEMPS cela dure ? Et : Est-ce suivi d’un nom ou d’un sujet + verbe ? During répond à « quand » et est suivi d’un nom. For répond à « combien de temps » et est suivi d’une période. While signifie « en même temps que » et est suivi d’un sujet + verbe.
during — When Something Happens (+ Noun)
during — Quand quelque chose se passe (+ Nom)
During = at a time between the start and end of something. It tells us when something happens. It is always followed by a noun (never by subject + verb).
During = à un moment entre le début et la fin de quelque chose. Il dit quand quelque chose se passe. Il est toujours suivi d’un nom (jamais d’un sujet + verbe).
We met some really nice people during our holiday.
The ground is wet. It must have rained during the night.
Robert suddenly began to feel ill during the exam. I fell asleep during the movie. (= à un moment entre le début et la fin du film)
We met some really nice people during our holiday.
The ground is wet. It must have rained during the night.
Robert suddenly began to feel ill during the exam.
✓ It rained in the night. = ✓ It rained during the night.
✓ It’s lovely here in the summer. = ✓ It’s lovely here during the summer. Avec les mots de temps généraux (the morning, the night, the summer, etc.), on peut dire in ou during :
✓ It rained in the night. = ✓ It rained during the night.
✓ It’s lovely here in the summer. = ✓ It’s lovely here during the summer.
for vs during — How Long vs When
for vs during — Combien de Temps vs Quand
Use for + a period of time to say how long something goes on. We do not use during to say how long — never say “during two hours” or “during five years”.
Utilisez for + une période de temps pour dire combien de temps quelque chose dure. On n’utilise pas during pour dire combien de temps — on ne dit jamais « during two hours » ni « during five years ».
for = how long
for = combien de temps
during = when
during = quand
‘How long were you asleep?’ → ‘For half an hour.’ (HOW LONG = for)
✗ It rained during three days. (WRONG — cannot use during for how long)
✓ It rained for three days without stopping. (CORRECT) ‘When did you fall asleep?’ → ‘During the movie.’ (QUAND = during)
‘How long were you asleep?’ → ‘For half an hour.’ (COMBIEN DE TEMPS = for)
✗ It rained during three days. (FAUX — on n’utilise pas during pour la durée)
✓ It rained for three days without stopping. (CORRECT)
during vs while — Noun vs Subject + Verb
during vs while — Nom vs Sujet + Verbe
During is followed by a noun. While is followed by a subject + verb. Both express “at the same time as something else”.
During est suivi d’un nom. While est suivi d’un sujet + verbe. Les deux expriment « en même temps que quelque chose d’autre ».
| during + NOUN | while + SUBJECT + VERB |
|---|---|
| during + NOM | while + SUJET + VERBE |
| I fell asleep during the movie. | I fell asleep while I was watching TV. |
| We met nice people during our holiday. | We met nice people while we were on holiday. |
| Robert felt ill during the exam. | Robert felt ill while he was doing the exam. |
| We saw Clare during the interval. | We saw Clare while we were waiting. |
✓ I burnt my hand while I was cooking. = ✓ I burnt my hand while cooking.
✓ While waiting for the bus, we saw an accident. Quand le sujet des deux propositions est le même, on peut supprimer le sujet et utiliser -ing après while :
✓ I burnt my hand while I was cooking. = ✓ I burnt my hand while cooking.
✓ While waiting for the bus, we saw an accident.
while — Future Tense Rule (Use Present, Not Will)
while — Règle au Futur (Présent, pas Will)
When talking about the future, use the present tense after while. Do not use will.
Quand on parle du futur, on utilise le présent après while. On n’utilise pas will.
What are you going to do while you’re waiting? (NOT: while you’ll be waiting)
Please don’t interrupt me while I’m speaking. (NOT: while I will be speaking)
Can you look after the children while I go to the shops? (NOT: while I will go) I’m going to Moscow next week. I hope the weather will be good while I’m there. (PAS : while I will be there)
What are you going to do while you’re waiting? (PAS : while you’ll be waiting)
Please don’t interrupt me while I’m speaking. (PAS : while I will be speaking)
Can you look after the children while I go to the shops? (PAS : while I will go)
✗ I’ll call you while I’ll be on the train.
✓ I’ll call you while I’m on the train. Après while, when, before, after, as soon as, until — utilisez toujours le présent pour un sens futur :
✗ I’ll call you while I’ll be on the train.
✓ I’ll call you while I’m on the train.
Put in for or during.
Mettez for ou during.
Put in during or while.
Mettez during ou while.
Put in during, for or while.
Mettez during, for ou while.
Choose the correct form: present or will after while?
Choisissez la forme correcte : présent ou will après while ?
Frequently Asked Questions — During / For / While
Questions fréquentes — During / For / While
During answers WHEN — it says at what point something happened: “I fell asleep during the movie.” For answers HOW LONG — it says how much time something lasted: “I slept for two hours.” You can never say “during two hours” — always “for two hours”.
During répond à QUAND — il dit à quel moment quelque chose s’est passé. For répond à COMBIEN DE TEMPS — il dit quelle durée. On ne peut jamais dire « during two hours » — toujours « for two hours ».
Both mean “at the same time as”, but they take different structures. During is followed by a noun: “during the holiday”. While is followed by a subject + verb: “while we were on holiday”. Same meaning, different grammar. ✓ “I fell asleep during the film.” = ✓ “I fell asleep while I was watching the film.”
Les deux signifient « en même temps que », mais ils ont des structures différentes. During est suivi d’un nom : « during the holiday ». While est suivi d’un sujet + verbe : « while we were on holiday ». Même sens, grammaire différente.
In English, after time conjunctions like while, when, before, after, until, as soon as, you always use the present tense for future meaning — never will. ✗ “I’ll call you while I’ll be on the train.” ✓ “I’ll call you while I’m on the train.”
En anglais, après les conjonctions de temps comme while, when, before, after, until, as soon as, on utilise toujours le présent pour un sens futur — jamais will. ✗ « I’ll call you while I’ll be on the train. » ✓ « I’ll call you while I’m on the train. »
Yes, with general time expressions like the morning, the night, the summer, both in and during are correct and interchangeable: ✓ “It rained in the night.” = ✓ “It rained during the night.”
Oui, avec des expressions de temps générales comme the morning, the night, the summer, in et during sont corrects et interchangeables.
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