FlexiLingoIn one line
Three time conjunctions take the subjunctive —
avant que·jusqu'à ce que·en attendant que— the rest take the indicative, and in the future they usually need a future tense.
The forms on this page
| Form | Means | Sound |
|---|---|---|
quand | when — and in a question it means “at what time” | /kɑ̃/ |
pendant que | while — two things at once | /pɑ̃.dɑ̃ kə/ |
dès que | as soon as | /dɛ kə/ |
The table
| Conjunction | Meaning | Mood | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
quand | when | indicative | /kɑ̃/ |
lorsque | when (formal) | indicative | /lɔʁs.kə/ |
pendant que | while | indicative | /pɑ̃.dɑ̃ kə/ |
tandis que | while (contrast) | indicative | /tɑ̃.di kə/ |
alors que | while | indicative | /a.lɔʁ kə/ |
dès que | as soon as | indicative | /dɛ kə/ |
aussitôt que | as soon as | indicative | /o.si.to kə/ |
une fois que | once | indicative | /yn fwa kə/ |
depuis que | since | indicative | /də.pɥi kə/ |
après que | after | indicative | /a.pʁɛ kə/ |
avant que | before | subjunctive | /a.vɑ̃ kə/ |
jusqu'à ce que | until | subjunctive | /ʒys.ka sə kə/ |
en attendant que | until, while waiting for | subjunctive | /ɑ̃.n‿a.tɑ̃.dɑ̃ kə/ |
The logic is clear: what comes before something has not happened yet → subjunctive. What comes after it has happened → indicative.
In the future — the important rule
After quand, dès que, lorsque and une fois que, French uses a future tense — not a present:
| ❌ | ✅ |
|---|---|
Quand tu arrives, appelle-moi. (about the future) | Quand tu arriveras, appelle-moi. |
Dès qu'il vient, on part. | Dès qu'il viendra, on partira. |
And if the first action must be complete before the second, use the future perfect:
Quand j'aurai fini, je partirai.
English has the opposite rule and applies it automatically. "When you arrive, call me" — a present tense for a future event, and "when you will arrive" is simply wrong English. French requires the future in both halves.
So this is not a gap in your knowledge but an active habit to override. Every time you write
quandabout the future, check that the verb after it is in a future tense.
In the past — choosing between tenses
| Structure | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
Quand je suis arrivé, il est parti. | I arrived, then he left | /kɑ̃ ʒə sɥi.z‿a.ʁi.ve il ɛ paʁ.ti/ |
Quand je suis arrivé, il partait. | I arrived, he was leaving | /kɑ̃ ʒə sɥi a.ʁi.ve il paʁ.tɛ/ |
Quand je suis arrivé, il était parti. | I arrived, he had already left | /kɑ̃ ʒə sɥi.z‿a.ʁi.ve il e.tɛ paʁ.ti/ |
Pendant que je travaillais, il dormait. | both ongoing | /pɑ̃.dɑ̃ kə ʒə tʁa.va.jɛ il dɔʁ.mɛ/ |
The choice between passé composé and imperfect is detailed in pc-vs-imparfait.
English makes the same three distinctions with the same three tenses — "he left", "he was leaving", "he had left" — so this section transfers directly.
avant que — and its simpler form
| Two subjects | One subject | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
Avant que tu partes | Avant de partir | /a.vɑ̃ kə ty paʁt/ |
Avant qu'il arrive | — | /a.vɑ̃ kil a.ʁiv/ |
If the subject is the same,
avant de+ infinitive is simpler and better:❌
Avant que je parte, je mange.✅Avant de partir, je mange.
The same for après:
| Two subjects | One subject |
|---|---|
Après qu'il est parti | Après avoir mangé — past infinitive |
The detail is in infinitif-passe.
depuis que — and its present tense
Like depuis, if the situation is still going on, the present tense is used:
| Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
Depuis que j'habite ici, je suis heureux. | both present | /də.pɥi kə ʒa.bi.t‿i.si ʒə sɥi.z‿ø.ʁø/ |
Depuis qu'il est parti, elle pleure. | the leaving is over, the crying continues | /də.pɥi kil ɛ paʁ.ti ɛl plœʁ/ |
English uses a perfect here — "since I have been living here" — while French uses the present. This is the same pattern as
depuiswith a duration.
pendant que versus tandis que
| Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
Pendant que je travaillais, il dormait. | simultaneity — neutral | /pɑ̃.dɑ̃ kə ʒə tʁa.va.jɛ il dɔʁ.mɛ/ |
Tandis que je travaillais, il dormait. | contrast — with an implied reproach | /tɑ̃.di kə ʒə tʁa.va.jɛ il dɔʁ.mɛ/ |
alors que also carries contrast. See opposition-concession.
English "while" and "whereas" split the same way — "while I worked" is neutral, "whereas I worked" is contrastive.
Examples
| English | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| When you arrive, call me. | Quand tu arriveras, appelle-moi. | /kɑ̃ ty a.ʁi.və.ʁa a.pɛl mwa/ |
| When I've finished, I'll go. | Quand j'aurai fini, je partirai. | /kɑ̃ ʒo.ʁe fi.ni ʒə paʁ.ti.ʁe/ |
| While I was working, he slept. | Pendant que je travaillais, il dormait. | /pɑ̃.dɑ̃ kə ʒə tʁa.va.jɛ il dɔʁ.mɛ/ |
| As soon as he arrived, we left. | Dès qu'il est arrivé, on est partis. | /dɛ ki.l‿ɛ.t‿a.ʁi.ve ɔ̃.n‿ɛ paʁ.ti/ |
| Before you go, let's talk. | Avant que tu partes, parlons. | /a.vɑ̃ kə ty paʁt paʁ.lɔ̃/ |
| Before leaving, I ate. | Avant de partir, j'ai mangé. | /a.vɑ̃ də paʁ.tiʁ ʒe mɑ̃.ʒe/ |
| After he left, I slept. | Après qu'il est parti, j'ai dormi. | /a.pʁɛ ki.l‿ɛ paʁ.ti ʒe dɔʁ.mi/ |
| I'll wait until you come. | J'attends jusqu'à ce que tu viennes. | /ʒa.tɑ̃ ʒys.ka sə kə ty vjɛn/ |
| Since I've lived here I've been happy. | Depuis que j'habite ici, je suis heureux. | /də.pɥi kə ʒa.bit i.si ʒə sɥi.z‿ø.ʁø/ |
| When I arrived, he had left. | Quand je suis arrivé, il était parti. | /kɑ̃ ʒə sɥi.z‿a.ʁi.ve il e.tɛ paʁ.ti/ |
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ | Why |
|---|---|---|
Quand tu arrives, appelle. (future) | Quand tu arriveras… | French requires the future |
Avant que tu pars | Avant que tu partes | avant que takes the subjunctive |
Après qu'il soit parti | Après qu'il est parti | après que takes the indicative |
Avant que je parte, je mange. | Avant de partir… | One subject → infinitive |
Jusqu'à ce que tu viens | … tu viennes | Subjunctive |
Quand j'ai fini, je partirai. | Quand j'aurai fini… | Both actions are in the future |
Why après que takes the indicative and everybody gets it wrong
a rule French speakers themselves do not follow
The rule is clear: après que refers to something that has happened, so it is a fact, so it takes the indicative.
But in modern speech most French speakers use the subjunctive: après qu'il soit parti.
The reason is analogy with avant que. The mind sees the two as a pair and expects them to behave alike.
The Académie still holds the indicative to be correct and that is what formal exams expect. But the rule is shifting and the subjunctive may become standard within a generation.
The practical advice for an exam: write après que + indicative. And if you are unsure, rewrite the sentence with après + past infinitive:
Après avoir mangé, je suis parti.
That version is correct, more formal and carries no risk at all — the subject is the same, so the mood question never arises. English speakers will find this rewrite easy, because "after eating, I left" is already the natural English shape.
The same trick works for avant que: use Avant de partir instead of avant que je parte.