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Temps or fois? Nine French questions about how long and how often

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Choose temps for duration and fois for repeated occasions. Nine questions distinguish how long, how often and at what time, with clear explanations.

In short

Use temps for time available or duration: J’ai le temps, Combien de temps ? Use fois to count occasions: une fois, deux fois par semaine. For clock time, ask À quelle heure ?

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

A small group of adult learners gathers around a table for a French class.
The class gives combien de temps dure le cours ? a setting. Illustration: Atelier
Study first: three different answers
You want to knowQuestionAnswer
Duration: how long?Combien de temps dure le cours ?Une heure.
Frequency: how often?Combien de fois par semaine as-tu cours ?Deux fois.
Clock time: when?À quelle heure commence le cours ?À dix-huit heures.
Available timeTu as le temps de venir ?Oui, j’ai le temps.

Temps is masculine: le temps, beaucoup de temps. Fois is feminine: une fois, la première fois, cette fois. Both words keep their final s in the singular. One activity can take thirty minutes, happen three times a week and start at six: three separate pieces of information.

What is the difference between temps and fois?

Le cours de français
  1. Léa

    Tu as cours combien de fois par semaine ?

    How many times a week do you have class?

  2. Sam

    Deux fois, le mardi et le jeudi.

    Twice, on Tuesday and Thursday.

  3. Léa

    Et chaque cours dure combien de temps ?

    And how long does each class last?

  4. Sam

    Une heure. Le mardi, on commence à dix-huit heures.

    One hour. On Tuesdays, we start at six pm.

For a particular occasion, use cette fois (“this time”) or la dernière fois (“last time”). For time as something you have or need, keep temps: Il me faut plus de temps means “I need more time”.

  1. Question 1No account needed
    Complete “twice a week”.Je vais à la piscine ___.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    deux fois par semaine. Deux fois counts occasions. Deux heures would measure duration.

  2. Question 2No account needed
    Ask how long the journey takes.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    Combien de temps dure le trajet ?. Combien de temps asks for a duration such as forty minutes.

  3. Question 3No account needed
    You have called three times. Complete the sentence.J’ai appelé trois ___.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    fois. Trois fois counts three separate calls.

  4. Question 4No account needed
    Choose the phrase for available time.Tu as ___ de relire mon message ?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    le temps. Avoir le temps de means having enough time to do something.

  5. Question 5No account needed
    The answer is à quinze heures. Which question fits?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    À quelle heure pars-tu ?. À quelle heure asks for the clock time of departure.

  6. Question 6No account needed
    Choose the correct agreement.C’est la ___ fois que je viens ici.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    première. Fois is feminine singular, so the adjective is première.

  7. Question 7No account needed
    What does pendant vingt minutes tell you here?Je lis pendant vingt minutes chaque soir.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    How long I read.. Pendant vingt minutes gives the duration of the activity.

  8. Question 8No account needed
    Complete “one more time”.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    Encore une fois.. Encore une fois asks for one more repetition, rather than another hour.

  9. Question 9No account needed
    Choose the noun for time spent on a task.Préparer cet exposé prend du ___.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    temps. The expression is prendre du temps: to take time.

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