French word of the week: temps

French learners, are you ready for yet another word of the week? Today we’re studying the word temps. Before we get into the details, listen to the audio clip below to hear how to pronounce temps:

When it comes to translating this noun, there are a few distinct meanings – but that’s what makes it interesting! Its main translation is time, but it also means weather and tense (in a grammatical sense, not in the sense of feeling tension).

Temps is a masculine noun, which means if a definite or indefinite article comes beforehand, the article will be le (les if plural) or un. If you want to remind yourself about how noun genders work, check out our Easy Learning French Grammar pages on definite articles, indefinite articles and noun genders.

Let’s look at some examples of temps in use:

de temps en temps from time to time

en même temps at the same time

C’est trop difficile d’étudier et regarder la télévision en même temps. It’s too difficult to study and watch TV at the same time.

emploi du temps schedule; timetable

en temps de guerre during wartime ; in wartime

dans le temps back in the day; in the old days

en ce temps-là… at that time… ; in those days…

avoir du temps to have time

Qu’est-ce que tu fais pendant ton temps libre ? What do you do in your free time?

Je n’ai pas encore fini. Laisse-moi le temps s’il te plaît. I haven’t finished yet. Give me some time please.

Elle n’a aucune idée combien de temps elle passait à la bibliothèque. She has no idea how long she used to spend in the library.

il est temps de … it’s time to…

Il est temps de partir, on va arriver en retard ! It’s time to leave, we’re going to be late!

à plein temps full-time

Abdul et Alexandre travaillent à plein temps dans le bar. Abdul and Alexandre work full-time in the bar.

Quel temps fera-t-il demain ? What will the weather be like tomorrow?

Something you might have noticed, which can feel a little confusing at first, is that temps looks like a plural because it ends with an ‘s’. Despite this, temps does not have a different spelling for its plural form. You’ll mostly use it as a singular noun in any case, like in our examples above.

But when it is used in the plural, the spelling of temps does not change:

Les temps sont durs. Times are hard.

de tous les temps of all time; all-time

Voilà la meilleure chanson de tous les temps pour moi. This is my favourite song of all time.

sortir par tous les temps to be out in all weather / weathers

As this word appears in so many expressions and phrases in everyday French, it’s really worth taking your time to learn and understand it. We hope to see you again next week for another word!

Written by Holly Tarbet, freelance copywriter and editor.

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