What are the main adverbs of time in French?

Aujourd'hui, hier, demain, avant-hier, après-demain for the calendar; déjà, encore, bientôt, enfin, longtemps for the relationship between events; tôt, tard, maintenant, ensuite for position within a stretch of time.

Where does déjà go in a French sentence?

Straight after the conjugated verb: je sais déjà. In a compound tense it goes between the auxiliary and the participle: j'ai déjà fini. What it can't do is stand before the verb, where English puts already.

Does tout à l'heure mean earlier or later?

Both, and the verb tense decides. Je l'ai vu tout à l'heure means I saw him a little while ago; je le verrai tout à l'heure means I'll see him shortly. As a farewell, à tout à l'heure means see you later today.

Do I need a preposition before demain or lundi?

No. Il arrive demain and il arrive lundi are complete. French uses bare time words where English needs on or in. À demain exists but is a goodbye, not a statement of timing.

Why does French use the present tense with depuis?

Because depuis describes something that is still going on. J'apprends le français depuis deux ans means the learning hasn't stopped. English marks the stretch with a perfect tense, but French marks it with the present plus depuis, and the two systems don't line up.

French grammar · Beginner

French Adverbs of Time: Hier, Bientôt, Déjà, and Where They Go

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Adverbs of time answer the question quand: hier, aujourd'hui, demain, déjà, bientôt, tôt, tard, enfin, ensuite. Short ones like déjà and bientôt sit next to the verb; longer ones and the calendar words prefer the beginning or the end of the sentence.

Hier il pleuvait, aujourd'hui il fait beau, et demain on verra.

Yesterday it was raining, today it's fine, and tomorrow we'll see.

What it is

An adverb of time locates an action on a timeline. French keeps two kinds apart without saying so explicitly: the ones that name a day or a moment, which behave like independent phrases and can move to either end of the sentence, and the short grammatical ones like déjà and encore, which are glued to the verb.

Je l'ai déjà vu hier. — I already saw him yesterday. (déjà is glued to the verb, hier is free.)

How to spot it

Count the syllables. One or two syllables usually means the adverb belongs next to the verb; anything longer, or anything you could point at on a calendar, floats to the edges of the sentence.

Il est déjà parti. — He's already left. (glued to the verb)
Demain, je commence à huit heures. — Tomorrow I start at eight. (free)
On se voit bientôt. — We'll see each other soon.
Elle arrive toujours tard. — She always arrives late.

Aujourd'hui, hier, and demain can all open a sentence with a comma, which is the easiest way to set the scene before you start.

Adverbs of Time Quick Reference

The everyday adverbs of time

Adverb	English	Example
aujourd'hui	today	Aujourd'hui, je reste chez moi.
hier / demain	yesterday / tomorrow	Hier soir, demain matin
avant-hier / après-demain	the day before / after	Il est arrivé avant-hier.
déjà	already	Tu as déjà fini ?
bientôt	soon	Le film commence bientôt.
tôt / tard	early / late	Il se lève tôt et se couche tard.
enfin	finally, at last	Enfin, il a répondu.
tout à l'heure	in a moment / a moment ago	Je te rappelle tout à l'heure.

Common Adverbs of Time Examples in French

Adverbs of time grouped by the kind of timing they express:

Points on the Calendar

Aujourd'hui, il y a grève.: There's a strike today.
Hier, nous sommes allés au marché.: Yesterday we went to the market.
Demain matin, j'ai rendez-vous.: Tomorrow morning I have an appointment.
Après-demain, ils rentrent de vacances.: The day after tomorrow they come back from holiday.

These can open the sentence or close it, and they take no preposition: demain, not *à demain, unless you're saying goodbye.

Before, After, and Soon

Il est arrivé peu après nous.: He arrived shortly after us.
Elle avait prévenu auparavant.: She had given notice beforehand.
Ensuite, on est allés dîner.: Then we went for dinner.
Il a d'abord hésité, puis il a accepté.: He hesitated at first, then he accepted.

D'abord, ensuite, puis, and enfin are the standard sequence markers when you narrate a series of events.

Short Adverbs Glued to the Verb

J'ai déjà mangé.: I've already eaten.
Il n'est pas encore rentré.: He isn't home yet.
Nous avons enfin compris.: We finally understood.
Elle a longtemps hésité.: She hesitated for a long time.

In compound tenses these go between the auxiliary and the participle, exactly where pas goes.

Early, Late, and How Long

Le train est parti tôt.: The train left early.
Il travaille tard tous les soirs.: He works late every evening.
Ils se connaissent depuis longtemps.: They've known each other a long time.
Reviens vite !: Come back soon !

Tôt and tard describe the clock; en avance and en retard describe being early or late for something specific.

How Adverbs of Time Are Placed

There are really two families here, and telling them apart solves most word-order questions.

Calendar Words Go to the Edges

Hier, demain, aujourd'hui, and phrases like la semaine prochaine behave as independent time markers. They open the sentence, close it, or occasionally follow the verb, and moving them changes emphasis rather than grammar.

La semaine prochaine, nous déménageons.

Next week we're moving house.

Free to sit at either end.

Short Adverbs Split Compound Tenses

Déjà, encore, enfin, souvent, and longtemps go between the auxiliary and the past participle. Putting them after the participle is one of the clearest markers of a non-native sentence.

Il a enfin trouvé un appartement.

He's finally found a flat.

a déjà vu, a enfin trouvé.

Nothing Comes Between Subject and Verb

English inserts adverbs freely there — I already know, he never eats — and French never does. The adverb has to go after the verb or outside the clause altogether.

Je sais déjà ce qu'il va dire.

I already know what he's going to say.

je sais déjà, not *je déjà sais.

Déjà in a Question Means Ever

As-tu déjà vu ce film asks whether you've ever seen it, not whether you've seen it already. This is the same shift jamais makes, and it belongs to questions specifically.

Es-tu déjà allé au Japon ?

Have you ever been to Japan ?

déjà in a question = ever.

Time Adverbs Don't Need a Preposition

Demain and lundi stand bare where English needs on or in: he's coming on Monday is il vient lundi. Adding a preposition produces a different meaning: à demain is goodbye, see you tomorrow.

Elle arrive lundi soir.

She arrives on Monday evening.

No preposition before a bare time word.

Common Mistakes with Adverbs of Time

Incorrect: J'ai mangé déjà. — I've already eaten.

Correct: J'ai déjà mangé. — I've already eaten.

Short time adverbs go between the auxiliary and the past participle. Only long adverbs and calendar words can sit at the end.

Incorrect: Il vient sur lundi. — He's coming on Monday.

Correct: Il vient lundi. — He's coming on Monday.

French time words stand without a preposition. English on and in have no equivalent here, and adding one is a direct translation error.

Incorrect: J'ai habité ici depuis trois ans. — I've lived here for three years.

Correct: J'habite ici depuis trois ans. — I've lived here for three years.

Depuis with an ongoing situation takes the present tense in French. The English perfect pushes learners into the passé composé, which would end the stay.

Incorrect: Je déjà connais la réponse. — I already know the answer.

Correct: Je connais déjà la réponse. — I already know the answer.

Nothing may stand between the subject and the conjugated verb in French. English puts already there routinely, which is why this feels natural and isn't.

Expressions That Point Backwards and Forwards

A few French time expressions face in either direction, and the tense of the verb is what tells you which way.

Tout à l'heure

With a past tense it means a little while ago; with a future or present it means in a little while.

Je l'ai vu tout à l'heure.: I saw him a little while ago.
Je te rappelle tout à l'heure.: I'll call you back in a bit.
À tout à l'heure !: See you shortly !

The window is the same day in both directions, usually a matter of hours.

L'autre jour and un de ces jours

L'autre jour looks back to a vague recent day; un de ces jours looks forward to a vague future one.

Je l'ai croisée l'autre jour.: I ran into her the other day.
On se verra un de ces jours.: We'll see each other one of these days.
Il m'en a parlé l'autre soir.: He mentioned it to me the other evening.

Neither expression commits you to a date, which is exactly why both are so common in conversation.

Depuis with the present tense

Depuis measures a stretch that started in the past and is still going, and French marks that with the present tense where English uses a perfect.

J'habite ici depuis trois ans.: I've lived here for three years.
Il pleut depuis ce matin.: It's been raining since this morning.
Elle attend depuis longtemps.: She's been waiting a long time.

Switching to the passé composé changes the meaning: j'ai habité ici trois ans says you don't live there any more.

Adverbs of Time FAQs

What are the main adverbs of time in French?: Aujourd'hui, hier, demain, avant-hier, après-demain for the calendar; déjà, encore, bientôt, enfin, longtemps for the relationship between events; tôt, tard, maintenant, ensuite for position within a stretch of time.
Where does déjà go in a French sentence?: Straight after the conjugated verb: je sais déjà. In a compound tense it goes between the auxiliary and the participle: j'ai déjà fini. What it can't do is stand before the verb, where English puts already.
Does tout à l'heure mean earlier or later?: Both, and the verb tense decides. Je l'ai vu tout à l'heure means I saw him a little while ago; je le verrai tout à l'heure means I'll see him shortly. As a farewell, à tout à l'heure means see you later today.
Do I need a preposition before demain or lundi?: No. Il arrive demain and il arrive lundi are complete. French uses bare time words where English needs on or in. À demain exists but is a goodbye, not a statement of timing.
Why does French use the present tense with depuis?: Because depuis describes something that is still going on. J'apprends le français depuis deux ans means the learning hasn't stopped. English marks the stretch with a perfect tense, but French marks it with the present plus depuis, and the two systems don't line up.