l y a which we have already learned means “there is/are l y a which we have already learned means “there is/are.” When we put a measure of time after it, like un mois (a month) or trois ans(three years), it means “ago.” Je suis allé(e) en Italie il y a deux ans et je suis resté(e) pendant cinq jours. I went to Italy two years ago and I stayed for five days. Dernier / dernière → last Prochain / prochaine → next These words are placed after the noun they are describing. Be careful, because the meaning can change if you place them before the noun. La semaine dernière means “last week,” as in, the week that came before this one. But la dernière semaine means “the last week” of a given month, for example. Elle a travaillé toute la semaine et elle va voyager au Mexique la semaine prochaine. She has worked all this week and she is going to travel to Mexico next week. Le mois dernier nous sommes partis en vacances en Chine. Nous allons retourner l’année prochaine. Last month, we left on vacation to China. We are going to return next year.
Words that trigger the passé-composé Tout à coup Au moment où D’abord Ensuite Et puis Enfin Un jour La premiere fois, la deuxième fois Words indicating sequence Pendant (duration) Il y a (ago) All of a sudden Just when… Then… And then… Finally… The first time, second… For and ago (duration)
Words that trigger the imparfait Il etait une fois… Chaque Toujours Pendant Pendant que tous les jours De temps en temps Souvent (Cependant) Once upon a time Each (ex: each Thursday etc..) Always While Everyday From time to time Often (However)