Look at these examples:
La semaine dernière, je suis allée skier.
Last week, I went skiing.
Pendant la dernière semaine de mes exams, je suis tombé malade.
During the final week of my exams, I got sick.
Les derniers jours de l'année sont toujours plus courts.
The last days of the year are always shorter.
Les jours derniers, j'étais un peu malade.
These last days, I was a bit ill.
Dernier/Dernière means last/previous when it comes after the noun, but last (ever)/final if it comes before the noun.
Note that as an adjective, dernier agrees in gender and number with the noun it refers to.
Special case of la fois dernière / la dernière fois = (the) last time
To express last time (previous)
When last time is used on its own, you can use either la fois dernière or la dernière fois indifferently in French,
BUT
When last time is followed by a clause (last time I saw you), you can only use la dernière fois, and never la fois dernière.
Tu étais encore avec Stéphane la fois dernière.
You were still with Stéphane last time.
Tu étais encore avec Stéphane la dernière fois.
You were still with Stéphane last time.
Tu étais encore avec Stéphane la dernière fois que je t'ai vue.
You were still with Stéphane last time I saw you.
To express the last time (final)
You always use la dernière fois .
See also:
Ancien = former / old (adjectives that change meaning according to position)
Cher= dear / expensive (adjectives that change meaning according to position)
Certain = specific / sure (adjectives that change meaning according to position)
Propre = own / clean (adjectives that change meaning according to position)
Vrai = real / true (adjectives that change meaning according to position)
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Les jours derniers, j'étais un peu malade.
These last days, I was a bit ill.
Tu étais encore avec Stéphane la fois dernière.
You were still with Stéphane last time.
C'est la dernière fois que je t'amène avec moi !
This is the last time I take you with me!
Les derniers jours de l'année sont toujours plus courts.
The last days of the year are always shorter.
Prends-moi sur tes épaules ! -D'accord, mais c'est la dernière fois.
Take me on your shoulders! -OK, but this is the last time.
Pendant la dernière semaine de mes exams, je suis tombé malade.
During the final week of my exams, I got sick.
Tu étais encore avec Stéphane la dernière fois que je t'ai vue.
You were still with Stéphane last time I saw you.
La semaine dernière, je suis allée skier.
Last week, I went skiing.
Tu étais encore avec Stéphane la dernière fois.
You were still with Stéphane last time.
Q&A
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
6/08/18
Bonjour Max,
"La fois dernière" a peut-être perdu de sa popularité mais je peux vous assurer que vous entendrez cette expression utilisée dans le langage courant car les français aiment la variété dans leur discours...
Max
Kwiziq community member
6/08/18
Max
Kwiziq community member
6/08/18
Theresa-Marie
Kwiziq community member
14 May 2018
1 reply
(question continued) end with: ... je t'ai vu."? N'est pas?
Chris
Kwiziq community member
15/05/18
Hi Theresa-Marie,
... la dernière fois que je t'ai vu(e). -- The last time I saw you.
Her the direct object (te) comes before the participle (vu, vue). In this case the participle needs to match the direct object in gender and number. Therefore, if the speaker is addressing a female, i.e., "te" refers to a female, the participle needs to be vue.
Same sentence, different direct object:
...la dernière fois que je les ai vus. -- The last time I saw them.
"Les" is masculine (or mixed gender) plural, which makes vu becume vus.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
Theresa-Marie
Kwiziq community member
14 May 2018
2 replies
In your example: "Tu étais encore avec Stéphane la dernière fois que je t'ai vue." isn't the past participle of voir 'vu'? If so, the sentence should
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
16/05/18
Hi Theresa- Marie,
As we don't know who the t' refers to it could be either.
Should probably say 'vu(e)'. Will let Aurélie know...
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
16/05/18
Bonjour Theresa-Marie !
Yes indeed, "vue" implies that the person addressed here (tu) is a woman.
Have a look at our related lesson on agreement with "avoir":
Bonne journée !
Michael
Kwiziq community member
8 February 2018
2 replies
Dernière fois que
Un quizz demande traduire "C'était la dernière fois que tu m'as dit que tu m'aimais." Il y a deux réponses: 1. ... last time you told me you loved me. 2. ... last time THAT you told me you loved me. To me, those 2 responses have the same meaning in English. The 'that' adds nothing, but neither is it incorrect. Specifically, neither answer disambiguates between "the last (most recent) time" and"the last (ever) time. The word 'that' in English is often just a filler and does not convey additional meaning. Je ne comprends bien encore.
Chris
Kwiziq community member
9/02/18
Hi Michael,
I believe you are focusing on the wrong word here. The issue is not about "that" but about whether it is "the last time" (as in last week) or "the last time" (as in the final and last time).
"C'était la dernière fois que tu m'as dit que tu m'aimais." -- That was the last time you told me that you loved me. (There won't be a next time.)
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
Phillip
Kwiziq community member
21/11/18
I don't see any reason to assume "C'était la dernière fois que tu m'as dit que tu m'aimais." means there won't be a next time. How would the sentence have been written to indicate the previous time instead of the final time ?
For me both the English phrases could be read either way and there is no context to indicate whether it is the final time or the previous time.
I don't know if the French sentence is ambiguous or not...so it would help to see two phrases, one for the final and one for the previous....to see how they would both be expressed in French.
Michael
Kwiziq community member
18 January 2018
2 replies
Dernière fois
I got this wrong: "C'était la dernière fois que tu m'as dit que tu m'aimais." means: Mauvais: It was last time that you told me you loved me. Correcte: It was the last time you told me you loved me Was it the last of several times and in that last time 'tu m'a dit que tu m'aimais.' Or... Was it the last time (of several times 'tu m'a dit que tu m'aimais') ? The former implies something like 'in our last meeting you told me you loved me.' The latter implies the final time you told me you love me (and you have not since) Me me suis perplexe.
Chris
Kwiziq community member
19/01/18
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
5/09/18
Hi Michael,
The meaning will depend on the context .
If you say to someone:
"C'est la dernière fois que tu me parles comme ça" , it will sound like an ultimatum, meaning the final time.
Compared with :
"Tu m'as dit ça la dernière fois qu'on s'est vus." = "You told me that the last time we met."
Without more context I can't help you with the example you cite.
Lisa
Kwiziq community member
6 July 2017
1 reply
So this is the most confusing ever! Is it this:
Lisa
Kwiziq community member
6/07/17
Kenneth
Kwiziq community member
3 January 2017
3 replies
So "la fois dernière" and "la dernière fois" are interchangeable
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
3/01/17
They are interchangeable when used on their own (meaning without a "que" clause) and only to mean "last time".
To express "the last time" (i.e. no more time after this), you can only use "la dernière fois".
I hope that's helpful!
Bonne Année !
Jane
Kwiziq community member
13/02/18
Tom
Kwiziq community member
24/07/18
Jane,
Je suis tout au fait d'accord.
jennifer
Kwiziq community member
17 April 2019
4 replies
a little confusing?
La ________ qu'il est venu, il n'a pas été sage.Last time he came, he didn't behave himself.How could we know if it was his final time, or just the last time he visited?dernière foisfois dernière
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
19 April 2019
19/04/19
HI Jennifer,
You don’t unless you have the context...
jennifer
Kwiziq community member
19 April 2019
19/04/19
Ah! Well then Cécile, without the context, we can't be marked incorrectly.
thank you for your response...
Alan
Kwiziq community member
19 April 2019
19/04/19
I think that "Last time" can only mean the last time he visited. If it was the final time you would have to say "The last time he came". That would be ambiguous because it could also mean the most recent time, but I don't think "Last time" is ambiguous.
jennifer
Kwiziq community member
19 April 2019
19/04/19
you are right, but it had indeed said 'La - dernière fois/fois dernière?' - hence my confusion!
Never mind, it's not that important - but I did wonder why I was incorrect...