Using the compound past (Le Passé Composé) vs the present (Le Présent) in negative sentences with "depuis" (since/for) in French

Written by Qualified French Expert Aurélie Drouard HKH, Licence d'anglais LLCE

Last updated: 2023-04-03

You have already seen that in affirmative sentences with depuis (= I have done this since/for + [date/duration]), you must use Le Présent (Indicatif) in French, unlike the English Present Perfect.
See lesson Using the present tense (Le Présent) - and not the compound past (Le Passé Composé) - in sentences with "depuis" (since/for) in French (French Prepositions of Time)

But things change when it comes to negative statements (ne...pas) with depuis.
Indeed, in such cases, you will actually use Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) in French.

Negative sentences with "depuis" in French

Look at these examples:

Elle n'est pas allée au cinéma depuis 1998.She hasn't gone to the cinema since 1998.

Elle ne t'a pas vu depuis trois mois.She hasn't seen you for three months.

Je n'ai pas fumé depuis novembre dernier.I haven't smoked since last November.

Tu n'as pas bu d'alcool depuis cinq ans.You haven't drunk alcohol for five years.

Here we use Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) because the use of the negation ne ... pas insists on the fact that the action wasn't done during the entirety of that past period, hence Le Passé Composé.

Using Le Présent (Indicatif) here sounds like you're talking about a current action with a past date, which is non-sensical
-> You don't drink alcohol for 5 years.

To emphasise that a (recurring) action in the past has now stopped happening with depuis, you can also use Le Présent (Indicatif) with ne ... plus (not any more) instead of ne ... pas. Here ne...plus focuses on the change between the past situation and the new current one, which it highlights, hence Le Présent.

Tu ne bois plus d'alcool depuis cinq ans.You haven't drunk alcohol for five years.

Je ne fume plus depuis 1998.I haven't smoked since 1998.

Special case of depuis longtemps = not long vs not in a long time

Je ne vis pas en France depuis longtemps.I haven't been living in France for long.

Je n'ai pas vécu en France depuis longtemps.I haven't lived in France in a long time.

Il ne m'a pas parlé depuis longtemps.He hasn't spoken to me in a long time.

Nous n'habitons pas ici depuis très longtemps.We haven't lived here very long.

Ne ... pas + Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) + depuis longtemps
OR
Ne ... plus + Le Présent (Indicatif) + depuis longtemps

= not for a long time / not in ages
-> It's over and done in the past

ATTENTION:

Ne ... pas + Le Présent (Indicatif) + depuis longtemps = not long / not for long
-> It started a short while ago, and is still ongoing

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Examples and resources

Martin n'est pas arrivé depuis longtemps.Martin hasn't been here long.

Je n'ai pas fumé depuis novembre dernier.I haven't smoked since last November.

Elle n'est pas allée au cinéma depuis 1998.She hasn't gone to the cinema since 1998.

Tu n'es pas allé en Australie depuis quelques années.You haven't been to Australia for a few years.