How to Say ‘We've been at the school for two years’ in French
On est à l'école depuis deux ans
ohn eh ah l ay-kol duh-pwee duh ahn
[ohn eh ah l ay-kol duh-pwee duh ahn]
💬 Usage Tip: [Depuis] with a time length means something started in the past and is still true now: [On est à l'école depuis deux ans] is literally [we are at the school since two years]. Use the same pattern in [J'habite ici depuis un an].
Phrase Breakdown
On est
ohn eh
We are / One is / People are
Informal and very common spoken French; here it means 'we are'.
On est prêts.
We are ready.
Words in this phrase
On
[ohn]
we, people, one
Informal subject pronoun often meaning “we” in spoken French.
On est à l'école depuis deux ans, donc on connaît déjà quelques familles.
We’ve been at the school for two years, so we already know a few families.
est
[eh]
is, are
Form of the verb “être” used with “on,” meaning “is” or informal “are.”
On est à l'école depuis deux ans, et tout se passe bien.
We’ve been at the school for two years, and everything is going well.
À l'école
ah l ay-kol
at school
Indicates location using 'à' before 'l'école'.
Les enfants sont à l'école.
The children are at school.
Words in this phrase
à
[ah]
at, to
A preposition meaning “at” or “to.”
On est à l'école depuis deux ans, alors les enseignants nous connaissent.
We’ve been at the school for two years, so the teachers know us.
l'
[l]
the
Shortened form of “le” before a vowel sound.
On est à l'école depuis deux ans, mais on découvre encore de nouvelles choses.
We’ve been at the school for two years, but we’re still discovering new things.
école
[ay-kol]
school
Means “school.”
On est à l'école depuis deux ans, et notre fille s'y plaît beaucoup.
We’ve been at the school for two years, and our daughter likes it a lot there.
Depuis deux ans
duh-pwee duh ahn
for two years / since two years ago
Used with the present tense to show an action or state started in the past and continuing now.
J'habite ici depuis deux ans.
I have lived here for two years.
Words in this phrase
depuis
[duh-pwee]
since, for
Used to show how long something has been happening.
On est à l'école depuis deux ans, donc cette routine nous est familière.
We’ve been at the school for two years, so this routine is familiar to us.
deux
[duh]
two
The number two.
On est à l'école depuis deux ans, pas seulement depuis quelques mois.
We’ve been at the school for two years, not just for a few months.
ans
[ahn]
years
Plural noun meaning “years.”
On est à l'école depuis deux ans, et cela passe vite.
We’ve been at the school for two years, and it goes by quickly.
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