What does longtemps in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word longtemps in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use longtemps in French.

The word longtemps in French means a long time, for a long time, a long while, for a long while, before long, it had been a long time since ..., It's been so long!, It's been such a long time!, it's been a while, that was a long time ago, for a long time, it's been so long, for a long time, for so long (now), for such a long time (now), last forever, last a long time, be a long time, take a long time, for some time to come, for a long time to come, not long ago, a very long time ago, it was a very long time ago that, it was a long time ago that, it was a long time ago that, as little time as possible, a long way in advance, a long time in advance, take a long time to do, not for long, for a long time, for a very long time, not much longer, longer, longest, the longest, not for much longer, for a long time, too long. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word longtemps

a long time, for a long time, a long while, for a long while

adverbe (pendant un long moment)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Les randonneurs ont marché longtemps. // J'ai longtemps cru que cet acteur était italien.
I thought that actor was Italian for ages.

before long

locution adverbiale (rapidement, dans un court moment)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

it had been a long time since ...

(il y a longtemps que ce n'est pas arrivé)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Ça faisait longtemps qu'on n'avait pas vu l'eau monter aussi haut.

It's been so long!, It's been such a long time!

(on ne s'était pas vus depuis longtemps)

(interjection: Exclamation--for example, "Oh no!" "Wow!")
Oh, Marc ! Ça faisait longtemps ! Alors, qu'est-ce que tu deviens ?

it's been a while

(ironique (ça recommence encore !) (ironic, informal)

(interjection: Exclamation--for example, "Oh no!" "Wow!")
Tiens, et revoilà que Benjamin nous reparle de sa moto. Ça faisait longtemps !

that was a long time ago

(indication d'un événement lointain)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Quelle belle photo ! Ça fait longtemps...
What a nice photo! That was a long time ago...

for a long time

locution conjonction (il y a longtemps que + [indicatif])

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Ça fait longtemps que nous venons dans ce camping. Ça fait longtemps qu'on n'est pas allés à la mer.
It's been a long time since we went to the seaside.

it's been so long

(il y a bien longtemps) (colloquial)

for a long time

locution adverbiale (depuis un temps relativement long)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Myriam attend son bus depuis longtemps.
Myriam has been waiting for her bus for a long time.

for so long (now), for such a long time (now)

locution adverbiale (depuis tant de temps)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
J'attends ce moment depuis si longtemps !
I've been waiting for this moment for so long!

last forever

locution verbale (peu courant (durer indéfiniment) (figurative)

Cela ne durera pas autant que les contributions.

last a long time

locution verbale (tirer en longueur)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

be a long time, take a long time

locution verbale (prévoir une longue durée)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Quand elle passe voir Marie, elle en a toujours pour longtemps.

for some time to come, for a long time to come

locution adverbiale (emphase pour longtemps)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Ça va durer encore longtemps ?
Is this going to go on for much longer?

not long ago

locution conjonction (il y a peu)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Il n'y a pas longtemps que je suis allée à Paris et j'ai acheté les produits qui me manquaient.

a very long time ago

(loin dans le passé)

it was a very long time ago that

(cela fait longtemps que)

it was a long time ago that

(indique le temps écoulé)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Il y a longtemps que nous n'habitons plus Paris.
We haven't lived in Paris for ages.

it was a long time ago that

(cela remonte à loin)

as little time as possible

locution adverbiale (aussi rapidement que possible)

a long way in advance, a long time in advance

locution adverbiale (de façon anticipée)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Nous prévoyons toujours nos vacances longtemps à l'avance.

take a long time to do

locution verbale (prendre son temps pour faire [qch])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Pierre met peut-être longtemps à faire ce qu'il fait mais son travail est bien fait.

not for long

locution adverbiale (qui va vite changer)

for a long time

locution adverbiale (durant un temps long)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Pendant longtemps, j'allais travailler à pieds.

for a very long time

locution adverbiale (durant un long moment)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

not much longer

locution adverbiale (qui cessera bientôt)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Il n'y a plus longtemps à attendre avant le début du film.

longer

locution adverbiale (durant un temps plus long)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
La pluie a duré plus longtemps que prévu.

longest, the longest

locution adverbiale (durant un temps le plus long)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Le gagnant sera celui qui reste le plus longtemps en équilibre sur le poteau.
The one who keeps their balance on the post the longest will be the winner.

not for much longer

locution adverbiale (ça va bientôt finir)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

for a long time

locution adverbiale (pour une très longue durée)

J'espère que notre amitié durera pour longtemps.

too long

locution adverbiale (fort longuement)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
You've been away too long.

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of longtemps in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

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