il y a longtemps
The English phrase "a long time ago" is translated into French as il y a longtemps.
il y a longtemps is used to refer to a point in the distant past. Depending on the nuance you wish to convey, you might also use related expressions: Il y a un bon moment means "a good while ago", Autrefois means "formerly" or "in the past", À une époque lointaine means "in a distant era" or Il y a une éternité which means "an eternity ago".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "there is a long time".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec French, the expression Il y a longtemps de ça is used to mean "a long time ago".
How does it change in a sentence?
The component il y a functions as "ago" when it is followed by a duration of time.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- C'était il y a longtemps.That was a long time ago.This sentence is useful for stating that something occurred in the distant past using il y a longtemps.Tatoeba #10673746 by felix63, translation #2400043 by CK
- J'ai arrêté il y a longtemps.I quit a long time ago.This sentence shows how to use il y a longtemps to describe when an action was stopped.Tatoeba #2390651 by sacredceltic, translation #2389911 by CK
- J'ai dit ceci il y a longtemps.I said this a long time ago.This sentence demonstrates the use of il y a longtemps to specify when something was said.Tatoeba #6380971 by Aiji, translation #5213788 by CK
- Il y a longtemps, cet événement a eu lieuA long time ago, this event took place
- J'ai visité Paris il y a un bon momentI visited Paris a good while ago
- Autrefois, les voyages étaient plus difficilesIn the past, traveling was more difficult
- À une époque lointaine, les dinosaures régnaient sur la TerreIn a distant era, dinosaurs reigned over the Earth
- J'ai vu ce film il y a un bail !I saw that movie a long time ago!
- Il y a une éternité que je ne suis pas allé à la plageIt's been an eternity since I went to the beach
- Je ne l'ai pas vu depuis un sacré bout de temps !I haven't seen him in quite a while!
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are talking about their old neighborhood.
- ManonJ'habitais ici il y a longtemps.I lived here a long time ago.
- HugoC'était quand tu étais petite ?Was that when you were little?
- ManonOui, c'était vraiment il y a longtemps.Yes, it really was a long time ago.
- HugoLe quartier a beaucoup changé depuis.The neighborhood has changed a lot since then.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, il, longtemps, y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
