What does it mean word for word?
The phrase begins with il y a, which literally means 'there is' or 'there are', but when used alongside a duration of time, it translates to 'ago'.
Which one should you use?
While il y a de nombreuses années emphasizes a large and significant number of years, il y a plusieurs années is a more neutral way to say 'several years ago'. For even greater emphasis, suggesting a very long time ago, you can use il y a bien des années, which is similar to 'many, many years ago'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Il y a de nombreuses années is a formal way to express this idea. For more colloquial or informal situations, you might use il y a des années to say 'years ago', il y a un sacré bout de temps to mean 'a very long time ago' or ça fait des lustres to say 'it's been ages'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In French Canadian, the expression il y a ben des années is used to convey 'many years ago'.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase il y a de nombreuses années, the adjective nombreuses is feminine plural and must agree with the feminine plural noun années.
Did you know?
- The informal expression ça fait des lustres uses the word lustres, which refers to a five year period. This term comes from the ancient Roman custom of purifying the city every five years.
- The 'a' in the phrase il y a is actually a descendant of the Latin word 'habet', which means 'he/she has'.
- The colloquial phrase il y a un sacré bout de temps uses the word sacré, which literally means 'sacred'. In this context it is used as an intensifier to mean 'quite a' or 'considerable'.
Examples in context
- Il y a de nombreuses années se tenait ici un château.There was a castle here many years ago.This sentence uses il y a de nombreuses années to describe the past location of a castle.Tatoeba #808101 by sacredceltic, translation #272129 by CK
- Elle lui a emprunté le livre il y a de nombreuses années et ne l'a toujours pas rendu.She borrowed the book from him many years ago and hasn't yet returned it.This sentence uses il y a de nombreuses années to establish when a book was borrowed.Tatoeba #1405656 by sacredceltic, translation #887005 by CK
- Tom a disparu il y a de nombreuses années.Tom disappeared many years ago.This sentence uses il y a de nombreuses années to indicate when someone disappeared.Tatoeba #11383993 by carlosalberto, translation #11178449 by sundown
- Dans les annales de l'histoire, il y a de nombreuses années, un grand empereur régna sur ce pays.In the annals of history, many years ago, a great emperor ruled over this country.
- Dans notre recherche archéologique, nous avons découvert des vestiges datant d'il y a bien longtemps.In our archaeological research, we discovered remains dating back a long time ago.
- D'après nos calculs, l'univers a été formé il y a de très nombreuses années.According to our calculations, the universe was formed many years ago.
- Tu te souviens de cette histoire ? Ça s'est passé il y a un sacré bout de temps !Do you remember that story? It happened a very long time ago!
- On s'est rencontrés il y a un bon moment, avant même de commencer l'université.We met a long time ago, even before starting university.
- On a visité Paris ensemble il y a des lustres, nous devrions le refaire bientôt !We visited Paris together ages ago, we should do it again soon!
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at old photographs in a photo album.
- NathanCette photo a été prise il y a de nombreuses années.This photo was taken many years ago.
- EmmaTu as vraiment beaucoup changé depuis.You have really changed a lot since then.
- NathanC'est vrai, le temps passe vite.It's true, time flies.
- EmmaC'était une époque magnifique.It was a wonderful time.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, de, il, y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
