[Update] English-French Dictionary WordReference.com | ago – NATAVIGUIDES

Je suis allé à la banque il y a trois jours.

( dans le temps )

adverb : Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause–for example, “come quickly ,” ” very rare,” “happening now ,” “fall down .”

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Formes composéesAnglaisFrançais
a long time ago adv

: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause–for example, “come quickly,” “very rare,” “happening now,” “fall down.”

(in the distant past)il y a longtemps adv

: modifie un adjectif ou un verbe. Est toujours invariable !

 

A long time ago, my ancestors settled in this land.

 

Il y a longtemps, mes ancêtres ont investi ces terres.

a while ago adv

: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause–for example, “come quickly,” “very rare,” “happening now,” “fall down.”

(short time in the past)il y a quelque temps adv

: modifie un adjectif ou un verbe. Est toujours invariable !

 

A while ago I went on vacation to Cancun.

 

Il y a quelque temps, je suis allé en vacances à Cancun.

ages ago adv

: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause–for example, “come quickly,” “very rare,” “happening now,” “fall down.”

(a long time in the past)il y a longtemps, il y a très longtemps loc adv

: groupe de mots qui servent d’adverbe. Toujours invariable !

  

()

il y a belle lurette loc adv

: groupe de mots qui servent d’adverbe. Toujours invariable !

 

David bought that house ages ago.

 

David a acheté cette maison il y a très longtemps.

long ago adv

: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause–for example, “come quickly,” “very rare,” “happening now,” “fall down.”

(many years before now)il y a longtemps loc adv

: groupe de mots qui servent d’adverbe. Toujours invariable !

  autrefois adv

: modifie un adjectif ou un verbe. Est toujours invariable !

  

()

jadis adv

: modifie un adjectif ou un verbe. Est toujours invariable !

 

Long ago all these mountains were volcanoes.

 

Il y a longtemps, toutes ces montagnes étaient des volcans.

not long ago adv

: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause–for example, “come quickly,” “very rare,” “happening now,” “fall down.”

(a short time previously)il y a peu loc adv

: groupe de mots qui servent d’adverbe. Toujours invariable !

  récemment adv

: modifie un adjectif ou un verbe. Est toujours invariable !

  dernièrement adv

: modifie un adjectif ou un verbe. Est toujours invariable !

 

Il y a peu, j’ai rencontré un cinéaste fascinant.

 

Quelle coïncidence, j’ai lu dernièrement un article sur ce sujet.

not so long ago expr

: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression–for example, “behind the times,” “on your own.”

(a short time past)il n’y a pas si longtemps expr
some time ago adv

: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause–for example, “come quickly,” “very rare,” “happening now,” “fall down.”

(a while back)il y a un certain temps adv

: modifie un adjectif ou un verbe. Est toujours invariable !

 

I was once a good basketball player … but that was some time ago.

 

J’étais un bon joueur de basket… mais c’était il y a un certain temps.

years ago adv

: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause–for example, “come quickly,” “very rare,” “happening now,” “fall down.”

(a long time in the past)il y a des années loc adv

: groupe de mots qui servent d’adverbe. Toujours invariable !

 

Years ago I used to live in Nottingham – it was probably before you were born.

 

ⓘ

Cette phrase n’est pas une traduction de la phrase originale.

Je t’ai apporté une bonne bouteille de vin que j’avais achetée il y a des années, et conservée soigneusement à la cave.

  il y a longtemps loc adv

: groupe de mots qui servent d’adverbe. Toujours invariable !

 

J’ai habité à Nottingham, il y a longtemps.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

[Middle English, past participle of, from Old English; see ghē- in Indo-European roots .]

Usage: The use of ago with since ( it’s ten years ago since he wrote the novel ) is redundant and should be avoided: it is ten years since he wrote the novel

[C14 ago, from Old English āgān to pass away]

Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

[before 1000; Middle English, Old Englishpast participle ofto go by, pass =to go

1. gone; gone by; past (usu. prec. by a noun): five days ago.

ago

You use ago to say how much time has passed since something happened. For example, if it is now Sunday and something happened on Thursday, it happened three days ago.

Be Careful!
You use the past simple, not the present perfect, with ago. For example, you say ‘He died four years ago’. Don’t say ‘He has died four years ago’.

You use ago only when you are talking about a period of time measured back from the present. If you are talking about a period measured back from an earlier time, you use the past perfect with before or previously.

Be Careful!
Don’t use ago and ‘since’ together. Don’t say, for example, ‘It is three years ago since it happened’. You say ‘It happened three years ago‘ or ‘It is three years since it happened’.

Be Careful!
Don’t say, for example, ‘It has been happening since three years ago’. You say ‘It has been happening for three years‘.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012