# EN: for / during + time expression



## nenette007

Hi! Is there a difference in meaning and use between "for" and "during"? I have those 2 examples :
"For 6 months the product was in development.."
"During that time we also conducted interviews.."
Or is it a question of using precise or unprecise time expressions??? 
Thanks for your help.


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## cropje_jnr

Well they have slightly different meanings but are both, confusingly, normally translated by "_pendant_".

It's very difficult to word, but you couldn't say "..._was in development during six months_" or "_for this time we also..._". But you could say "_was in development during a six-month period_".

In a nutshell:

For = throughout the whole period of time referred to -- _for six months_ = for six whole months.

During = in a specific time frame -- after one point in time but after another. _We would occasionally speak to one another during the day._


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## nenette007

So if I understood well :
for : throughout a whole period
during : at one point or more within a specific period of time
Right??


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## cropje_jnr

More or less


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## Sosso17

*Bonjour,*
*Pour mon CV je voudrais traduire:*​
*GRS (entrainement, et pratique pendant 10 ans)*​
*J'ai choisis "pendant" et pas "depuis" puisque j'ai arrêté il y a quelques années. En anglais, je pensais donc utiliser "during" et non pas "for" :*​
*&shy;  **Rhythmic Gymnastic (trainer, and gymnast during 10 years, national team competitions).*​
*Qu'en pensez-vous?*
*Merci *​


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## cropje_jnr

Je pense qu'il est préférable de dire soit "*for ten years*" soit "*for a duration of 10 years*" (dont le dernier est peut-être plus formel et donc plus approprié dans le contexte d'un CV).

Le mot "during" ne convient pas vraiment à ce contexte-là.


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## Sosso17

Merci Cropje_jnr.
En fait, "during" correspond mieux quand on a un groupe nominal derrière, genre "during the 18th century"?


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## cropje_jnr

Oui, ça me semble exact 

On définit la durée des actes qui ont duré pendant un certain temps par "for".


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## harrythelm

Sosso17 said:


> *Bonjour,*
> *Pour mon CV je voudrais traduire:*​
> *GRS (entrainement, et pratique pendant 10 ans)*​
> *J'ai choisis "pendant" et pas "depuis" puisque j'ai arrêté il y a quelques années. En anglais, je pensais donc utiliser "during" et non pas "for" :*​
> *­  **Rhythmic Gymnastic (trainer, and gymnast during 10 years, national team competitions).*​
> *Pour un cv, c'est plus approprié de mettre les dates et d'éviter les phrases "construites"  : GRS 1995-2005: **national team** trainer and gymnast*


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## giroflée

Hi everybody,
Can somebody tell me which of the two sentences is correct before I send my e-mail?
_'I wonder what you're going to do *for *the next twenty-four hours before we meet_' or should I say:'_I wonder what you're going to do *during *the next twenty-four hours before we meet._?


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## catay

Either choice would work, but "_'I wonder what you're going to do *for..."*_ is what comes to me most naturally.


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## giroflée

thanks a lot, Catay.


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## sandrasilipo

J'ai ètudié l'anglais *pendant* l'été = I have studied English *during* the summer

J'ai ètudié l'anglais *pendant* deux mois = I have studied English *for* two months

Why do we use 'during' in the first sentence and 'for' in the second?

Thank you.


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## pyan

Hello sandrasilipo, 
(Please also have a look at this thread: for /during.)

*During* indique à quel moment un fait se produit. ("Quand ?" ) -> during the summer...
*For* indique la durée d'une action. ("Pendant combien de temps ?") -> for two months...


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## OLN

Sosso17 said:


> En fait, "during" correspond mieux quand on a un groupe nominal derrière, genre "during the 18th century"?


C'est une question ? 

_during _se traduit aussi par _durant_ (duh) ou plus précisément par _au cours de _: l'évènement s'inscrit dans la période X.


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## sandrasilipo

Thank you!


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