Does this mean you can't use quand in the present?
quand + present?
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Laura M.Kwiziq community member
quand + present?
This question relates to:French lesson "Quand/pendant que + future tense (Le Futur Simple) - not the present tense = When/while I do something in the future (Sequence of Tenses in French)
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Asked 3 years ago
Hi Laura,
To answer your question precisely- no, you cannot say in French -
Quand je suis vieille
but
Quand je serai vieille = When I am old
talking about actions in the future.
Quand il m'apportera mes tomates ... = When he brings me my tomatoes ...
You use the future after quand.
Hope this helps!
Jim J. Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Hi Laura,
The lesson explains the difference in meaning between English and French in this context.
What does "quand" suggest (in this context)? It suggests something is about to happen after the point in time that "quand" refers to. This is why the timeframe has to be the future period forward from "quand".
Does this help?
Jim
Alan G. Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Of course it is possible to use the present in other contexts, e.g.
Quand Monique arrive-t-elle ?
Quand le chat n'est pas là, les souris dansent.
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