If you’d like to say “now” in French, you’d usually say maintenant—It’s the first word you’ll see when you search the definition of “now” in any French dictionary. While “now” is a short word in English, you’ll have to get used to using longer words and even multi-word phrases to express “now” when speaking French. Dive into the different options for how to say “now” in French.
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The most common way to say ‘now’ in French: maintenant
In French, the word maintenant is an adverb, which means it can modify or qualify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. According to FrenchDictionary.com, maintenant can mean:
- at the present time (right now)
- nowadays
- then (in accounts of the past)
So, if you’re talking about something happening right now, you might say, Qu’est-ce que tu fais maintenant ? (What are you doing now?) And if you’re talking about “now” in terms of something modern, you might say something like, Maintenant la plupart des écoliers ont des calculatrices. (Most schoolchildren now own calculators.)
To pronounce maintenant, you say “man-teh-nahn” with very soft “n” sounds at the end of syllables.
Using maintenant as a conjunction
The word maintenant can also be used as a conjunction, which connects clauses or sentences. When used as this French part of speech, you’d say maintenant que (because or since something has happened; now that).
For example:
- Maintenant qu’il se sent mieux, il peut reprendre le travail. = Now that he’s feeling better, he can go back to work.
- Maintenant que j’ai vu le film, je vois ce que tu veux dire. = Now that I’ve seen the movie, I see what you mean.
- Maintenant que j’y pense, c’est une bonne idée. = Now that I think about it, it’s a good idea.
Other words and phrases for ‘now’ in French
There are other French words and phrases that mean “now” but are more appropriate in different contexts.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
| à présent | ah pray-sahn | now/presently |
| c’est le moment | say le moh-mahn | now is the time |
| en ce moment | ahn seu moh-mahn | just now/at the moment |
| tout de suite | toot sweet | right now |
Common phrases that include ‘now’ in French
If you think about your daily conversations, “now” is probably a standard part of them. Because it’s such a common word relating to time, you’ll find different forms of ‘now’ in common French phrases.
| French | English |
| de temps en temps | now and then |
| Je suis très occupé en ce moment. | I’m very busy just now. |
| C’est tout pour l’instant | That’s all for now. |
| d’un jour à l’autre | any day now |
| d’un moment à l’autre | any moment now/any time now |
| C’est maintenant ou jamais. | It’s now or never. |
| à l’heure qu’il est | by now |
| pour l’instant/le moment | for now/for the moment |
| jusqu’à présent | until now |
| dorénavant | from now on |
| Allons, allons ! | Now, now. |
Build confidence saying ‘now’ in French with Rosetta Stone
Knowing which version of “now” to say in French and how to pronounce it is easy when you practice. Rosetta Stone’s tutoring sessions allow you to converse with an expert French speaker who can give you real-time feedback on your usage and pronunciation. Then, you’ll feel confident expressing “now” in any context.
