Please translate "I am not going to Australia for a few years."

Question

Does "depuis" always imply a past tense meaning so that it cannot be used in this sentence with the present tense of "aller?"  Should the futur proche or the futur be used? Perhaps "Tu ne vas pas en Australie depuis quelques années, should probably avoided unless it is put in a specific context. Thanks.

Answer

Bonjour John,

That's correct, depuis always indicates a meaning in the past. To talk about "for" in the future, use pendant.

You can use the present of aller, the futur proche, or the future.

Je ne vais pas en Australie pendant quelques années.
Je ne vais pas aller en Australie ...
Je n'irai pas en Australie...

"Tu ne vas pas en Australie depuis quelques années" means that you haven't gone in the last few years; it cannot have a future meaning.

Answer

Thanks Laura. It has taken me a few days to get my head around this lesson and your answer is a big help.

Answer

Hi Laura,
Would "pour" also be acceptable here? As in, "Je ne vais pas aller en Australie pour quelques années."