When you're learning French, "passer" is likely the first verb you'll learn for "to spend" time. It's a great start, but the French language, with its rich vocabulary, offers so many more vibrant and specific ways to express how we dedicate, occupy, or simply pass our moments. Expanding your repertoire beyond just "passer" will help you sound more natural and precise, whether you're talking about dedicating hours to a hobby or just whiling away an afternoon. Ready to explore? Let's uncover 9 excellent ways to say "to spend" (time) in French!

1. The most common and versatile way to say 'to spend time' – passer du temps

When you want to express the idea of “to spend time” in French, the most common and versatile phrase you’ll encounter is passer du temps.

The core of this phrase is the verb passer, which literally means “to pass.” It’s a regular -ER verb, making its conjugation relatively straightforward. For example, in the present tense: je passe, tu passes, il/elle/on passe, nous passons, vous passez, ils/elles passent.

Following passer is the noun phrase du temps. Temps means “time” or “weather.” Here, du is a partitive article meaning “some,” so du temps translates to “some time” or simply “time.”

The phrase passer du temps can be used in most contexts where you would say “to spend time” in English. It’s suitable for both formal and informal situations, making it a reliable choice.

To specify what time is being spent on, you often use the preposition à followed by an infinitive verb. For instance, passer du temps à lire means “to spend time reading.”

If you want to say you’re spending time with someone, you’ll use the preposition avec (with). So, passer du temps avec des amis means “to spend time with friends.”

You can easily modify passer du temps with adverbs like beaucoup (a lot), peu (little), trop (too much), or adjectives like agréable (pleasant) to describe the quality or quantity of time spent. For example, passer un bon moment (to have a good time) is a related common expression.

While passer du temps is the most common, other verbs like consacrer (to dedicate) can be used for more formal or specific contexts, but passer du temps remains your go-to for general usage.

💡 * J'aime passer du temps à la bibliothèque. (I like to spend time at the library.)

• Nous passons beaucoup de temps ensemble. (We spend a lot of time together.)
• Il passe ses week-ends à jouer au football. (He spends his weekends playing soccer.)
• Tu devrais passer plus de temps avec ta famille. (You should spend more time with your family.)
• Elles ont passé un bon moment à la fête. (They had a good time at the party.)

To dedicate or devote time to a specific activity – consacrer du temps à

The phrase "consacrer du temps à" is essential for expressing the deliberate allocation of time towards a specific activity or person in French. It goes beyond merely "spending time."

The verb consacrer literally means 'to consecrate' or 'to dedicate'. When you consacrer something, you are setting it aside for a particular purpose, often implying importance or solemnity.

When combined with du temps à, the phrase consacrer du temps à means 'to dedicate time to', 'to devote time to', or 'to allocate time for'. It emphasizes a purposeful and often significant investment of one's time.

Unlike passer du temps (to spend time), which can be casual, consacrer du temps à implies a more intentional, focused, and often valued use of time. It suggests that the activity is a priority or requires dedicated effort.

You'll use this phrase when discussing activities that require commitment: studying, working on a project, pursuing a hobby, volunteering, or nurturing relationships. It highlights the deliberate choice to invest time.

Crucially, remember to use the preposition à (to) after consacrer du temps to correctly link it to the activity or person. For instance, consacrer du temps à ses études (to dedicate time to one's studies) or consacrer du temps à sa famille (to devote time to one's family).

Mastering consacrer du temps à enhances your ability to express intentionality and priority in French, adding a layer of precision and sophistication to your language use.

💡 * Je dois consacrer plus de temps à mes études si je veux réussir. (I must dedicate more time to my studies if I want to succeed.)

• Elle consacre beaucoup de temps à son association caritative. (She devotes a lot of time to her charity.)
• Nous devrions consacrer du temps à la planification de notre voyage. (We should dedicate time to planning our trip.)
• Il consacre ses week-ends à sa passion pour la photographie. (He dedicates his weekends to his passion for photography.)
• Les parents consacrent du temps à l'éducation de leurs enfants. (Parents devote time to their children's education.)

To use one's time for a particular purpose, often with a sense of utility – employer son temps à

When you want to express the idea of using your time for a specific, often productive purpose in French, the phrase employer son temps à is a perfect fit. It literally means 'to employ one's time in/at something'.

This phrase carries a sense of utility and intentionality. You're not just spending time (passer du temps), but actively deploying or dedicating your time to an activity or project. Think of it as putting your time to work.

The verb employer is a regular -er verb, meaning it conjugates like other verbs ending in -er (e.g., parler). The possessive adjective (son, sa, ses) changes to match the subject of the sentence (e.g., j'emploie mon temps, tu emploies ton temps).

The preposition à is essential here, connecting the 'employed time' to the activity. It's followed by either a noun or an infinitive verb, indicating what the time is being used for. For example, employer son temps à lire (to use one's time for reading) or employer son temps au travail (to use one's time for work).

You'll often encounter employer son temps à in contexts where efficiency, dedication, or strategic use of time is implied. It's common in professional settings, academic discussions, or when describing hobbies that require significant time investment.

💡 * Il emploie son temps à étudier le français. (He uses his time to study French.)

• Nous employons notre temps à développer de nouveaux projets. (We use our time to develop new projects.)
• Elle aime employer son temps à des activités créatives. (She likes to use her time for creative activities.)
• J'emploie mon temps à aider les autres. (I use my time to help others.)

To spend time, sometimes implying using it up or expending effort – dépenser du temps

The French phrase dépenser du temps translates literally to 'to spend time.' However, it comes with a specific nuance that implies using up or expending time, much like one expends resources or money.

This verb choice suggests that the time is being invested, consumed, or even sacrificed towards a specific task or effort. It highlights the active engagement and often the demanding nature of the activity.

Unlike passer du temps (to spend time, often implying enjoyment or simple duration), dépenser du temps is used for activities that require significant effort, concentration, or when the time spent is viewed as an investment with a specific outcome, or sometimes even as a burden or a cost.

💡 * J'ai dépensé beaucoup de temps sur ce projet. (I spent a lot of time on this project.)

• Il ne faut pas dépenser ton temps à des choses inutiles. (You shouldn't waste your time on useless things.)
• Nous avons dépensé du temps à chercher la solution. (We spent time looking for the solution.)
• Elle dépense trop de temps devant les écrans. (She spends too much time in front of screens.)

To take time, indicating the duration or investment required – prendre du temps

To take time, indicating the duration or investment required – prendre du temps

The French expression prendre du temps literally translates to “to take time.” It's a fundamental phrase used to describe the duration or the amount of time required for an activity, task, or process.

One of its primary uses is to indicate how long something lasts or will last. It can refer to a short period or a significant investment of time, depending on the context.

Beyond mere duration, prendre du temps often implies an investment of time, suggesting that effort, patience, or a certain commitment is necessary for a task to be completed properly or successfully.

This phrase is commonly used with an impersonal pronoun like ça or il (e.g., Ça prend du temps, Il faut prendre son temps). It can also be conjugated with a subject (e.g., Je prends du temps pour lire).

A closely related idiom is prendre son temps, which means “to take one’s time” in the sense of not rushing, doing something slowly and carefully. This emphasizes a deliberate pace rather than just the duration.

💡 * Ça prend du temps d'apprendre une nouvelle langue. (It takes time to learn a new language.)

• J'ai pris du temps pour préparer ce repas. (I took time to prepare this meal.)
• Ce projet va prendre beaucoup de temps. (This project will take a lot of time.)
• Ne t'inquiète pas, prends ton temps. (Don't worry, take your time.)
• Combien de temps ça prend pour aller à Paris ? (How much time does it take to go to Paris?)

To fill one's time, to keep busy with an activity – occuper son temps

The French phrase occuper son temps directly translates to “to occupy one’s time.” It’s used to express the idea of filling one's time with activities or keeping oneself busy.

This versatile expression is commonly used when you want to convey that someone is engaging in an activity to pass the time, prevent boredom, or simply to be productive. It implies a conscious effort to make use of available time.

Often, you'll encounter its reflexive form, s'occuper, which means “to keep oneself busy” or “to occupy oneself.” When s'occuper is followed by de + a noun or infinitive, it means “to take care of” or “to deal with,” but without de, it retains the meaning of keeping busy.

While être occupé simply means “to be busy,” occuper son temps emphasizes the action of filling that time with something specific. It suggests a more deliberate choice of activity rather than just having a packed schedule.

You can use occuper son temps to talk about hobbies, work, or any activity that fills someone's day. It's particularly useful when discussing how someone spends their free time or manages their schedule.

💡 * J'occupe mon temps libre en lisant des livres. (I fill my free time by reading books.)

• Elle s'occupe à faire du jardinage. (She keeps herself busy with gardening.)
• Comment occupez-vous votre temps pendant les vacances ? (How do you fill your time during the holidays?)
• Les enfants s'occupent avec leurs jeux. (The children are keeping themselves busy with their games.)
• Il faut s'occuper pour ne pas s'ennuyer. (One must keep busy so as not to get bored.)

To linger or stay longer than intended, often implying a relaxed or prolonged spending of time – s'attarder

The French verb s'attarder directly translates to 'to linger' or 'to stay longer than intended'. It often implies a relaxed or prolonged spending of time, sometimes even to the point of being late.

S'attarder is a reflexive verb, meaning it's always used with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se). This highlights that the action of lingering is performed by the subject upon themselves.

You'll frequently hear s'attarder when someone takes their time, dawdles, or spends an extended period somewhere. It can carry a neutral or slightly negative connotation depending on whether the lingering was intentional and welcome, or if it caused a delay.

💡 *Je me suis attardé au café. (I lingered at the cafe.)
*Ne t'attarde pas trop, il se fait tard. (Don't linger too long, it's getting late.)
*Nous nous sommes attardés à discuter après le dîner. (We lingered talking after dinner.)
*Elle s'attarde souvent devant les vitrines. (She often lingers in front of shop windows.)
*Ils se sont attardés dans le jardin. (They lingered in the garden.)

2. To hang out or loiter: traîner

The verb traîner is a versatile French verb that can mean 'to hang out', 'to loiter', or 'to spend time casually without a specific goal'. It perfectly captures the idea of passing time in a relaxed, often aimless way.

Unlike simply 'spending time' (passer du temps), traîner implies a certain lack of urgency or a deliberate idleness. It's often used when you're just 'kicking back' or 'killing time', typically in a public or social setting.

You might use traîner to describe spending time with friends (e.g., traîner avec des amis), or just hanging around a place (e.g., traîner au café). It can also carry a slightly negative connotation of 'dawdling' or 'lollygagging' if used in a disapproving way.

As a regular -er verb, traîner follows standard conjugation patterns, making it relatively easy to learn. For example, in the present tense: je traîne, tu traînes, il/elle traîne, nous traînons, vous traînez, ils/elles traînent.

💡 * J'aime traîner au parc le dimanche. (I like to hang out at the park on Sundays.)

• Ils traînent souvent ensemble après l'école. (They often hang out together after school.)
• Arrête de traîner et fais tes devoirs! (Stop dawdling and do your homework!)
• Nous avons traîné dans les rues de Paris pendant des heures. (We loitered in the streets of Paris for hours.)
• Elle traîne toujours avec des gens bizarres. (She always hangs out with strange people.)

1. To waste one's time, to spend it unproductively – perdre son temps

The most direct and common way to say "to waste one's time" or "to spend time unproductively" in French is perdre son temps.

This idiomatic expression literally translates to "to lose one's time". It's composed of: * perdre (to lose), * son (one's, his/her/its - a possessive adjective that agrees with the gender and number of the noun it modifies), and * temps (time).

The verb perdre is a regular -RE verb and will be conjugated according to the subject. The possessive adjective son (or sa for feminine, ses for plural) will change to match the 'owner' of the time, so you'll use mon temps (my time), ton temps (your time), leur temps (their time), etc.

You use perdre son temps when referring to an activity that is futile, unproductive, or simply not worth the effort. It implies a lack of benefit or a missed opportunity for something more valuable.

💡 * Il perd son temps à regarder la télévision toute la journée. (He wastes his time watching TV all day.)

• Ne perds pas ton temps avec ce genre de choses. (Don't waste your time with these kinds of things.)
• Nous avons perdu notre temps à attendre le bus. (We wasted our time waiting for the bus.)
• Elle pense que je perds mon temps à apprendre le japonais. (She thinks I'm wasting my time learning Japanese.)
• Ils perdent leur temps à discuter de sujets insignifiants. (They waste their time discussing insignificant topics.)

Are there other ways to say 'to spend' in French?

Are there other ways to say 'to spend' in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say 'to spend' in French (passer and dépenser). But French is rich with expressions for time and money, from old-fashioned ones, to regional ones, to up-and-coming slang ones this middle-aged author might not even be aware of!

You can also do an online search for 'comment dire dépenser en ___' or 'comment dire passer du temps en ___' followed by a specific Francophone country or region.

You might find some interesting synonyms or expressions for 'to spend' on this list. Of course, make sure to check a word’s definition and try to see it used in context before you use it.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French — you may discover different ways to talk about spending time or money.

And if you’re looking for more ways to talk about spending in French, the WordReference entries for dépenser and passer are great places to start!

I hope you found this article helpful. Here’s what I think is the perfect quote to finish it with, courtesy of Benjamin Franklin: Le temps, c'est de l'argent. (Time is money.)