Both of these words mean "since" in English but I am unsure of the rules governing which one to use when. Can someone help please?
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puisque is actually a causality/comparative/ because.... depuis means after/ since. depuis does not imply causality. – aliential Jun 29 at 15:12
Puisque has a cause/effect meaning and it is used when since is a synonym of because:
Since you are in the kitchen, could you bring me a cup of coffee?
Puisque tu es dans la cuisine, pourrais-tu m'apporter une tasse de café ?
Depuis is for the cases where since have a meaning of time, space or when we are speaking about series:
Time:
This company is serving customers since 1892.
Cette société est au service des ses clients depuis 1892.
Space:
You have been bothering me since Paris!
Tu m'ennuies depuis Paris !
Serie:
They are all there, from the first to the last.
Ils sont tous là, depuis le premier jusqu'au dernier.
Mind that this one could also, in a less formal way translate to
Ils sont tous là, du premier au dernier.
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That second example is time, isn't it - more or less the same as depuis le moment qu'on a quitté Paris, but a bit less emphatic. I think space would have to be depuis + lieu, e.g correspondances depuis la gare du nord, trajet depuis Hanoi ... – Rhubarb Jun 28 at 9:14
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Paris is a location not a time. Although, yes, that might imply that "and so it is a long time" so it is the same as your example. See point 2 there: dictionnaire-academie.fr/article/A9D1606 – β.εηοιτ.βε Jun 28 at 11:02
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3Yes Paris is a location, but your example doesn't say depuis Paris, it it says depuis qu'on a quitté Paris, which is a reference to a point in time. I think your translation into English is correct, and the English obviously refers to a time. – Rhubarb Jun 28 at 15:29
