meaning - So, in 5 minutes means either during 5 minutes or after . . . With respect to your paraphrase: during five minutes, during five weeks, etc are not idiomatic as is When using the preposition during with a number of time-units, you need a noun, the span, that comprises those time-units: "during a space of five minutes" or "during a brief respite of five weeks" or "during three weeks of the semester"