We present data obtained by time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy in selected semiconducting and molecular systems exhibiting subpicosecond far-infrared dynamics. We use a frequency-domain method which eliminates the influence of instrumental functions and artifacts due to frequency mixing and yields a two-dimensional transient conductivity of the photoexcited sample. This technique enables improving the attainable experimental time resolution and allows a simple qualitative interpretation of the results without a priori modeling. The quantitative interpretation is based on the time-dependent Drude and damped harmonic oscillator models.