๐ Telling the time in French
๐ In short
To ask the time we say Quelle heure est-il ? (What time is it?), and answer with Il est..., then the number, then the word heures: Il est huit heures (It's eight o'clock).
๐ The lesson
1 On the hour
For one o'clock we say une heure with no s, and heures for the others.
- Il est une heure.It's one o'clock.
- Il est sept heures.It's seven o'clock.
- Il est midi.It's twelve noon.
- Il est minuit.It's midnight.
2 Quarter and half
| In French | Meaning |
|---|---|
| et quart | Quarter past/to |
| et demie | Half past |
| moins le quart | quarter to |
- Il est trois heures et quart.It's quarter past three.
- Il est trois heures et demie.It's half past three.
- Il est quatre heures moins le quart.It's quarter to four.
3 Minutes
We add the minutes straight after the hour: Il est dix heures vingt (twenty past ten). For minutes before the hour we use moins: Il est six heures moins dix (ten to six).
๐ In a picture
๐ก Watch out!
- On trains and TV the French use the 24-hour clock: Il est quinze heures means three in the afternoon.
๐งฉ Test yourself
1 3:30 in French:
2 What does Il est midi mean?
3 How do you ask โWhat time is it?โ
โ Days, months and seasonsโ The family in French