Telling time in French hinges on whether you use the 12-hour clock with midi and minuit or the 24-hour clock for precision. You'll also choose between heure(s) for whole hours, et quart for 15 minutes past, et demie for half past, moins le quart for 15 minutes to, and expressions for minutes before or after the hour.
Basic Expressions
The key phrase to give the time is il est followed by the hour and minutes. Use heure in the singular for 1 and heures in the plural for all other hours.
To the Hour
Quarter Past
Half Past
Quarter To
Minutes Past and Minutes To
It is three o'clock
24-Hour Clock
The 24-hour clock is used in schedules, official contexts, and when precision matters; you simply state the hour from 0 to 23 and then the minutes. For spoken time in everyday life, people often convert back to the 12-hour format or use contextual clues.
Special Terms
Use midi for 12:00 PM and minuit for 12:00 AM to avoid ambiguity. Expressions like du matin, de l'après-midi, and du soir can clarify whether you mean AM or PM when using the 12-hour clock.
Summary
Stick to il est plus heure(s) for the basic time, use et quart, et demie, and moins le quart for 15-minute intervals, and choose between the 12-hour and 24-hour formats depending on context. Practice with real-world times to make these expressions second nature.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025