To tell time in French, you use "Quelle heure est-il?" for "What time is it?" and respond with "Il est..." followed by the hour and minutes. Hours from 1 to 12 are used for spoken time, and minutes are expressed with "et" (and) for minutes past the hour, "moins" (minus) for minutes to the hour, and special terms like "et quart" (quarter past), "et demie" (half past), and "moins le quart" (quarter to). The 24-hour clock (le système horaire 24 heures) is standard for schedules, and you simply state the number from 13 to 23 for afternoon/evening hours.
- 0:00 – minuit
- 12:00 – midi
- ".... o'clock" – Il est... + hour
- "x minutes past" – ...heure(s) et...
- "x minutes to" – ...heure(s) moins...
- "quarter past" – ...et quart
- "half past" – ...et demie
- "quarter to" – ...moins le quart
- 24-hour time – Use numbers 00-23 (e.g. 14:00 = quatorze heures)
The question 'What time is it?' in French is 'Quelle heure est-il?'.
'Il est...' is used to state the time, e.g., 'Il est trois heures,' 'Il est six heures et quart,' 'Il est neuf heures moins dix.'
'Il est deux heures et demie' means 'It is 2:30.'
For 3:45, you'd say 'Il est quatre heures moins quinze' (It's quarter to four).
The 24-hour clock system in French is called 'le système horaire 24 heures.'
'Midi' (noon) and 'minuit' (midnight) are used for 12:00.
'Matin,' 'après-midi,' and 'soir' are common parts of the day.
Hour Basics
French hours are counted from 1 to 12, similar to English. To say the hour, use:
- Il est + number + heure(s).
- Use heure for 1 o’clock, heures for all other hours.
Examples:
- 1:00 → Il est une heure.
- 3:00 → Il est trois heures.
- 12:00 → Il est douze heures.
The correct way is 'Il est trois heures.'
Use 'heure' at 1:00, and 'heures' for other hours.
Minutes
Minutes are added with et (and) for past the hour and moins (minus) for approaching the next hour.
- Past: Il est + heure + et + minutes
- To: Il est + (heure + 1) + moins + minutes
Examples:
- 4:05 → Il est quatre heures cinq.
- 7:10 → Il est sept heures dix.
- 9:50 → Il est dix heures moins dix.
- 2:55 → Il est trois heures moins cinq.
'4:05' is 'Il est quatre heures cinq' and '9:50' is 'Il est dix heures moins dix.'
It's 'Il est trois heures moins cinq' (five minutes to three).
'et' for past minutes, 'moins' for minutes to the hour.
Quarter and Half
- Quarter past: et quart
- Half past: et demie
- Quarter to: moins le quart
Examples:
- 3:15 → Il est trois heures et quart.
- 6:30 → Il est six heures et demie.
- 10:45 → Il est onze heures moins le quart.
'et quart' (quarter past), 'et demie' (half past), 'moins le quart' (quarter to).
'6:30' is 'Il est six heures et demie' and '10:45' is 'Il est onze heures moins le quart.'
24-Hour Clock
For official times (transport, TV), use the 24-hour clock. After noon, just say the hour number:
- 13:00 → Il est treize heures.
- 15:30 → Il est quinze heures trente.
- 23:45 → Il est vingt-trois heures quarante-cinq.
Midnight is 00:00 (minuit).
2:00 PM is 'quatorze heures,' 11:30 PM is 'vingt-trois heures trente.'
You use numbers past 12: 13 heures (1 PM), 14 heures (2 PM), etc.
Midnight is '00:00' or sometimes '24:00'.
Common Time Phrases
- Quel est le jour? → What day is it?
- À quelle heure...? → At what time...?
- Le matin → In the morning
- L'après-midi → In the afternoon
- Le soir → In the evening
'À quelle heure...?', 'Le matin', 'L'après-midi', and 'Le soir' are common expressions.
Conclusion
Telling time in French blends clear logic with a touch of elegance through phrases for quarters and halves. Mastering both the 12-hour and 24-hour systems will help you navigate everyday conversations and formal schedules with ease.
- Use "Il est..." + hour + minutes for most situations.
- Remember special terms for quarter and half hours.
- The 24-hour clock is used for official schedules (13:00, 14:00...).