French Grammar: Telling Time – 12-Hour Clock
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Identify:
French Grammar: Telling Time – 12-Hour Clock
le grammaire français: dire l’heure – 12-heure
Knowing how to tell time is important for meetings, schedules, meals, travel, classes, and many other social reasons!
Study:
Telling time (dire l’heure) is a basic skill that you can use to work with different people. Telling the correct time is also vital for traveling in places like airports, train stations, bus stations, and other public transit systems!
When telling time in French, it’s important to understand that you’re really asking what HOUR (heure) it is.
Quelle heure est-il?
What time is it?
All times in French begin with “IL EST…” (It is…). Use the singular form heure to give any time during the one o’clock hour. Use the plural form heures for all other hours (2:00 and later):
Il est une heure. (Il est 1 h 00.)
It’s one o’clock. (It’s 1:00.)
Il est deux heures. (Il est 2 h 00.)
It’s two o’clock. (It’s 2:00.)
Il est trois heures. (Il est 3 h 00.)
It’s three o’clock. (It’s 3:00.)
Il est quatre heures. (Il est 4 h 00.)
It’s four o’clock. (It’s 4:00.)
Il est cinq heures. (Il est 5 h 00.)
It’s five o’clock. (It’s 5:00.)
Il est six heures. (Il est 6 h 00.)
It’s six o’clock. (It’s 6:00.)
Il est sept heures. (Il est 7 h 00.)
It’s seven o’clock. (It’s 7:00.)
Il est huit heures. (Il est 8 h 00.)
It’s eight o’clock. (It’s 8:00.)
Il est neuf heures. (Il est 9 h 00.)
It’s nine o’clock. (It’s 9:00.)
Il est dix heures. (Il est 10 h 00.)
It’s ten o’clock. (It’s 10:00.
Il est onze heures. (Il est 11 h 00.)
It’s eleven o’clock. (It’s 11:00.)
Il est douze heures. (Il est 12 h 00.)
It’s twelve o’clock. (It’s 12:00.)
Minutes after the hour (until half past) are added directly to the hour:
Il est une heure cinq. (Il est 1 h 05.)
It’s five after one. = It’s one-o-five. (It’s 1:05.)
Il est quatre heures dix. (Il est 4 h 10.)
It’s ten after four. = It’s four ten. (It’s 4:10.)
Il est neuf heures vingt-cinq. (Il est 9 h 25.)
It’s nine twenty-five. (It’s 9:25.)
Use “et quart” for quarter after the hour:
Il est sept heures et quart. (Il est 7 h 15.)
It’s a quarter past seven = It’s seven fifteen. (It’s 7:15.)
Use “et demie” for half past the hour:
Il est cinq heures et demie. (Il est 5 h 30.)
It’s half-past five. = It’s five-thirty. (It’s 5:30.)
To tell minutes OF the hour (that is, any time PAST the half-past mark), you must subtract minutes from the next hour that’s coming on the clock. Subtract minutes from the hour using the word moins (minus):
Il est trois heures moins vingt. (Il est 2 h 40.)
It’s three o’clock minus twenty (minutes). = It’s twenty (minutes) till three (o’clock). = It’s 2:40.
Il est onze heures moins cinq. (Il est 10 h 55.)
It’s eleven o’clock minus five (minutes) = It’s five (minutes) till eleven (o’clock) = It’s 10:55.
Use “moins le quart” for quarter of the hour:
Il est six heures moins le quart. (Il est 5 h 45.)
It’s six o’clock minus a quarter. = It’s a quarter till six (o’clock). = It’s 5:45.
Midi : noon
Minuit : midnight
Il est midi.
It’s noon.
Il est minuit.
It’s midnight.
Minutes of and past Noon and Midnight are expressed just as in the hours illustrated above:
Il est midi dix. (Il est 12 h 10.)
It’s ten after noon. = It’s twelve ten (p.m.). = It’s 12:10 (p.m.).
Il est midi et demie. (Il est 12 h 30.)
It’s half-past noon. = It’s twelve thirty (p.m.). = It’s 12:30 (p.m.).
Il est minuit et quart. (Il est 12 h 15.)
It’s a quarter after midnight. = It’s twelve fifteen (a.m.). = It’s 12:15 (a.m.).
Il est minuit moins le quart. (Il est 11 h 45.)
It’s a quarter till midnight. = It’s eleven forty-five (p.m.). = It’s 11:45 (p.m.)
To differentiate between a.m. and p.m., use the expressions du matin (a.m.), de l’après-midi (p.m.), du soir (p.m.), or de la nuit (p.m.).
Il est deux heures de l’après-midi.
It’s two (o’clock) in the afternoon. = It’s two p.m. = It’s 2:00p.m.
Il est trois heures du matin.
It’s three (o’clock) in the morning. = It’s three a.m. = It’s 3:00a.m.
Il est huit heures du soir.
It’s eight (o’clock) in the evening. = It’s eight p.m. = It’s 8:00p.m.
Il est onze heures de la nuit.
It’s eleven (o’clock) at night. = It’s eleven p.m. = It’s 11:00p.m.
When no specific time is mentioned, use the expressions le matin, l’après-midi, le soir, or la nuit.
Je lis toujours le journal le matin.
I always read the newspaper in the morning.
To ask at what time something occurs, use the question À quelle heure…? (À means “at”)
À quelle heure est le / la …
At what time is the … (event)?
To say that something occurs at a specific time, use the formula à + time:
Le party commence à neuf heures.
The party begins at nine o’clock.
La banque ouvre à huit heures et demie.
The bank opens at half past eight.
Here are a number of useful time expressions:
le matin
in the morning (no specific time)
du matin
a.m.; in the morning (specific time)
l’après-midi
in the afternoon (no specific time)
de l’après-midi
p.m.; in the afternoon (specific time)
le soir
in the evening (no specific time)
du soir
p.m.; in the evening (specific time)
la nuit
at night (no specific time)
de la nuit
p.m.; at night (specific time)
aujourd’hui
today
demain
tomorrow
demain matin
tomorrow morning
le lendemain
the day after tomorrow
hier
yesterday
avant-hier
the day before yesterday
hier soir
last night
avant-hier soir
the night before last
lundi prochain
next Monday
la semaine prochaine
next week
l’année prochaine
next year
lundi dernier
last Monday
la semaine dernière
last week
l’année passée
last year
à midi
at noon
à minuit
at midnight
à peu près
around
pendant la journée
during the day
à l’heure
on time
pile
exactly; sharp; on-the-dot (Example: Il est trois heures pile. = It’s 3:00 sharp.)
tard
late
tôt; de bonne heure
early
Adapt:
Quelle heure est-il?
What time is it?
Il est une heure.
It’s one o’clock.
Quelle heure est-il?
What time is it?
Il est cinq heures et demie.
It’s five-thirty.
Quelle heure est-il?
What time is it?
Il est onze heures et quart.
It’s eleven fifteen.
Quelle heure est-il?
What time is it?
Il est douze heures moins dix.
It’s ten till twelve.
À quelle heure est la classe de français?
At what time is the French class?
La classe de français est à quatre heures.
The French class is at four o’clock.
À quelle heure est le vol à Paris?
At what time is the flight to Paris?
Le vol à Paris est à huit heures.
The flight to Paris is at eight o’clock.
Tools:
Explore:
- YouTube/OuinoFrench: Quelle heure est-il?
- YouTube/scottschaffner: Telling Time in French
- YouTube/Tomcraft: Quelle heure est-il?
- BBC French/School Day: Times
- lexiquefle.free.fr: Les Heures (audio practice)
- languagesonline : 01. Quelle heure est-il? (game)
- languagesonline: 02. Quelle heure est-il? (game)
- languagesonline: 03. Il est dix heures et quart (game)
- languagesonline: 04. Trouve l’heure! (game)
- languagesonline: 06. Quelle heure est-il? (game)
- Mathisfun.com : Time AM/PM vs. The 24 Clock
- YouTube/Study French: How to Tell Time in French
- YouTube/Frencheezee: Learn the Time in French
- YouTube/Marinou4444: Quelle Heure Est-Il?
- BBC French / School Day: Times
- lexiquefle.free.fr: Les Heures (audio practice)
