Learn to Tell Time in French
Introduction
In French, there are several ways to tell time. We'll learn the most common expressions and how to use them correctly.
Basic Structure
The basic structure for telling time in French is:
Il est + hour + minutes
For example: "Il est huit heures trente." (It's eight thirty.)
Full Hours
For full hours (without minutes), you simply say:
Il est + number + heure(s)
Example: "Il est deux heures." (It's two o'clock.)
Half-hour and Quarter-hour
For half-hour, use "et demie". For quarter-hour, use "et quart" or "moins le quart".
- 30 minutes past the hour: Il est + hour + et demie
- 15 minutes past the hour: Il est + hour + et quart
- 15 minutes before the next hour: Il est + next hour + moins le quart
Examples
8:00: Il est huit heures. (It's eight o'clock.) |
2:30: Il est deux heures et demie. (It's half past two.) |
9:15: Il est neuf heures et quart. (It's quarter past nine.) |
11:45: Il est midi moins le quart. (It's quarter to twelve.) |
3:40: Il est quatre heures moins vingt. (It's twenty to four.) |
Other Useful Expressions
- Midi: 12:00 PM (Il est midi)
- Minuit: 12:00 AM (Il est minuit)
- Du matin: for hours between midnight and noon (Il est 3 heures du matin - It's 3 AM)
- De l'après-midi: for hours between noon and about 6 PM (Il est 5 heures de l'après-midi - It's 5 PM) or (Il est dix-sept heures - It's 17:00)
- Du soir: for hours after about 6 PM (Il est huit heures du soir - It's 8 PM) or (Il est vingt heures - It's 20:00)
Exercises
Write the time in French for the following clocks (Start with "Il est ..."):
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