{"id":3030,"date":"2021-12-15T17:29:22","date_gmt":"2021-12-15T17:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/?p=3030"},"modified":"2021-12-15T17:29:23","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T17:29:23","slug":"how-to-tell-the-time-in-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/how-to-tell-the-time-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Tell The Time In French &#8211; Become A Time Master Quickly And Easily"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>#kt-info-box_37df53-fa .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-bottom:40px;}#kt-info-box_37df53-fa .kadence-info-box-image-inner-intrisic-container{max-width:1200px;}#kt-info-box_37df53-fa .kadence-info-box-image-inner-intrisic-container .kadence-info-box-image-intrisic{padding-bottom:52.3333%;width:1200px;height:0px;max-width:100%;}#kt-info-box_37df53-fa .kadence-info-box-icon-container .kt-info-svg-icon, #kt-info-box_37df53-fa .kt-info-svg-icon-flip, #kt-info-box_37df53-fa .kt-blocks-info-box-number{font-size:50px;}#kt-info-box_37df53-fa .kt-blocks-info-box-media{color:#444444;background:transparent;border-color:var(--global-palette9, #ffffff);border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;}#kt-info-box_37df53-fa .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover .kt-blocks-info-box-media{color:#444444;background:transparent;border-color:#444444;}#kt-info-box_37df53-fa .kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore{background:transparent;border-width:0px 0px 0px 0px;padding-top:4px;padding-right:8px;padding-bottom:4px;padding-left:8px;margin:10px 0px 10px 0px;}#kt-info-box_37df53-fa .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap{box-shadow:0px 0px 6px 1px var(--global-palette6, #718096);}#kt-info-box_37df53-fa .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover{box-shadow:0px 0px 6px 1px var(--global-palette6, #718096);}<\/style>\n<div id=\"kt-info-box_37df53-fa\" class=\"wp-block-kadence-infobox\"><a class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap info-box-link kt-blocks-info-box-media-align-left kt-info-halign-center\"><div class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-media-container\"><div class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-media kt-info-media-animate-none\"><div class=\"kadence-info-box-image-inner-intrisic-container\"><div class=\"kadence-info-box-image-intrisic kt-info-animate-none\"><div class=\"kadence-info-box-image-inner-intrisic\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/how-to-tell-the-time-in-french.jpg\" alt=\"how-to-tell-the-time-in-french\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" class=\"kt-info-box-image wp-image-3049\" srcset=\"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/how-to-tell-the-time-in-french.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/how-to-tell-the-time-in-french-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/how-to-tell-the-time-in-french-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/how-to-tell-the-time-in-french-150x79.jpg 150w, https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/how-to-tell-the-time-in-french-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"kt-infobox-textcontent\"><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learning how to tell the time in French is essential.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether it&#8217;s for travel, work, meeting with friends or making appointments, you need to master this basic skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I know that telling the time can seem tricky at first. But as a French coach, my goal is to help you get through this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In this article, you&#8217;ll learn everything you need to know to tell the time like a pro!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s jump in!<\/p>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_925141-d1 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_925141-d1 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_925141-d1 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);max-width:var( --global-content-width, 1200px );padding-left:var(--global-content-edge-padding);padding-right:var(--global-content-edge-padding);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:25px;padding-right:25px;grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_925141-d1 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_925141-d1 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_925141-d1 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_925141-d1\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_925141-d1\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row kb-theme-content-width\"><style>.kadence-column_946370-9f > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_946370-9f > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_946370-9f > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_946370-9f > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_946370-9f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_946370-9f > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_946370-9f > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_946370-9f{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_946370-9f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_946370-9f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_946370-9f\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id_bacc5f-de:not(.this-class-is-for-specificity):not(.class-is-for-specificity){margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id_bacc5f-de .kb-table-of-content-wrap{padding-top:20px;padding-right:20px;padding-bottom:20px;padding-left:20px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;box-shadow:0px 0px 14px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);max-width:669px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id_bacc5f-de .kb-table-of-contents-title-wrap{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id_bacc5f-de .kb-table-of-contents-title-wrap{color:var(--global-palette2, #2B6CB0);}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id_bacc5f-de .kb-table-of-contents-title{color:var(--global-palette2, #2B6CB0);font-size:18px;line-height:5px;letter-spacing:0px;font-weight:regular;font-style:normal;text-transform:none;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id_bacc5f-de .kb-table-of-content-wrap .kb-table-of-content-list{color:var(--global-palette2, #2B6CB0);font-size:18px;font-weight:regular;font-style:normal;text-transform:none;margin-top:20px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id_bacc5f-de .kb-table-of-content-list li{margin-bottom:1px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id_bacc5f-de .kb-table-of-content-list li .kb-table-of-contents-list-sub{margin-top:1px;}<\/style><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The basics of telling the time in French<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To tell the time in French,<\/strong> you need to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>know your French numbers (from 0 to 59 is enough)<\/li><li><strong>use the sentence <em>Il est<\/em><\/strong><strong> + (number) + <em>heure(s)<\/em><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>While in English, you can say &#8220;It&#8217;s four&#8221; instead of &#8220;It&#8217;s four o&#8217;clock&#8221;, you can&#8217;t do the same in French. You would say <em>Il est quatre heures<\/em> and not <em>Il est quatre<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So <strong>make sure to always use the word <\/strong><strong><em>heure(s)<\/em><\/strong><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some simple examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>Il est 1 heure<\/em> (It&#8217;s 1 a.m.)<\/li><li><em>Il est 10 heures <\/em>(It&#8217;s 10 a.m.)<\/li><li><em>Il est 15 heures<\/em> (It&#8217;s 3 p.m.)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Note: When we talk about hours, the number 1 is pronounced as <em>une<\/em> and not <em>un<\/em>, because <em>une heure<\/em> is feminine. All the other numbers are pronounced as usual<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The 24-hour clock in French<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;ve read that last example correctly, you might have wondered &#8220;Why are we using 15 here?&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While most English-speaking countries use the 12-hour clock to tell the time, <strong>French uses both the 12-hour clock and 24-hour clock.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Generally, French people prefer the 24-hour clock system though, so it&#8217;s good to know it!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Instead of just counting from 1 to 12, you&#8217;ll need to go from 1 to 23<\/strong> (we&#8217;ll see in a moment why not 24).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>With the 12-hour clock<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>With the 24-hour clock<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">If you say <em>Il est 7 heures<\/em>, it can mean either &#8220;It&#8217;s 7 a.m.&#8221; OR &#8220;It&#8217;s 7 p.m.&#8221;<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">If you say <em>Il est 20 heures<\/em>,<br>it means &#8220;It&#8217;s 8 p.m.&#8221;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You see <strong>with the 24-hour clock, there&#8217;s no confusion possible!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The 12-hour clock in French<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>But what about telling the time with the 12-hour clock? How do you know if you&#8217;re talking about a.m. or p.m.?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s simple!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In French, if we need to specify what time we&#8217;re talking about (if it&#8217;s not already obvious from the context), <strong>we add the following:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong><em>du matin<\/em><\/strong><strong>, refers to a.m.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong><em>de l&#8217;apr\u00e8s-midi<\/em><\/strong><strong>, refers to the hours from noon until 5 p.m.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong><em>du soir<\/em><\/strong><strong>, refers to the hours from 6 p.m. until midnight<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>Il est 3 heures du matin <\/em>(It&#8217;s 3 a.m.)<\/li><li><em>Il est 3 heures de l&#8217;apr\u00e8s-midi <\/em>(It&#8217;s 3 p.m.)<\/li><li><em>Il est 9 heures du soir<\/em> (It&#8217;s 9 p.m.)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The special cases of 12 a.m. and 12 p.m. in French<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To talk about noon in French, you can say:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>Il est midi <\/em>(It&#8217;s noon)<\/li><li><em>Il est 12 heures<\/em> (It&#8217;s 12 p.m.)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The last sentence works in both the 12-hour clock and 24-hour clock. So you don&#8217;t need to say something like <em>Il est 12 heures de l&#8217;apr\u00e8s-midi<\/em> to refer to noon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another thing: You&#8217;ll never hear French people say is <em>Il est 12 heures du matin<\/em> or <em>Il est 12 heures du soir<\/em> to refer to midnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To talk about midnight in French, you can only say:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>Il est minuit<\/em> (It&#8217;s midnight)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We don&#8217;t say <em>Il est 24 heures <\/em>either, even if we use the 24-hour clock. That&#8217;s why you only need to know your numbers from 1 to 23, not 24!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The full cheat sheet to tell the time on the dot in French<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To help you, here&#8217;s a full table with all the hours!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>English<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>24-hour clock in French<\/strong><em><\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>12-hour clock in French<\/strong><em><\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 1 a.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 1 heure<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 1 heure du matin<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 2 a.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 2 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 2 heures du matin<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 3 a.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 3 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 3 heures du matin<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 4&nbsp;a.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 4 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 4 heures du matin<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 5 a.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 5 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 5 heures du matin<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 6 a.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 6 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 6 heures du matin<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 7 a.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 7 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 7 heures du matin<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 8 a.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 8 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 8 heures du matin<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 9 a.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 9 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 9 heures du matin<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 10 a.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 10 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 10 heures du matin<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 11 a.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 11 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 11 heures du matin<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 12 p.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est midi<\/em><br><em>Il est 12 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est midi<\/em><br><em>Il est 12 heures<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 1 p.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 13 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 1 heure de l&#8217;apr\u00e8s-midi<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 2 p.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 14 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 2 heures de l&#8217;apr\u00e8s-midi<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 3 p.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 15 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 3 heures de l&#8217;apr\u00e8s-midi<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 4 p.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 16 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 4 heures de l&#8217;apr\u00e8s-midi<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 5 p.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 17 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 5 heures de l&#8217;apr\u00e8s-midi<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 6 p.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 18 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 6 heures du soir<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 7 p.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 19 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 7 heures du soir<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 8 p.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 20 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 8 heures du soir<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 9 p.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 21 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 9 heures du soir<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 10 p.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 22 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 10 heures du soir<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 11 p.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 23 heures<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est 11 heures du soir<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It&#8217;s 12 a.m.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est minuit<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est minuit<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Now that you know how to tell the time on the dot, let&#8217;s see how to deal with some time subtleties!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to say Quarter Past in French?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you want to say &#8220;quarter past&#8221; in French, you can use:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong><em>et quart<\/em><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><em>quinze <\/em><\/strong>(15)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>Il est 2 heures et quart<\/em> (It&#8217;s a quarter past two)<\/li><li><em>Il est 7 heures quinze <\/em>(It&#8217;s a quarter past seven)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To talk about any minute between 1 and 29 past the hour, all you need is to say the number of minutes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>Il est 14 heures cinq<\/em> (It&#8217;s 2:05)<\/li><li><em>Il est 3 heures dix-huit <\/em>(It&#8217;s 3:18)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to say Half Past in French?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you want to say &#8220;half past&#8221; in French, you can use:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong><em>et demie<\/em><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><em>trente<\/em><\/strong><em> <\/em>(30)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>Il est midi et demie <\/em>(It&#8217;s half past twelve)<\/li><li><em>Il est 13 heures trente <\/em>(It&#8217;s half past one)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to say Quarter To in French?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you want to say &#8220;quarter to&#8221; in French, you can use:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong><em>moins le quart<\/em><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><em>moins quinze&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><em>quarante-cinq<\/em><\/strong> (45)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>Il est 5 heures moins le quart <\/em>(It&#8217;s a quarter to five)<\/li><li><em>Il est 4 heures moins quinze <\/em>(It&#8217;s a quarter to four)<\/li><li><em>Il est 8 heures quarante-cinq <\/em>(It&#8217;s 8:45)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To talk about any minute between 31 and 59 to the hour, you have two choices.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li><strong>You can use <\/strong><strong><em>moins <\/em><\/strong><strong>(minus).<\/strong> For example, Il est<em> 6 heures moins vingt<\/em> (It&#8217;s twenty to six).<\/li><li><strong>You can simply say the number of minutes<\/strong>, like<em> Il est 6 heures quarante<\/em> (It&#8217;s 6:40).<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to ask for the time in French?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Asking for the time is one of the most <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/common-french-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>common French questions<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When you want to ask for the time, you can say:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>Quelle heure est-il ? <\/em>(What time is it?)<\/li><li><em>Il est quelle heure ?<\/em> (What time is it?) &#8211; Informal<\/li><li><em>Avez-vous l&#8217;heure, s&#8217;il vous pla\u00eet ?<\/em> (Do you have the time, please?)&nbsp;<\/li><li><em>T&#8217;as l&#8217;heure ? <\/em>(Do you have the time?) &#8211; Super casual<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you want to ask the time of something specific, use <\/strong><strong><em>\u00e0 quelle heure<\/em><\/strong><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>\u00c0 quelle heure est le film ?<\/em> (What time is the movie?)<\/li><li><em>Le film est \u00e0 quelle heure ?<\/em> (What time is the movie?) &#8211; Informal<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to write the time in French?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When we write the time in French, we abbreviate <\/strong><strong><em>heure(s)<\/em><\/strong><strong> by <\/strong><strong><em>h<\/em><\/strong><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>3 h<\/em> (3:00)<\/li><li><em>20 h<\/em> (8:00)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Note: The proper typography rule is to leave a space between the number and <em>h<\/em>. However, most French people don&#8217;t even know this specific rule and don&#8217;t use it. So, writing <em>13h<\/em> or <em>20h<\/em> is acceptable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For <\/strong><strong><em>minuit<\/em><\/strong><strong> (midnight), you need to use the number <\/strong><strong><em>0<\/em><\/strong><strong> in writing<\/strong> whether you&#8217;re using the 12-hour clock or 24-hour clock (so don&#8217;t use 12 or 24!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>0 h 25<\/em> (0:25)<\/li><li><em>0 h 47<\/em> (0:47)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More useful vocabulary to tell the time in French<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s more vocabulary worth knowing to talk about the time in French.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>French<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>English<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Examples<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>pile<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">on the dot\/sharp<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il part \u00e0 midi pile<\/em><br>(He&#8217;s leaving at noon on the dot)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>\u00e0<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">at<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Je viens \u00e0 13 heures<\/em><br>(I&#8217;m coming at 1 p.m.)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>vers<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">around<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Je mange vers 14 heures<\/em> <br>(I eat around 2 p.m.)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>C&#8217;est \u00e0 quelle<\/em><br><em>heure ?<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">At what time<br>is it?<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Je viendrai avec toi. C&#8217;est \u00e0 quelle heure ? <\/em><br>(I&#8217;ll go with you. At what time is it?)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>presque<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">almost<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est presque midi<\/em> <br>(It&#8217;s almost noon)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>bient\u00f4t<\/em><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">soon<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><em>Il est bient\u00f4t minuit <\/em><br>(It&#8217;s midnight soon)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The bottom line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Now you know exactly how to tell the time in French!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ve learned all the basics and the vocabulary to give the time and even ask for it, when the next occasion arises\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Practice right now: Look at your clock and write the time in French in the comment section.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learning how to tell the time in French is essential. Whether it&#8217;s for travel, work, meeting with friends or making appointments, you need to master this basic skill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"table_tags":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/how-to-tell-the-time-in-french-featured.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Joanna","author_link":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/author\/joanna\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3030"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3030"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3030\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3050,"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3030\/revisions\/3050"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3030"},{"taxonomy":"table_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/table_tags?post=3030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}