Telling the Time
Ask and tell the time in French, from exact hours to quarter-past and half-past.
STRUCTURE: Il est (it is) + [number] + heure (hour)(s): Il est deux heures (it is two o'clock). (It is two o'clock.) Il est une heure (it is one o'clock). Note: heure takes an S for all numbers except one
SPECIAL TIMES: midi (noon) is the everyday word for noon and minuit (midnight) for midnight; neither takes heure. You will also hear Il est douze heures (it is twelve o'clock) (24-hour clock), which is correct too
QUARTERS AND HALVES: three fixed phrases: et quart (quarter past), et demie (half past), moins le quart (quarter to). Moins le quart counts back from the NEXT hour: huit heures moins le quart (quarter to eight) = 7:45
ASKING: Quelle heure est-il ? (what time is it?) is the standard question; in everyday speech you'll also hear Il est quelle heure ? (what time is it?). Both are correct
Reminder: minutes (deux heures dix) and the 24-hour clock come later in A1
- Il est deux heures. — It is two o'clock. (liaison z)
- Il est trois heures et quart. — It is quarter past three.
- Il est cinq heures et demie. — It is half past five.
- Il est huit heures moins le quart. — It is quarter to eight.
- Quelle heure est-il ? — What time is it?
- À quelle heure commence le film ? — What time does the film start?