THE TIME : L'HEURE

In informal settings, we much rather use the following expressions :

Repeat

We have our equivalents of noon and midnight :
- il est midi (noon),
- il est minuit (midnight).
Note that these 2 expressions do not require the word heure since their position in the day is self-implied.
I strongly recommend that you use these, since douze heures sounds a lot like deux heures, and it's very easy to be mistaken.

- et quart (quarter past)
1h15 : il est une heure et quart.
NOTE the difference between quart (pronouced car) et quatre (4).

- moins le quart (quarter of)
3h45 : il est quatre heures moins le quart.
NOTE don't forget to say the following hour : THREE forty five is quarter of FOUR.
You also want to glide your le as much as possible.

- et demie (and an half)
1h30: il est une heure et demie.
NOTE that demie becomes demi for midi and minuit.
12h30: il est midi (ou minuit) et demi.

Minutes Past/To the Hour

If the time you want to express cannot be divided into quarters (ex : 3h10, 12h05, 1h40, 7h55), you have to indicate the number of minutes. Don't forget that the word heure(s) is never omitted (on the contrary, you don't say the word minute(s)).

Just write the number of minutes straight after the hour, as in the official time.
- 3h10 : il est trois heures dix.
- 12h05 : il est douze heures cinq. il est midi (minuit) cinq.
- 1h40 : il est une heure quarante.
- 7h55 : il est sept heures cinquante-cinq.

If the time you want to express is PAST THE HALF HOUR, then you can also say the minutes remaining TO the next full hour. Don't forget to go to the next hour ; 1:40 is Twenty to two !
We mostly use this way for round amount of minutes (25 off, 20 off, 15 off, 10 to1 off)

In this case, you have to use the expression MOINS to express the notion TO.
- 1h40 : il est deux heures moins vingt.
- 7h55 : il est huit heures moins cinq.

To indicate the difference between A.M. and P.M., we use the following expressions :

Repeat

- du matin (in the morning)
ex : 10h30 A.M. -- il est dix heures et demie du matin.

- de l'après-midi (in the afternoon)
ex : 3h05 P.M. -- il est trois heures cinq de l'après-midi.

- du soir P.M. (after 7 P.M.)
ex : 9h40 P.M. -- il est dix heures moins vingt du soir.
NOTE that midi and minuit do not require this precision as there position in the day is self-contained.

We only give this additionnal info when the context doesn't give the part of the day. For exemple, if I say "J'ai rendez-vous chez le dentiste à 3 heures", well, it's not going to be 3 in the morning. Or if I say, "Je dîne avec Pierre à 8h30", dîne implies that it is in the evening. But when telling a story, an starting with the time, this info is important "Il était huit heures du matin et j'écoutais la radio quand…" well, I could be listening to the radio at 3PM.

Don't forget to use "h" instead of ":" when you write down your times !

Exercise 1

12h10, 0h30, 2h25, 15h30, 15h30, 17h45, 17h45, 18h20, 19h00, 20h30, 3h25, 23h55, 23h55, 20h45, 20h45, 12h38, 5h40, 5h40, 3h27, 17h15, 17h15, 14h12, 22h35, 22h35.

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Visit our brand new website FrenchToday.com for 22+ hours of free French audio lessons and new french audio podcasts! Home French Tutoring Proofreading Custom Recordings Free Material Free Lessons Free Online Book Easy Poetry Podcast Travel Tips Reviews Camille's Audiobooks Favorite Links Contact Me Store Learn with Camille "A course designed for my specific needs" "Warning: addictive!" "An extremely dedicated and conscientious teacher" "Superb one on one instruction" "I travel over one hour each way to my weekly lesson without a second thought" More reviews...	THE TIME : L'HEURE In informal settings, we much rather use the following expressions : Repeat We have our equivalents of noon and midnight : - il est midi (noon), - il est minuit (midnight). Note that these 2 expressions do not require the word heure since their position in the day is self-implied. I strongly recommend that you use these, since douze heures sounds a lot like deux heures, and it's very easy to be mistaken. - et quart (quarter past) 1h15 : il est une heure et quart. NOTE the difference between quart (pronouced car) et quatre (4). - moins le quart (quarter of) 3h45 : il est quatre heures moins le quart. NOTE don't forget to say the following hour : THREE forty five is quarter of FOUR. You also want to glide your le as much as possible. - et demie (and an half) 1h30: il est une heure et demie. NOTE that demie becomes demi for midi and minuit. 12h30: il est midi (ou minuit) et demi. Minutes Past/To the Hour If the time you want to express cannot be divided into quarters (ex : 3h10, 12h05, 1h40, 7h55), you have to indicate the number of minutes. Don't forget that the word heure(s) is never omitted (on the contrary, you don't say the word minute(s)). Just write the number of minutes straight after the hour, as in the official time. - 3h10 : il est trois heures dix. - 12h05 : il est douze heures cinq. il est midi (minuit) cinq. - 1h40 : il est une heure quarante. - 7h55 : il est sept heures cinquante-cinq. If the time you want to express is PAST THE HALF HOUR, then you can also say the minutes remaining TO the next full hour. Don't forget to go to the next hour ; 1:40 is Twenty to two ! We mostly use this way for round amount of minutes (25 off, 20 off, 15 off, 10 to1 off) In this case, you have to use the expression MOINS to express the notion TO. - 1h40 : il est deux heures moins vingt. - 7h55 : il est huit heures moins cinq. To indicate the difference between A.M. and P.M., we use the following expressions : Repeat - du matin (in the morning) ex : 10h30 A.M. -- il est dix heures et demie du matin. - de l'après-midi (in the afternoon) ex : 3h05 P.M. -- il est trois heures cinq de l'après-midi. - du soir P.M. (after 7 P.M.) ex : 9h40 P.M. -- il est dix heures moins vingt du soir. NOTE that midi and minuit do not require this precision as there position in the day is self-contained. We only give this additionnal info when the context doesn't give the part of the day. For exemple, if I say "J'ai rendez-vous chez le dentiste à 3 heures", well, it's not going to be 3 in the morning. Or if I say, "Je dîne avec Pierre à 8h30", dîne implies that it is in the evening. But when telling a story, an starting with the time, this info is important "Il était huit heures du matin et j'écoutais la radio quand…" well, I could be listening to the radio at 3PM. Don't forget to use "h" instead of ":" when you write down your times ! Exercise 1 12h10, 0h30, 2h25, 15h30, 15h30, 17h45, 17h45, 18h20, 19h00, 20h30, 3h25, 23h55, 23h55, 20h45, 20h45, 12h38, 5h40, 5h40, 3h27, 17h15, 17h15, 14h12, 22h35, 22h35. <-Previous Next ->