A Guide to Telling the Time in French

Learning how to tell the time in French is a great way to build confidence in everyday conversation. Whether you’re catching a train, meeting a friend, or just practicing your skills, these basics will help you sound natural and polite.

Asking the Time

To ask someone what time it is, say:

• Quelle heure est-il ? – What time is it?

This is the standard and polite way to ask. You can also say:

• Il est quelle heure ? – What time is it? (more casual)

Saying the Time

French uses the 24-hour clock in formal settings (like timetables), but in conversation, the 12-hour format is common, just like in English.

Here’s how to say the time:

• Il est une heure. – It’s one o’clock.
• Il est deux heures. – It’s two o’clock.
• Il est trois heures. – It’s three o’clock.
  …and so on.

Note: Heure means “hour,” and you always use the plural heures after one o’clock.

Adding Minutes

To be more precise, add the minutes:

• Il est cinq heures dix. – It’s 5:10.
• Il est sept heures et quart. – It’s 7:15 (et quart = quarter past)
• Il est huit heures et demie. – It’s 8:30 (et demie = half past)
• Il est neuf heures moins le quart. – It’s 8:45 (moins le quart = quarter to)

Morning, Afternoon, Evening

To clarify the time of day, you can add:

• du matin – in the morning
• de l’après-midi – in the afternoon
• du soir – in the evening

Example:

• Il est six heures du matin. – It’s 6 a.m.
• Il est six heures du soir. – It’s 6 p.m.

Quick Tips

• French doesn’t use “a.m.” or “p.m.” in speech—use the phrases above instead.
• For formal situations (like train schedules), you’ll hear the 24-hour clock:
  • Il est dix-sept heures. – It’s 5 p.m.

Sentence Builder Summary

Quelle heure est-il?
What time is it?

Il est… It is…

une heure one deux heures two trois heures three quatre heures four

cinq / dix / vingt five / ten/ twenty et quart fifteen (i.e. quarter past) et demie thirty (i.e. half past) moins le quart minus fifteen (i.e. quarter to)

Practice: Telling the Time

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