French Time Expressions: Clock Time and Daily Moments
Clock Time (L'heure)
Basic Structure
- Il est + [hour]
- [Hour] + heure(s)
- [Minutes] are added after hours
Key Time Phrases
- "Il est huit heures" (It's 8 o'clock)
- Uses "il est" as the impersonal expression for time
- "Il est huit heures et quart" (It's 8:15)
- "et quart" means quarter past
- "Il est huit heures et demie" (It's 8:30)
- "et demie" means half past
- "Il est huit heures moins le quart" (It's 7:45)
- "moins le quart" means quarter to
Daily Time References
Parts of Day
-
"Le matin" (morning) Example: "Je me lève tôt le matin" (I wake up early in the morning)
-
"L'après-midi" (afternoon) Example: "On déjeune l'après-midi" (We have lunch in the afternoon)
-
"Le soir" (evening) Example: "Je rentre chez moi le soir" (I return home in the evening)
Specific Moments
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"À midi" (at noon) Example: "Le cours commence à midi" (The class starts at noon)
-
"À minuit" (at midnight) Example: "Le restaurant ferme à minuit" (The restaurant closes at midnight)
Frequency Expressions
Regular Events
-
"Tous les jours" (every day) Example: "Je prends un café tous les jours" (I have coffee every day)
-
"Une fois par semaine" (once a week) Example: "Je vais au cinéma une fois par semaine" (I go to the movies once a week)
Duration
-
"Pendant" (during/for) Example: "J'ai étudié pendant deux heures" (I studied for two hours)
-
"Depuis" (since/for) Example: "J'habite ici depuis trois ans" (I have lived here for three years)
Time Questions
Asking Time
- "Quelle heure est-il?" (What time is it?)
- Most common way to ask for time
- "À quelle heure...?" (At what time...?) Example: "À quelle heure commence le film?" (What time does the movie start?)
Common Time Prepositions
-
"à" (at) Example: "Le train part à 9 heures" (The train leaves at 9 o'clock)
-
"de...à" (from...to) Example: "Je travaille de 9 heures à 17 heures" (I work from 9 AM to 5 PM)
French uses the 24-hour clock in official contexts, but both 12-hour and 24-hour formats are understood in conversation.