You're talking in French and it's going well until the other person says something.Is it keHL EURH EHT-EEL?You freeze.You haven't figured out how to tell time while you're working on your French.It would be better if you said "il est sept heures et demie" instead of holding up your phone.It's 7:30.It's easy to tell time in French if you know your numbers.Allons-y!Let's go!
Step 1: To tell the hours on the clock, use the numbers 1-24.
The French use the military time in the US.Although many French speakers understand the 12-hour clock, the time on digital clocks, timetables, and schedules will always be in 24 hour time.You can brush up on your numbers if you're rusty.
Step 2: To tell the time, say "il est" followed by the hour.
"Heure" or "heures" should be added after the number word.If it's one o'clock, say "heure" but for any other time, use the word "Heures."If the word following it starts with a vowels, the "s" at the end of the plural makes a "zh" sound.If someone asks you what time it is, you might reply "Il est cinq heures."When telling time, the word "heures" takes the place of "o'clock.""It is five o'clock" is what you're saying in the previous example.
Step 3: "midi" and "minuit" can be used for noon and midnight.
The French don't refer to the hour by the number.The zero hour is when the French use the 24 hour clock.When you're adding minutes after the hours, always say "midi" and "minuit" for noon and midnight.Don't include the word "heures."You would say "il est midi" if someone asked you what time it was.
Step 4: The appropriate phrase should be included for 12-hour clock times.
You can tell someone the time using the 12-hour clock, even though the official clock in France is the 24 hour clock.If someone asks you what time it is, it will be understood.If you're indicating the time of something to happen in the future, you can say "Du matin" before noon."De l'aprs-midi is from noon until about 6 p.m."It's 5:00 in the afternoon."Du soir" is open until midnight.The time is 8:10 p.m.
Step 5: The time is on the hour.
The word "pile" is the same as "on the dot" or "sharp" in English.It can be used to add character to your speech when you're telling someone the time or if you want to express more forcefully when something starts.For example, you could say "il est neuf heures pile" or "le cours commence dix heure pile." The class starts at 10 o'clock sharp.
Step 6: The numbers 1-59 are used.
You should be solid on at least the first 24 of these if you had to brush up on your numbers.The rest follow the same formula, adding the word for the single unit on top of the tens unit.Say "il est neuf heures cinquante-deux" if you want to say it's 9:52.If you forget a number word, it's not a big deal, you can give approximate times in French just as you would in English.If it's 9:52, you could say "il est environ dix heures."It's almost 10 o'clock.
Step 7: You can add minutes after the hour.
Say the number of minutes after the word "heures".You don't need to say that the number refers to minutes.If it's 10:20, you would say "il est dix heures vingt."
Step 8: For 15 and 30 minutes, alternate with "quart" and "demie".
You can say it's a quarter past or half past an hour in French.You can do this in French by adding the word "et" in front of the fraction word.If it's 11:30, you would say "il est onze heures et demie."The official rule is that you only use shorthand until noon.The number words "quinze" and "trente" are used when you roll into the clock at 1 p.m. or 13h00.These words are often used by native French speakers.
Step 9: Take the minutes after "demie" with "moins".
" Once it's half-past, the French commonly subtract minutes from the hour it will be rather than adding minutes to the current hour, just as in English."After the word "heures," say "moins" followed by the number of minutes.If you have a hard time remembering all the number words in French, this is helpful.You could say "il est neuf heures moins dix" if it's 8:50."Moins le quart" can be used if you want to say it's a quarter till or 45 minutes past the hour.Remember to go up an hour since you're subtracting.For example, 9:45 would be "neuf heures quarante-cinq."The official rule is that you don't use this phrase after noon.
Step 10: Do you want to ask "Quelle heure est-il"?
"This is a relatively formal way to ask the time, but if you're talking to a stranger, it's a safe phrase to use."You'll hear "Il est quelle heure" in casual conversations with people around the same age.If you want to be extra polite, you might ask, "Auriez-vous l'heure, s'il vous plat."Would you let me know the time?
Step 11: Ask about a specific time with " quelle heure".
If you want to know when a shop is open or when something is scheduled, use this phrase."" is used before the time.If a friend asks you to watch a movie with them, you might ask, " quelle heure commence le film?"What time does the movie start?Your friend might reply "le film commence vingt heures", or simply, "
Step 12: Pick up words and phrases.
You can say "merci" and be on your way, but you might want to say something about the time.You can put the time in context by using the following words and phrases.You could say "Il est cinq heures".tt, ce matin!Is it 5 a.m.?I woke up early this morning.Being too early for something, or something happening too soon, is what "en avance" means.You could say "Je ne suis jamais en avance l'école", since I am never early to school."Tard" means late.You could say "Il est vingt-trois heures".Je vais dormir.Do you know when it's 11:00 p.m.I'm going to bed."Running late" is what it means.You could say "J'étais en retard pour notre rendez-vous."I was late for our date.