Time in French for Early Learners

Basic vocabulary for telling time in French

Before you learn how to express time in French, you need to learn the basic vocabulary related to telling time. Here are some of the essential words that you will need to know:

• Heure – hour
• Minute – minute
• Seconde – second
• Matin – morning
• Après-midi – afternoon
• Soir – evening
• Nuit – night
• Midi – noon
• Minuit – midnight
• -Quart – quarter
• Demi – half

It’s important to note that the French word for “hour” is “heure,” which is pronounced similarly to “er” in “her.” The word for “minute” is “minute,” which is pronounced similarly to “meenoot.”

Numbers in French for telling time

Now that you know the basic vocabulary, it’s time to learn the numbers in French that are used to express time. Here are the numbers from one to twelve:

• Un – one
• Deux – two
• Trois – three
• Quatre – four
• Cinq – five
• Six – six
• Sept – seven
• Huit – eight
• Neuf – nine
• Dix – ten
• Onze – eleven
• Douze – twelve

To express the time after twelve o’clock, you simply add the corresponding number to “douze.” For example, “treize” means thirteen, and “quatorze” means fourteen. The numbers for minutes are also used in telling time. For example, “vingt” means twenty, “trente” means thirty, and “quarante” means forty.

Common phrases used for telling time in French

There are different ways of expressing time in French, depending on the context and the time of day. Here are some of the most common phrases used for telling time in French:

• Il est – This is the most common way of expressing time in French. It literally means “it is,” and is followed by the hour and minute. For example, “Il est deux heures trente” means “It is two thirty.”
• Quelle heure est-il? – This means “What time is it?” and is a common way of asking for the time.
• Il est midi/minuit – This means “It is noon/midnight.”
• Il est quelle heure? – This means “What time is it?” and is another common way of asking for the time.
• Il est temps de… – This means “It’s time to…” and is often used to indicate that it’s time to do something.

Different ways of expressing time in French

In addition to the common phrases listed above, there are different ways of expressing time in French, depending on the context and the time of day. Here are some of the most common ways:

12-hour clock system

The 12-hour clock system is the most commonly used system for telling time in French. Here are some examples:

• Il est six heures – This means “It is six o’clock.”
• Il est six heures cinq – This means “It is five minutes past six.”
• Il est six heures et quart – This means “It is quarter past six.”
• Il est six heures et demie – This means “It is half past six.”
• Il est sept heures moins le quart – This means “It is quarter to seven.”
• Il est sept heures moins dix – This means “It is ten minutes to seven.”

24-hour clock system

The 24-hour clock system is also used in French, especially in formal contexts. Here are some examples:

• Il est dix-huit heures – This means “It is 18:00.”
• Il est dix-huit heures cinq – This means “It is 18:05.”
• Il est dix-huit heures quinze – This means “It is 18:15.”
• Il est dix-huit heures trente – This means “It is 18:30.”
• Il est dix-neuf heures quarante-cinq – This means “It is 19:45.”