Asking what time it is
You can ask what hour it is with “Quelle heure est-il?”
Saying what time it is
Hours
You can say what hour it is with “Il est”, the number of the hour and then “heure(s)“. The hour is plural if the number is not one.
If you are trying to say it is midday / midnight, you can say “Il est midi” or “Il est minuit”.
Minutes
You can say the minute by including the number of the minute after the hour. If the time is after half past, you can say “moins le” before the amount of minutes left in the hour instead.
If the time is on a 15 minute point, you can also use a short phrase.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| et quart | quarter past |
| et demie | half past |
| moins le quart | quarter to |
BBC Bitesize: Telling the time revision
Parts of the day
You can say what part of the day it is by including a small phrase after the time.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| du matin | in the morning |
| de l’après-midi | in the afternoon |
| du soir | in the evening |
After midday
You shouldn’t use “et quart”, “et demie” and “moins le quart” if it is after midday, which is an indicator of whether it is before or after midday, no matter if 24 or 12 hour clock is used.