Telling the time in French: dix-sept heures, moins le quart, and le 14 juillet
Départs · Paris Gare de Lyon · tap a train
HeureDestinationVoie
The announcement · 24-hour
Départdepartureàatdouze heures.12:00
day-PAR a dooz UHR · “Departure at 12:00.”
What a friend says · 12-hour
Le trainthe trainpartleavesàatmidi.noon
luh TRAN par a mee-DEE · “The train leaves at noon.”
Why:Noon has its own word: midi. No heures. Stations, shops and the radio use the 24-hour form: a number of minutes after heures, never et quart or moins.
Short answer: ask Quelle heure est-il ? and answer with Il est + number + heure(s): il est trois heures. Quarters and halves are et quart, et demie and moins le quart. Timetables, shops and TV use the 24-hour clock: dix-sept heures trente (17:30). “At” a time is à. Days and months take no capital letter: lundi, juillet. Dates use plain numbers except the first: le premier mai, but le 14 juillet.
The everyday clock
Et quart, et demie, moins le quart
Up to half past, add minutes with et or just the number; after half past, count back from the next hour with moins (“minus”). Tap a time.
Noon and midnight have their own words: midi and minuit, so il est midi et demi (12:30). To make a 12-hour time clear, add du matin, de l’après-midi or du soir.
Days, with or without le
Lundi or le lundi?
With no article, a day means this coming one; with le, it means every week. English needs “on” and an -s; French needs only le.
This Saturday: no article
JeIvienscomesamedi.Saturday
zhuh vyan sam-DEE · “I’m coming on Saturday.”
Every Saturday: le
JeItravailleworkle samedi.the Saturday
zhuh tra-VYE luh sam-DEE · “I work on Saturdays.”
Dates and months
Le premier janvier, le 14 juillet
French dates are le + number + month, in that order. Only the first of the month uses an ordinal (a “first, second” number): premier. Months take en: en août.
1/1
lethepremierfirstjanvierJanuary
luh pruh-MYAY zhon-VYAY
“the first of January”Only the first takes premier.
14/7
lethequatorzefourteenjuilletJuly
luh ka-TORZ zhwee-YAY
“the fourteenth of July”Bastille Day, the national holiday.
zhay dor-MEE pon-DON dee ZUHR · “I slept for ten hours.”
dansin (from now)
Le filmthe filmcommencestartsdansincinq minutes.five minutes
luh FEELM ko-MONSS don san mee-NÜT · “The film starts in five minutes.”
How often
Toujours, souvent, parfois, jamais
Frequency words usually go straight after the verb in French, not before it as in English: Je vais souvent au cinéma. Read the scale from always to never.
JeIvaisgosouventoftenau cinéma.to-the cinema
zhuh vay soo-VON oh see-nay-MA · “I often go to the cinema.”
Ilhenenotmangeeatsjamaisneverde viande.any meat
eel nuh MONZH zha-MAY duh VYOND · “He never eats meat.”
Ago and in
Il y a deux jours, dans trois semaines
“Ago” is il y a before the time; “in” (from now) is dans. Don’t confuse il y a here with “there is”: the time word after it tells you.
il y a · ago
JeIsuis arrivéarrivedil y aagodeux jours.two days
zhuh swee za-ree-VAY eel ya duh ZHOOR · “I arrived two days ago.”
Il y aagolongtemps…long-time
eel ya lon-TON · “A long time ago…”
dans · in
JeIparsleavedansintrois semaines.three weeks
zhuh PAR don trwa suh-MEN · “I’m leaving in three weeks.”
Le filmthe filmcommencestartsdansincinq minutes.five minutes
luh FEELM ko-MONSS don san mee-NÜT · “The film starts in five minutes.”