Telling time in French is just a matter of knowing the French numbers and a few formulas and rules. It’s different than we use in English but that doesn’t mean it is more difficult.
To tell time in French, you should first review how to say and write numbers 1-24. This is because the 24-hour clock is used for schedules and official times in French (in everyday speech, the 12-hour clock with du matin, de l’après-midi and du soir is also common). This is also what we know as “military time.” Look at the following chart to review useful words that are often expressed when telling time. Be sure to read the example sentences to understand how to put these words into context.
What time is it ? – Quelle heure est-il ?
| English | French | Example | Translation |
| o’clock | heure(s) | Il est six heures (6h). | It is 6 o’clock (AM). |
| quarter past | et quart | Il est neuf heures (9h) et quart. | It is 9 o’clock and a quarter = 9:15AM. |
| quarter to | moins le quart | Il est onze heures (11h) moins le quart. | It is 11 o’clock minus the quarter = 10:45 AM. |
| half | et demie | Il est onze heures (11h) et demie | It is 11 o’clock and half = 11:30 AM |
| in the morning | du matin | Il est cinq heures (5h) du matin. | It is 5 o’clock in the morning. |
| in the afternoon | de l’après-midi | Il est trois heures (15h) de l’après-midi. | It is 3 o’clock in the afternoon. |
| evening/night | du soir | Il est huit heures (20h) du soir. | It is 8 o’clock in the evening. |
| noon (12:00 PM) | midi | Il est midi. | It is noon. |
| midnight (12:00 AM) | minuit | Il est minuit. | It is midnight. |
Notice how the expression Il est is impersonal and remains constant while telling time.
Temporal Prepositions
We tell time in various other ways besides expressing the hour of the day. Below is a list of French temporal prepositions and when to use them in different contexts.
à = at a specific time (hour or moment in time)
Vous parlez au patron à 8h du matin.
You speak to the boss at 8 o’clock in the morning.
en – when an event occurs for a particular length in time or during a month, season, or year
Je préfère faire des promenades en automne.
I prefer to take walks in the fall.
dans – tells the amount of time before an action starts
Les filles se présentent dans 10 minutes.
The girls are introducing themselves in 10 minutes.
depuis – expresses the duration of action that is still actively occurring (or shows an action that was happening when another event took place)
Le bébé dort depuis deux heures !
The baby has been sleeping for two hours.
pendant – indicates the entire duration of an event
durant – indicates the entire duration of an event
Nous avons dîné au restaurant pendant/durant trois heures.
We ate dinner in the restaurant for three hours.
pour – expresses the duration of an action/event in the future
Je vais en France pour deux mois l’année prochaine.
I am going to France for two months next year.
Notice how not all temporal prepositions translate literally. Many of them literally translate to “for [a certain amount of time],” so it’s important to understand the context of each French sentence.
Knowing how to tell time in French is essential for traveling, meeting up with friends, making appointments, and getting to work or school on time. Telling time in French is just a matter of knowing the French numbers and a few formulas and rules.