How do you ask the time in French?
Surely, learning about telling time in French is essential. So you have to know how to ask the time and express it also in french.
Here are some ways to ask the time in french :
- What time is it ? = Quelle heure est-il ? (formal)
- What time is it ? = Il est quelle heure ? (informal)
- Would you tell me the time, please ? = Auriez-vous l’heure, s’il vous plaît ? (more polite)
Another expression time that you might be to know
- Est-ce que vous avez l’heure, s’il vous plaît ? = Do you have the time please ?
- À quelle heure est le concert ? = What time is the concert ?
After we know how to ask the time in french, next we will how to express the time. The standard time that we use is the 24-Hour Clock. It is not the standard time that refers to a.m and p.m. However, if we use the standard a.m and p.m, the mention of the time is not very significant: it is enough to just affix the time, morning, afternoon and evening such as:
- 07:00 a.m : Il est 7 heures du matin
- 03:00 p.m : Il est trois heures de l'après midi
- 06:00 p.m : Il est six heures du soir
- 06:00 a.m : Il est six heures du matin
The following table are examples of French expressions related to time in the 24-Hour Clock:
| English | French |
|---|---|
| What Time is it? | Quelle heure est-il ? |
| It's 13:27 pm | Il est 13 heures 27 |
| It's 07:00 am | Il est 7 heures |
| It's 01:00 am | Il est une heure |
| It's 02:00 am | Il est deux heures |
| It's 10:15 am | Il est dix heures et quart |
| It's 13:00 pm | Il est 13 heures or Il est une heure de l'après midi |
| It's 14:30 pm | Il est quartoze trente |
| it's midnight (12:00 a.m) | Il est minuit |
| It's 07:15 am | Il est 7 heures et quart |
| It's noon (12:00 p.m) | Il est midi |
| It's 07:45 am | Il est 8 heures moins le quart or Il est 7 heures 45 |
