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Lesson 31

Asking for and Telling Time

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Bonjour ! J'espère que vous allez bien.

In our previous lesson, we mastered where to place adjectives in a sentence, learning the difference between adjectives that go before the noun (like grand or bon) and those that go after (like rouge or important). This skill is essential for describing things clearly.

Today, we begin a new module focused on time, routines, and future plans. Our first step is to learn a fundamental skill for daily life and professional settings: how to tell and ask for the time in French. This is crucial for everything from scheduling a meeting to understanding a client's availability, which will be very useful for your goal of working in a call center.

Let's start with the basics: the vocabulary and the essential question.

1. Asking for the Time

The most common and polite way to ask for the time is:

Quelle heure est-il ? (What time is it?)

You will also hear more informal versions in everyday conversation:

  • Il est quelle heure ?
  • Tu as l'heure ? (Do you have the time?)
  • Vous avez l'heure, s'il vous plaît ? (Do you have the time, please? - formal)

To answer, you will always start your sentence with:

Il est...

Now, let's learn the vocabulary you'll need. This first video will introduce key words and the main question. Since your native language is Arabic, the explanations in this video should make the concepts very clear.

كيفية قراءة الساعة باللغة الفرنسية

Watch the beginning of this video from 'Français avec Noura'. It will introduce the basic vocabulary like 'heure' (hour), 'minute' (minute), 'montre' (watch), and the most common way to ask for the time.

Watch from 00:11 to 01:35. Pay attention to the pronunciation of the new words and the structure of the question 'Quelle heure est-il ?'.

2. The Two Systems: Official Time (24h) and Everyday Time (12h)

In French, there are two ways to tell time, and both are used daily.

  1. L'heure officielle (The Official Time): This is the 24-hour clock (e.g., 14h, 21h). It's used in official contexts: train schedules, airports, TV programs, and in professional settings to avoid confusion. For your call center goal, this system is very important.
  2. L'heure courante (Everyday Time): This is the 12-hour clock. It's used in informal, everyday conversation. To distinguish between morning and afternoon/evening, you can add:
    • du matin (in the morning)
    • de l'après-midi (in the afternoon)
    • du soir (in the evening)

Special Cases: midi and minuit

  • 12:00 (midday) is called midi.
  • 00:00 (midnight) is called minuit.

You say Il est midi or Il est minuit. You generally don't say douze heures for noon, although it is understood.

The next part of the video you started explains this perfectly. It goes through each hour, showing both the 12-hour and 24-hour formats.

كيفية قراءة الساعة باللغة الفرنسية

Continue watching the 'Français avec Noura' video. It will systematically teach you how to say each hour using both the 24-hour system (e.g., 'Il est treize heures') and the 12-hour system (e.g., 'Il est une heure de l'après-midi').

Watch from 01:35 to 05:55. Notice how 13h corresponds to 1h de l'après-midi, 14h to 2h de l'après-midi, and so on. Pay close attention to 'midi' and 'minuit'.

Test your understanding!

How would you say the following times using the official 24-hour format?

  1. 3:00 PM
  2. 8:00 PM
  3. 11:00 PM
Show answer
  1. Il est quinze heures. (12 + 3 = 15)
  2. Il est vingt heures. (12 + 8 = 20)
  3. Il est vingt-trois heures. (12 + 11 = 23)

3. Telling Time with Minutes

Now let's add minutes. There are two main ways to do this.

Method 1: The Simple, Digital Way (Works for both systems)

This is the easiest method. You just say the hour, then the word heures, then the number of minutes.

  • 8:10 -> Il est huit heures dix.
  • 17:25 -> Il est dix-sept heures vingt-cinq.
  • 2:05 -> Il est deux heures cinq.

Method 2: The "Clock Face" Way (Only for informal 12-hour time)

This method is very common in conversation and uses fractions of the hour, just like in English. The image below provides a great visual guide.

French Time Expressions on an Analog Clock
This clock face illustrates common French expressions for minutes past and to the hour, such as 'et quart' (quarter past), 'et demie' (half past), and 'moins le quart' (quarter to).

Here are the key phrases:

  • :15 (quarter past) -> et quart
    • 3:15 -> Il est trois heures **et quart**.
  • :30 (half past) -> et demie
    • 3:30 -> Il est trois heures **et demie**.
  • :45 (quarter to) -> moins le quart (literally "minus the quarter")
    • 3:45 is "4 o'clock minus a quarter" -> Il est quatre heures **moins le quart**.
  • For other minutes past 30, you use moins (minus) with the next hour.
    • 3:40 is "4 o'clock minus 20" -> Il est quatre heures **moins vingt**.
    • 3:50 is "4 o'clock minus 10" -> Il est quatre heures **moins dix**.

Important Rule: The expressions et quart, et demie, and moins are only used with the 12-hour system. You cannot say seize heures et demie. You must say seize heures trente.

Let's watch the final part of the video, which explains these expressions for minutes.

كيفية قراءة الساعة باللغة الفرنسية

This last part of the 'Français avec Noura' video clearly demonstrates how to use expressions like 'et quart', 'et demie', and the 'moins' structure for telling time.

Watch from 05:55 to 10:35. Follow along with the examples for each 5-minute interval on the clock.

4. Pronunciation: Don't Forget the Liaison!

For your spoken French to sound natural, you must make the liaison (linking the sound) between the number and the word heures. Remember this from our early pronunciation lessons?

  • deux heures is pronounced "deuz-heures"
  • trois heures is pronounced "troiz-heures"
  • six heures is pronounced "siz-heures"
  • dix heures is pronounced "diz-heures"
  • neuf heures is pronounced "neuv-heures"

For a quick review, this article section is very helpful.

Apprendre l'heure en français : le guide pratique

Let's read a short section from the 'Français Authentique' guide. It clearly lists the numbers where you need to pay special attention to the liaison with the word 'heures'.

Read the section titled 'Comment prononcer les heures? La liaison'. Practice saying the examples out loud to get the pronunciation right.

Summary of Today's Lesson

Here is a wonderful summary sheet that brings together everything we've learned today. You can save it for future reference.

Telling and Asking for the Time in French
This image summarizes how to ask for the time, the different ways to state the hour and minutes (including 'et quart', 'et demie', 'moins le quart'), and provides examples of usage.
Final Practice!

Look at the time and give the answer in two ways: the official (24h) way and the informal (12h) way.

Time: 19:15

  1. Official way: Il est...
  2. Informal way: Il est...
Show answer
  1. Official: Il est **dix-neuf heures quinze**.
  2. Informal: Il est **sept heures et quart du soir**.

Conclusion

Excellent work! You can now confidently ask for and tell the time in French using both the formal 24-hour system and the informal 12-hour system. This is a significant step forward.

Key Takeaways:

  • Ask for the time with Quelle heure est-il ?.
  • Answer with Il est....
  • Use the 24-hour format (seize heures) for official and professional contexts.
  • Use the 12-hour format (quatre heures de l'après-midi) in everyday conversation.
  • Use expressions like et quart, et demie, and moins le quart only with the 12-hour format.
  • Always remember to make the liaison for smooth pronunciation (e.g., deux-z-heures).

In our next lesson, we will continue with the theme of time by learning how to state the days of the week, months of the year, and the full date. This will allow you to start scheduling appointments and talking about your plans in more detail.

À bientôt