Grammar / A1 : Beginner / Time and date
Time and date
What time is it? What day is it?
Time expressions from the first day
Time expressions are among the first things you need in any language. "What time does the train leave?" "What day is your appointment?" "When were you born?" In French, the system for telling the time is mostly predictable; but two details require attention. First, the 12-hour system uses specific vocabulary for quarter-hours and half-hours. Second, France switches freely between 12-hour and 24-hour formats depending on context: informal conversation uses 12-hour, while timetables, menus, broadcast schedules, and appointments generally use 24-hour. Understanding both is essential.
1. Telling the time : il est
The structure is always: Il est + number + heure(s). Always il est, never c'est. une heure is singular (one hour); all other hours take the plural form heures.
Structure: Il est + number + heure(s)
Il est une heure. (It is 1 o'clock.) (singular: une heure)
Il est deux heures. (It is 2 o'clock.) (plural: deux heures)
Il est midi. (It is noon / midday.): no heure(s) needed
Il est minuit. (It is midnight.): no heure(s) needed
2. Minutes, quarters, and halves
In the 12-hour system, French uses specific expressions for the quarter-hour and half-hour. Simple minute counts are added directly after the hour.
| Time | French | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2:00 | Il est deux heures. | on the hour |
| 2:05 | Il est deux heures cinq. | hour + minutes |
| 2:10 | Il est deux heures dix. | |
| 2:15 | Il est deux heures et quart. | et quart = quarter past |
| 2:20 | Il est deux heures vingt. | |
| 2:30 | Il est deux heures et demie. | et demie (see note below) |
| 2:40 | Il est trois heures moins vingt. | next hour minus minutes |
| 2:45 | Il est trois heures moins le quart. | quarter to |
| 2:50 | Il est trois heures moins dix. | |
| 2:55 | Il est trois heures moins cinq. |
⚠ et demie vs et demi: one of the most common spelling errors with time.
heure is feminine → et demie (with -e): Il est deux heures et demie.
midi and minuit are masculine → et demi (no -e): Il est midi et demi. / Il est minuit et demi.
Il est sept heures et quart. (It is quarter past seven.) (7:15)
Il est neuf heures moins le quart. (It is quarter to nine.) (8:45)
Il est midi et demi. (It is half past twelve.) (12:30)
Il est minuit moins cinq. (It is five to midnight.) (23:55)
3. The 24-hour system
For timetables, appointments, broadcast schedules, and official contexts, France uses the 24-hour clock. In this system, you simply state the hours and minutes as numbers: no et quart, no et demie, no moins. This is the system you will read on train tickets, restaurant bookings, and TV guides.
| Digital time | 24-hour French | 12-hour equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | Il est huit heures. | Il est huit heures du matin. |
| 12:30 | Il est douze heures trente. | Il est midi et demi. |
| 13:15 | Il est treize heures quinze. | Il est une heure et quart de l'après-midi. |
| 18:45 | Il est dix-huit heures quarante-cinq. | Il est sept heures moins le quart du soir. |
| 20:00 | Il est vingt heures. | Il est huit heures du soir. |
| 23:30 | Il est vingt-trois heures trente. | Il est minuit moins la demie. |
💡 To specify morning or afternoon in the 12-hour system: du matin (in the morning), de l'après-midi (in the afternoon), du soir (in the evening). These are used to disambiguate: Il est trois heures du matin (3 am) vs Il est trois heures de l'après-midi (3 pm).
4. Asking for the time
Quelle heure est-il ? (What time is it?) (formal)
Il est quelle heure ? (What time is it?) (informal)
Vous avez l'heure ? (Do you have the time?) (neutral, polite)
Tu as l'heure ? (Have you got the time?) (informal)
À quelle heure... ? (At what time... ?) (for schedules and appointments)
À quelle heure part le train ? (What time does the train leave?)
Le train part à dix-sept heures quarante. (The train leaves at 17:40.)
5. Days of the week
Days of the week are not capitalised in French. The week begins on Monday in France.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Habitual vs specific: as covered in the definite articles lesson, the article before a day of the week changes the meaning.
Le lundi, je vais à la gym. (On Mondays, I go to the gym.) (every Monday)
Lundi, je vais à la gym. (This Monday, I'm going to the gym.) (one specific day)
Nous sommes quel jour aujourd'hui ? — Nous sommes mercredi. (What day is it? — It is Wednesday.)
Le rendez-vous est vendredi matin. (The appointment is on Friday morning.)
Je travaille du lundi au vendredi. (I work from Monday to Friday.)
6. Months and seasons
Months are not capitalised in French either. To say "in + month", use en: no article, no preposition other than en.
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Je pars en vacances en août. (I am going on holiday in August.)
Mon anniversaire est en mars. (My birthday is in March.)
Elle arrive en novembre. (She arrives in November.)
Seasons
| Season | French | Preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| spring | le printemps | au printemps | Il fait beau au printemps. (The weather is nice in spring.) |
| summer | l'été | en été | Il fait chaud en été. (It is hot in summer.) |
| autumn | l'automne | en automne | Les feuilles tombent en automne. (Leaves fall in autumn.) |
| winter | l'hiver | en hiver | Il neige en hiver. (It snows in winter.) |
💡 printemps is masculine and starts with a consonant → au printemps. The other three seasons start with a vowel or are feminine → en été, en automne, en hiver. Remember: it is au only for printemps.
7. The date
To state the date, French uses the structure: le + cardinal number + month. The only exception is the first of the month, which uses the ordinal premier.
Structure: le + cardinal number + month (+ year)
Nous sommes le 15 mars. (It is the 15th of March.): or: On est le 15 mars.
C'est le 3 juillet 2024. (It is the 3rd of July 2024.)
Nous sommes le premier janvier. (It is the 1st of January.) (premier, not un)
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Quelle est la date aujourd'hui ? / On est le combien ? | Nous sommes le 24 mai. (It is the 24th of May.) |
| Tu es né(e) quand ? (When were you born?) | Je suis né(e) le 7 septembre 1998. (I was born on the 7th of September 1998.) |
| C'est quand, ton anniversaire ? (When is your birthday?) | Mon anniversaire est le premier mai. (My birthday is on the 1st of May.) |
⚠ French dates are written day/month/year: 15/03/2024 = le 15 mars 2024. This is the reverse of the American format (month/day/year). When reading a French date, the first number is always the day.
8. Time expressions : before and after
These expressions are the building blocks of any narrative or plan. They should become automatic.
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| aujourd'hui | today | Qu'est-ce que tu fais aujourd'hui ? (What are you doing today?) |
| hier | yesterday | J'ai travaillé tard hier. (I worked late yesterday.) |
| demain | tomorrow | À demain ! (See you tomorrow!) |
| avant-hier | the day before yesterday | Il est arrivé avant-hier. (He arrived the day before yesterday.) |
| après-demain | the day after tomorrow | Je pars après-demain. (I leave the day after tomorrow.) |
| cette semaine | this week | Je suis très occupé cette semaine. (I am very busy this week.) |
| la semaine dernière | last week | La semaine dernière, il a plu tous les jours. (Last week it rained every day.) |
| la semaine prochaine | next week | On se voit la semaine prochaine ? (Shall we meet next week?) |
| le mois dernier | last month | Le mois dernier, j'ai visité Lyon. (Last month I visited Lyon.) |
| le mois prochain | next month | Il part le mois prochain. (He leaves next month.) |
| l'année dernière | last year | L'année dernière, je vivais à Bordeaux. (Last year I was living in Bordeaux.) |
| l'année prochaine | next year | L'année prochaine, je veux voyager en Asie. (Next year I want to travel in Asia.) |
| maintenant | now | Je suis occupé maintenant. (I am busy now.) |
| tout à l'heure | in a moment / a moment ago | À tout à l'heure ! (See you in a bit!) / Je l'ai vu tout à l'heure. (I saw him a moment ago.) |
| bientôt | soon | À bientôt ! (See you soon!) |
| en retard | late | Le train est en retard de dix minutes. (The train is ten minutes late.) |
| à l'heure | on time | Elle est toujours à l'heure. (She is always on time.) |
| en avance | early / ahead of time | Il est arrivé en avance. (He arrived early.) |
9. Key points
✓ Time: always il est + heure(s); never c'est
✓ 1 o'clock: une heure (singular) / all others: deux heures, trois heures... (plural)
✓ Quarter past: et quart / Half past: et demie / Quarter to: moins le quart
✓ et demie (with -e) after heure; but midi et demi / minuit et demi (no -e)
✓ 24-hour system: no quart, no demi, no moins (just numbers: treize heures quinze)
✓ Days and months: no capital letters in French
✓ en + month: en janvier, en août, en novembre (no article)
✓ Seasons: au printemps (masculine) / en été, en automne, en hiver
✓ Dates: le + number + month; the 1st is always le premier
✓ French date order: day / month / year (15/03/2024 = le 15 mars 2024)