Success Series French Telling Time

Do you know numbers in French? 1 heure = 60 minutes 15 minutes = 1 quart d’heure 30 minutes = 1 demie heure 24 heures = 1 journée Review the powerpoint on Numbers. To be able to tell the time in French, you need to be comfortable saying the numbers.

3 ways of telling time The digital way L’heure officielle. 24 Hour, also called military time Traditional (old-fashioned way). The digital way is the way you are used to with your cell phones for example. It is a wide spread, common way of telling the time in French also. However, l’heure officielle or 24 hour clock is the most common in France. All schedules (train, Tv including school schedules) appear in that form. However, the traditional way of telling the time has not disappeared. That’s when time was told form a round clock. It had minutes, quarters (to and past) and a half hour.

Quelle heure est-il? Digital 4:15 → 4h15 → Il est quatre heures quinze 3: 58 → 3h58 → Il est trois heures cinquante huit. Let’s first take a look at the digital way of telling time. This is the one you are most used to with various electronic devices and cell phones. As long as you know your numbers , expressing the time in French in this manner is pretty much the same as in English. Instead of the : between the hour and the minutes, you will add an H which stands for Heure, and you will need to say it too. When writing out the word Heure, remember to add an “s “ if it is more than one. Note that you start your answer with “il est..”. Do not pronounce the s in est.

a.m/ p.m a.m: du matin p.m: de l’après-midi 12 noon till 6pm p.m: du soir 6pm till midnight Note that you cannot say a.m - ante meridian; before noon) / or p.m – post meridian; afer noon ) in French. There is no substitute. You need to say the full expressions: du matin; de l’apres-midi, du soir. De l’apres-midi runs from noon to 6 pm; du soir (the evening) runs from 6 p.m till 12.

a.m/ p.m 7:15 a.m: Il est 7h 15 du matin 4:30 p.m: Il est 4h 30 de l’après-midi 8:20 p.m: Il est huit heures vingt du soir Ou can ask: quelle heure est-il? Ou Il est quelle heure?

Practice Quelle heure est-il?

Practice - answer Quelle heure est-il? Il est 3h 30 de l’après-midi. (trois heures trente) Note that now you no longer need to say : de l’apres-midi

Practice Quelle heure est-il?

Practice: answer Quelle heure est-il? Il est 8h 15 du soir huit heures quinze du soir

Practice Quelle heure est-il?

Practice - answer Quelle heure est-il? Il est 11h 05 du soir onze heures cinq du soir

Practice Quelle heure est-il?

Practice - answer Quelle heure est-il? Il est 11h 40 du matin (onze heures quarante)

Quelle heure est-il? L’heure officielle: 24 hour clock Midnight - Minuit = 0 hour When you reach noon- MIDI add 12 hours L’heure officielle or military time is by far the most usual way of telling the time. Count normally form midnight till noon, then add 12 hours till you reach midnight.

Quelle heure est-il? L’heure officielle: 24 hour clock 12 (noon) = midi 1pm +12 = 13: treize heures 6 pm + 12 = 18: dix-huit heures 11pm + 12= 23: vingt-trois heures

Practice Quelle heure est-il?

Practice - answer Quelle heure est-il? Il est 15h 30. (quinze heures trente) Note that now you no longer need to say : de l’apres-midi

Practice Quelle heure est-il?

Practice: answer Quelle heure est-il? Il est 20h15. vingt heures quinze. Note you do not have to say “du soir” anymore

Practice Quelle heure est-il?

Practice - answer Quelle heure est-il? Il est 23h 05 vingt trois heures cinq

Practice Quelle heure est-il?

Practice - answer Quelle heure est-il? Il est 11h 40. (onze heures quarante) Il est 23h 40. Note that 11 h quarante stays the same if it is in the morning (du matin); it becomes 23 h if it is at night.

Quelle heure est-il? Traditional – Old fashioned way Minutes past the hour Minutes till the NEXT hour Quarter past the hour Quarter till the next hour Half past the hour.

Quelle heure est-il? Traditional – Old fashioned way 8:05 → Huit heures cinq 8:40 → neuf heures moins vingt Note that you use MOINS for minutes till the next hour.

Quelle heure est-il? Traditional – Old fashioned way 4 h 15→ quatre heures et quart 2 h 45→ trois heures moins le quart 7 h 30→ sept heures et demie

Practice Quelle heure est-il?

Practice - answer Quelle heure est-il? Il est 3h et demie de l’après-midi. (quinze heures trente) Note that now you no longer need to say : de l’apres-midi

Practice Quelle heure est-il?

Practice: answer Quelle heure est-il? Il est 8h et quart du soir. huit heures . Note you do not have to say “du soir” anymore

Practice Quelle heure est-il?

Practice - answer Quelle heure est-il? Il est 23h 05 vingt -trois heures cinq

Practice Quelle heure est-il?

Practice - answer Quelle heure est-il? Il est midi moins vingt . Il est minuit moins vingt. Note that 11 h quarante stays the same if it is in the morning (du matin); it becomes 23 h if it is at night.