Telling the time (24-hour clock)
What you'll be able to do
Schedules use 24-hour (14h30). Speaking is 12-hour (deux heures et demie). h replaces the colon.
- 24-hour clock everywhere written: 14h30 = 2:30 p.m.
- Il est [N] heures = it's [N] o'clock.
- Et quart = quarter past; moins le quart = quarter to; et demie = half past.
French uses the 24-hour clock for anything formal — train schedules, restaurant hours, opening times, bus stops. 14h30 means 2:30 p.m. The h stands for heures (hours) and replaces the colon.
To say a time: il est [number] heures [minutes]. "It's 9 o'clock" = il est neuf heures. "It's 9:30" = il est neuf heures trente, or more conversationally il est neuf heures et demie (nine and a half).
Quarter past = et quart. Quarter to = moins le quart. Half past = et demie. So 8:15 = huit heures et quart; 8:45 = neuf heures moins le quart ("nine minus quarter"). These quarter/half phrases are 12-hour-clock style — use them in casual conversation. Stick to numeric forms (treize heures quinze for 13:15) when reading schedules.
Midi (noon) and minuit (midnight) are the two times that don't take heures: il est midi (it's noon), il est minuit (it's midnight). "Half past noon" = midi et demi (note: midi/minuit are masculine, so demi has no e).
Key points
- 24-hour clock everywhere written: 14h30 = 2:30 p.m.
- Il est [N] heures = it's [N] o'clock.
- Et quart = quarter past; moins le quart = quarter to; et demie = half past.
- Midi = noon; minuit = midnight (no heures).
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