Telling the time

CEFR A1Taught in Module 03, Le quotidien

Assumes you already have

Être ("to be") in the present tense

To ask the time, say "Quelle heure est-il ?" (What time is it?). To answer, use "Il est ..." (It is ...).

  • Il est une heure. — It is one o'clock.
  • Il est trois heures. — It is three o'clock.
  • Il est huit heures et quart. — It is a quarter past eight.
  • Il est neuf heures et demie. — It is half past nine.
  • Il est midi. — It is noon.
  • Il est minuit. — It is midnight.

For minutes past the hour, just add the number: "Il est dix heures dix." (It is 10:10.) For minutes before the hour, use "moins": "Il est onze heures moins dix." (It is 10:50 — literally "eleven hours minus ten".)

What this unlocks

Knowing the rule is not the same as producing it.

This page explains the pattern. The track drills it: the point arrives inside a mini-dialogue, then production marked against a CEFR descriptor, then a module test that returns you to your two weakest sessions if you miss it.

Start Module 01All A1 and A2 points