French Time: L'Heure

Telling Time - L'Heure

• "Quelle heure est-il?" translates to "What time is it?"
• "Heure" is the French word for "o'clock".
• French timekeeping uses the 24-hour clock, whereas English predominantly uses the 12-hour clock.
• To state the time, the format is "il est" + (hours) heure (minutes).
• 1 AM is "il est une heure", abbreviated as 1h00.
• 1:20 AM is "il est une heure vingt", abbreviated as 1h20.
• 1 PM is "il est treize heures" which equals 13h00.
• 2 PM is "il est quatorze heures" which equals 14h00.
• Midnight (12 AM or 24:00) is Il est vingt-quatre heures/il est minuit

Describing Minutes

• Half past (30 minutes past) is "et demie."
• Quarter past (15 minutes past) is "et quart."
• Quarter to (15 minutes before) is "moins le quart."
• 7:30 AM is "Il est sept heures et demie."
• 10:15 AM is "Il est dix heures et quart."
• 6:45 AM is "Il est sept heures moins le quart."
• While some French speakers may differ, legally "et quart," "et demie," and "moins le quart" should only be used with numbers 1 to 12.
• For the 24-hour clock, use "quinze," "trente," and "quarante-cinq" to mark minutes.

Weather - Le Temps

• "Quel temps fait-il ?" translates to "What is the weather like?"
• "Il fait beau" translates to "It’s nice weather."
• "Il fait nuageux" translates to "It is cloudy."
• "Il fait orageux" translates to "It’s stormy."
• "Il pleut" translates to "It’s raining."
• "Il neige" translates to "It’s snowing."
• "Il fait chaud" translates to "It’s hot."
• "Il fait du vent" translates to "It’s windy."
• "Il fait mauvais" translates to "It’s not nice out."
• "Il fait froid" translates to "It’s cold."
• "Il y a du brouillard" translates to "It's foggy"
• "Il fait _____ degrés" is used to express temperature, translating to "It's _____ degrees."
• The idiom "Il pleut des cordes" translates to "It's raining ropes”

Days of the Week and Months

• The French week begins on Monday.
• Days of the week are not capitalized in French.
• The format for writing dates is: Day of the week / Number / Month (+ Year).
• "Le mardi 15 décembre (2025)" is an example date
• The months of the year:
  • January - "Janvier"
  • February - "Février"
  • March - "Mars"
  • April - "Avril"
  • May - "Mai"
  • June - "Juin"
  • July - "Juillet"
  • August - "Août"
  • September - "Septembre"
  • October - "Octobre"
  • November - "Novembre"
  • December - "Décembre"
• Seasons
  • Summer - L'été
  • Spring - Le printemps
  • Fall - L'automne
  • Winter - L'hiver
• Describing seasons:
  • In Summer - En été
  • In Spring - Au Printemps
  • In Fall - En automne
  • In Winter - En hiver

Parts of the Body - Le Corps

• Hair: les cheveux (m)
• Head: La tête
• Face: Le visage
• Eye: L’œil (m)
• Eyes: Les yeux
• Nose: Le nez
• Cheek: La joue
• Mouth: la bouche
• Tongue: La langue
• Chin: Le menton
• Eyebrows: Le sourcil
• Eyelashes: Le cil
• Pupil: La pupille
• Lip: La lèvre
• Tooth: La dent
• Ear: L’oreille (f)
• Neck: Le cou
• Throat: La gorge
• Chest: La poitrine
• Heart: Le cœur
• Stomach: L’estomac (m)
• Arm: Le bras
• Shoulder: L’épaule (f)
• Elbow: Le coude
• Wrist: Le poignet
• Hand: La main
• Finger: Le doigt
• Fingernail: L’ongle (m)
• Thumb: Le pouce
• Back: Le dos
• Leg: La jambe
• Knee: Le genou
• Ankle: La cheville
• Foot: Le pied
• Toe: L’orteil (m)

Family - La Famille

• "La famille" refers to family and also to relatives
• Father: père
• Mother: mère
• Brother: frère
• Sister: sœur
• Children: enfants
• Son: fils
• Daughter: fille
• Male spouse: époux
• Female spouse: épouse
• Uncle: oncle
• Aunt: tante
• Nephew: neveu
• Niece: niece
• Grandfather: grand-père
• Grandmother: grand-mère
• Grandson: petit-fils
• Granddaughter: petite-fille
• Great grandson: arrière-petit-fils
• Great granddaughter: arrière-petite-fille
• "Un aîné / une aînée" refers to an older sibling or first-born child.
• "Un cadet / une cadette" refers to a younger sibling or second-born child.
• "Le benjamin / la benjamine" is the youngest child in a family.

Articles and Pronouns

• Definite Articles:
  • Masculine Singular: Le, l’
  • Feminine Singular: La, l’
  • Plural (Both Genders): les
• Indefinite Articles:
  • Masculine Singular: un
  • Feminine Singular: une
  • Plural (Both Genders): des
• Je (or j’ + vowel or h) = I
• Vous = You (formal, singular)
• Tu = You (informal, singular)
• Il = He/It
• Elle = She/It
• Nous = We
• On = We
• Vous = You (plural, formal and informal)
• ils = they ( masculine, or mixed gender)
• elles = they (feminine)