How to Say What Time Is It in French (Quelle Heure Est-Il)

What time is it in French is quelle heure est-il ? — a phrase you’ll use constantly and hear even more. But there’s a formal version (the textbook one) and a much more common casual version French people actually say, plus a whole system for reading the answer that leans on the 24-hour clock. Master the question and how to understand the reply, and you’ll navigate every train, meeting, and dinner reservation in Paris.

The main way to ask it

Quelle heure est-il ? — pronounced kel UHR eh-TEEL.

Pronunciation notes:

• Quelle is “kel,” clean and short.
• Heure (“hour”) is UHR — the h is silent and the eu is that rounded French vowel, lips forward.
• Est-il links together: eh-TEEL, with the t pronounced to bridge the words (this liaison is what makes it flow).

The casual version (what people really say)

In everyday speech, the inversion est-il feels a little formal. Far more common:

• Il est quelle heure ? (eel eh kel UHR) — same meaning, relaxed word order. This is the everyday default.
• Tu as l’heure ? (tew ah LUHR) — “do you have the time?” (informal tu).
• Vous avez l’heure ? (voo-zah-vay LUHR) — “do you have the time?” (formal vous). The polite way to ask a stranger.
• Excusez-moi, vous auriez l’heure ? — extra-polite, “would you happen to have the time?”

How to read the answer

The reply always starts with il est… (“it is…”):

• Il est une heure — it’s one o’clock.
• Il est deux heures — it’s two o’clock (note: heures plural after 2+).
• Il est trois heures et quart — quarter past three (et quart).
• Il est trois heures et demie — half past three (et demie).
• Il est quatre heures moins le quart — quarter to four (moins le quart = “minus the quarter”).
• Il est cinq heures dix — ten past five.
• Il est six heures moins dix — ten to six.

The 24-hour clock

Officially — for schedules, trains, TV, appointments, invitations — France uses the 24-hour clock:

• quatorze heures = 14:00 = 2 p.m.
• vingt heures trente = 20:30 = 8:30 p.m.

For noon and midnight there are special words: midi (noon) and minuit (midnight). Il est midi et demi = 12:30 p.m. (note: demi without the -e after midi/minuit, because they’re masculine).

Hear it in context

Asking a stranger on the street (polite):

— Excusez-moi, vous avez l’heure, s’il vous plaît ? — Oui, il est quinze heures dix. — Merci beaucoup, bonne journée !

Excuse me, do you have the time, please? — Yes, it’s 3:10 p.m. — Thank you very much, have a good day!

Checking with a friend (casual):

— Il est quelle heure ? On va être en retard. — Attends… il est huit heures moins le quart. — Ah non, faut y aller !

What time is it? We’re going to be late. — Hang on… it’s quarter to eight. — Oh no, we’ve got to go!

Common mistakes

• Forgetting the plural heures. It’s une heure (singular) but deux heures, trois heures, etc. (plural). The s is silent but the spelling matters.
• Saying “kwel” for quelle. It’s “kel” — no w sound.
• Missing the liaison in est-il. The linking t (eh-TEEL) is what makes the formal version sound right.
• Confusing et demie and demi. After a feminine heure it’s demie (trois heures et demie); after masculine midi/minuit it’s demi (midi et demi).
• Reading moins le quart backward. Cinq heures moins le quart is “quarter to five” (4:45), not quarter past. Moins means “minus.”

A Parisian note

Parisians run on the 24-hour clock for anything scheduled — a dinner invite for “vingt heures trente”, a train at “dix-huit heures douze.” Getting comfortable reading 14:00 as “deux heures de l’après-midi” is essential for catching the right TGV. Socially, note the French elasticity around time: an invitation for 20h often means guests drift in around 20h15–20h30 (the polite quart d’heure de politesse), and showing up exactly on time to a dinner can even catch the host mid-preparation. Business, trains, and the theater, though, start on the dot — à l’heure means à l’heure.

Related phrases

• How to say excuse me in French — the excusez-moi you’ll pair with asking a stranger the time.
• How to say can you help me in French — for the next thing you’ll ask that stranger.
• Keep building practical phrases with our guide to common French phrases.

FAQ

How do you ask “what time is it?” casually in French? The everyday casual version is il est quelle heure ? Even more relaxed: tu as l’heure ? (informal) or vous avez l’heure ? (polite, for strangers). The textbook quelle heure est-il ? is correct but sounds a touch formal.

Do the French use a 12- or 24-hour clock? Both. In casual speech they often use 12-hour time (with du matin, de l’après-midi, du soir to clarify). But all schedules, invitations, trains, and appointments use the 24-hour clock — quatorze heures for 2 p.m., vingt heures for 8 p.m.

How do I say “half past” and “quarter to”? “Half past” is et demie (trois heures et demie = 3:30). “Quarter past” is et quart. “Quarter to” is moins le quart (quatre heures moins le quart = 3:45).

How do you say noon and midnight? Midi is noon (12:00) and minuit is midnight (00:00). For half past, use demi without the -e: midi et demi = 12:30 p.m.

Why is it “une heure” but “deux heures”? Heure is singular after one (une heure) and plural after two or more (deux heures, trois heures). The final s is silent, but the spelling changes.