Lesson 23: Time, Days, Months & Dates
Quelle heure est-il ? — Time, Days, Months & Dates · A0 → A1 · Part 3 · Food, Shopping & Going Out
You will tell the time in French, ask a stranger for the time, and say the whole clock: et quart, et demie, moins le quart, midi and minuit. You will name all seven days and all twelve months, and write any date correctly.
In this lesson
- telling the time
- days of the week
- months of the year
- dates and daily expressions
Vocabulary
| French | Meaning | Say it | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| une heure | an hour / one o'clock | ün ur * اُون اُر * | Feminine (une). The h is completely silent: 'ur'. The 'eu' sound has no exact Urdu equivalent — say 'ur' with the lips slightly rounded. |
| une minute | a minute | ün mee-nüt * اُون مینُوت * | Feminine (une). The final e is silent, and the u is the tight French u. |
| midi | noon / 12 p.m. | mee-dee میدی | Masculine (le midi). No article needed with the time: 'Il est midi.' Do not say 'douze heures' for noon. |
| minuit | midnight / 12 a.m. | mee-nwee مینوی | Masculine (le minuit). The final t is silent: 'mee-nwee'. Use it instead of 'zéro heure'. |
| et quart | quarter past | ay kar اے کار | Literally 'and a quarter'. Il est trois heures et quart = 3:15. The t of quart is silent. |
| et demie | half past | ay duh-mee اے دُومی | Literally 'and a half'. Il est trois heures et demie = 3:30. It is feminine (demie) because 'heure' is feminine. |
| moins le quart | quarter to | mwan luh kar مواں لُہ کار | Literally 'minus the quarter'. Il est quatre heures moins le quart = 3:45. Notice it subtracts from the NEXT hour. |
| lundi | Monday | lun-dee لُون دی | Masculine (le lundi). NOT capitalised in French. The 'un' is nasal: 'lun'. |
| mardi | Tuesday | mar-dee ماردی | Masculine (le mardi). Named after Mars, the Roman god of war. Not capitalised. |
| mercredi | Wednesday | mehr-kruh-dee میرکْرُودی | Masculine (le mercredi). The middle syllable is a light 'kruh' — three syllables, stress on the last. |
| jeudi | Thursday | zhuh-dee ژُودی | Masculine (le jeudi). Starts with the 'zh' sound like the s in 'measure'. Named after Jupiter. |
| vendredi | Friday | van-druh-dee واندْرُودی | Masculine (le vendredi). The 'en' is nasal. Weekend starts here, so this is a happy word in France. |
| samedi | Saturday | sam-dee سامدی | Masculine (le samedi). The e in 'samedi' is almost swallowed: 'sam-dee'. |
| dimanche | Sunday | dee-mansh دیمانش | Masculine (le dimanche). In France most shops are closed on Sunday — an important cultural fact! |
| aujourd'hui | today | o-zhoor-dwee اوژورْدْوی | One word in meaning but written with an apostrophe. Say it as one block: 'o-zhoor-dwee'. |
| demain | tomorrow | duh-man دُوماں | The 'ain' is nasal: 'duh-man', air through the nose. No article: 'À demain !' = see you tomorrow. |
Pronunciation
| Word | Sounds like | Slowly | How to make the sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| une heure | ün ur | ün ... ur | The h is totally silent — never say 'hure'. The 'eu' of heure is a rounded 'ur' made with the lips forward. There is no exact Urdu letter for it: 'اُر' in this lesson is only an approximation. |
| deux heures et demie | duh zur ay duh-mee | duh ... zur ... ay ... duh-mee | Watch the linking: 'heures' starts with a vowel, so 'deux heures' becomes 'duh-ZUR'. French loves this linking sound. |
| trois heures et quart | trwa zur ay kar | trwa ... zur ... ay ... kar | 'trois' is just 'trwa'. The t of quart is silent. Say the whole clock in one flow: trwa-zur-ay-kar. |
| moins le quart | mwan luh kar | mwan ... luh ... kar | The 'oin' is nasal: 'mwan', one syllable, air through the nose. It means minus — French counts backwards for 45 minutes. |
| lundi / mardi | lun-dee / mar-dee | lun ... dee / mar ... dee | The 'un' of lundi is nasal but the 'ar' of mardi is not. Keep the final 'i' short and light — never 'lun-DEE' with a long ee. |
| janvier / février | zhan-vyay / fay-vryay | zhan ... vyay / fay ... vryay | The 'j' is the 'zh' sound. 'ier' at the end of a French word is 'yay', so janvier = zhan-VYAY, not 'jan-vee-er'. |
Lesson 23 sound focus: the silent h of heure, the tight u in minute, and the nasal sounds in lundi and demain. Times are said quickly in real speech — practise them as single blocks, not word by word.
Grammar
Quelle heure est-il ? — telling the time with IL EST
Time in French is built with IL EST + number + heure(s). Always say 'heure' or 'heures': Il est une heure (1:00), il est deux heures (2:00), il est trois heures (3:00). For 15 and 30 minutes you add ET QUART and ET DEMIE after the hour. For 45 minutes French counts backwards from the next hour: quatre heures moins le quart = quarter to four = 3:45. Noon and midnight have their own words: MIDI and MINUIT — you do not say 'douze heures'. Now the crucial rule: use IL EST only for the clock. For everything else — days, dates, seasons, opinions — French uses C'EST: C'est lundi, c'est le 3 mai, c'est l'été. To ask the time: 'Quelle heure est-il ?' (neutral) or 'Vous avez l'heure ?' when politely stopping a stranger.
Les jours, les mois et les dates
All seven days and all twelve months are written with a SMALL letter in French — lundi, janvier — never with a capital like in English. Everything is masculine: le lundi, le mois de janvier. The seven days are lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche. The twelve months are janvier, février, mars, avril, mai, juin, juillet, août, septembre, octobre, novembre, décembre. To say 'on Mondays' (every Monday), you put le in front: le lundi. And a date follows one simple pattern: LE + number + month — le 3 mai, le 12 juillet. Only one date in the whole year uses an ordinal: the first of the month is LE PREMIER, so 'the 1st of May' is le premier mai. Everything else is a plain number.
Examples
| French | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Quelle heure est-il ? | What time is it? | kel ur eh-teel |
| Il est une heure. | It's one o'clock. | eel eh ün ur |
| Il est sept heures et quart. | It's quarter past seven. | eel eh set ur ay kar |
| Il est huit heures et demie. | It's half past eight. | eel eh üeet ur ay duh-mee |
| Il est dix heures moins le quart. | It's quarter to ten. | eel eh deez ur mwan luh kar |
| Il est midi et demi. | It's half past twelve (midday). | eel eh mee-dee ay duh-mee |
| Vous avez l'heure, s'il vous plaît ? | Do you have the time, please? | voo za-vay lur, seel voo pleh |
| Aujourd'hui, c'est lundi. | Today is Monday. | o-zhoor-dwee, say lun-dee |
| Demain, c'est mardi. | Tomorrow is Tuesday. | duh-man, say mar-dee |
| Le lundi, je travaille. Le dimanche, je ne travaille pas. | On Mondays I work. On Sundays I don't work. | luh lun-dee, zhuh tra-vy, luh dee-mansh, zhuh nuh tra-vy pa |
| Mon anniversaire est le 3 mai. | My birthday is on the 3rd of May. | mon a-nee-vehr-sehr eh luh trwa meh |
| C'est le premier juillet. | It's the 1st of July. | say luh pruh-myay zhüee-yeh |
| Le matin, je bois un café. Le soir, je bois un thé et je mange tard. | In the morning I have a coffee. In the evening I drink a tea and I eat late. | luh ma-tan, zhuh bwa un ka-fay, luh swar, zhuh bwa un tay ay zhuh monzh tar |
| Maintenant, il est tard. Je suis fatigué. | Now it's late. I am tired. | man-tuh-nan, eel eh tar, zhuh swee fa-tee-gay |
Dialogue: À quelle heure ?
In France you usually give an appointment time on the 24-hour clock in writing, but people speak with 12-hour words plus 'du matin', 'de l'après-midi' or 'du soir' to be clear.
| French | English | Say it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karim | Salut Léa ! Tu as l'heure ? | Hi Léa! Do you have the time? | sa-lü lay-a, tü a lur |
| Léa | Oui, il est dix heures et quart. | Yes, it's quarter past ten. | wee, eel eh deez ur ay kar |
| Karim | Ah, il est tard ! Le train est à quelle heure ? | Oh, it's late! What time is the train? | a, eel eh tar, luh tran eh a kel ur |
| Léa | À onze heures et demie. Aujourd'hui, c'est lundi, donc je prends le bus. | At half past eleven. Today is Monday, so I'm taking the bus. | a onz ur ay duh-mee, o-zhoor-dwee, say lun-dee, donk zhuh pran luh büs |
| Karim | Et demain ? | And tomorrow? | ay duh-man |
| Léa | Demain, c'est mardi. Je ne travaille pas le mardi. | Tomorrow is Tuesday. I don't work on Tuesdays. | duh-man, say mar-dee, zhuh nuh tra-vy pa luh mar-dee |
| Karim | D'accord. Alors le 3 mai, à midi ? | All right. So the 3rd of May, at noon? | da-kor, a-lor luh trwa meh, a mee-dee |
| Léa | Parfait ! À bientôt ! | Perfect! See you soon! | par-feh, a byan-to |
Say it out loud
- Quelle heure est-il ? — What time is it? One flowing question: kel-ur-eh-teel, rising at the end.
- Il est deux heures. — It's two o'clock. Link 'heures': duh-ZUR.
- Il est cinq heures et demie. — It's half past five. The q of cinq is a hard k sound.
- Il est neuf heures moins le quart. — It's quarter to nine. Link 'neuf heures': nuh-VUR. The f becomes a v sound.
- Il est midi. — It's noon. Never say 'douze heures' for noon.
- Aujourd'hui, c'est mercredi. — Today is Wednesday. Note 'c'est' for days — not 'il est'.
- Le dimanche, je ne travaille pas. — On Sundays, I don't work. 'le dimanche' = every Sunday.
- Mon anniversaire est le premier juin. — My birthday is on the 1st of June. 'premier' is used only for the 1st of the month.
Listening practice: La journée de Nadia
Bonjour, je m'appelle Nadia. Aujourd'hui, c'est jeudi. Le matin, je travaille de neuf heures à midi. À midi, je mange une salade. L'après-midi, je vais au marché. Le soir, je bois un thé avec ma famille. Le dimanche, je ne travaille pas. Demain, c'est vendredi, et il est tard maintenant. Bonne nuit !
Hello, my name is Nadia. Today is Thursday. In the morning I work from nine o'clock to noon. At noon I eat a salad. In the afternoon I go to the market. In the evening I drink a tea with my family. On Sundays I don't work. Tomorrow is Friday, and it is late now. Good night!
Questions
- What day is it today? Tuesday / Thursday / Sunday → Thursday
- When does Nadia work? From nine o'clock to noon / From noon to evening / Only at night → From nine o'clock to noon
- What does she eat at noon? A soup / A salad / A sandwich → A salad
- Where does she go in the afternoon? To the market / To the station / To the museum → To the market
- What day is it tomorrow? Monday / Friday / Saturday → Friday
Remember this
- Time uses IL EST: il est une heure, il est deux heures, il est trois heures et quart, il est huit heures et demie.
- For 45 minutes French counts backwards: quatre heures moins le quart = 3:45.
- Midi = noon, minuit = midnight. Never 'douze heures'.
- IL EST is only for the clock. Everything else uses C'EST: C'est lundi, c'est le 3 mai.
- Ask the time: Quelle heure est-il ? / Vous avez l'heure, s'il vous plaît ?
- Days: lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche — small letters, all masculine.
- Le lundi = on Mondays (every Monday).
- Months: janvier, février, mars, avril, mai, juin, juillet, août, septembre, octobre, novembre, décembre — also small letters.
- Dates: le + number + month (le 3 mai). Only the 1st uses premier: le premier mai.
- Time-of-day words: le matin, l'après-midi, le soir, la nuit, aujourd'hui, demain, hier, maintenant, tôt, tard.
Common mistakes
| Instead of | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| C'est trois heures. | Il est trois heures. | The clock needs IL EST. C'est is used for days and dates: C'est lundi, c'est le 3 mai. |
| Il est trois heures et quart pour 3:45 | Il est quatre heures moins le quart (3:45) | Et quart ADDS fifteen minutes; moins le quart SUBTRACTS them from the next hour. Mixing them up creates a one-hour mistake. |
| lundi with a capital L | lundi with a small l | French never capitalises days or months. 'Lundi 3 mai' is wrong; it is 'lundi 3 mai'. |
| le mai 3 | le 3 mai | The number comes before the month in French, the opposite of American English. |
| Il est douze heures (for noon) | Il est midi. | French has special words: midi for noon and minuit for midnight. Learn them as fixed expressions. |
Practice questions
- How do you say 'It's one o'clock'? C'est une heure. / Il est une heure. / Il est un heure. / Une heure est. — Il est une heure.
- 'Il est trois heures et demie' means: 3:15 / 3:30 / 3:45 / 2:30 — 3:30
- 'Il est cinq heures moins le quart' is: 4:45 / 5:15 / 5:45 / 4:15 — 4:45
- Which is correct for twelve noon? Il est minuit. / Il est midi. / Il est douze heure. / C'est midi heure. — Il est midi.
- Which sentence about the days of the week is TRUE? They are written with a capital letter. / They are not capitalised and they are masculine. / They are all feminine. / They change with gender. — They are not capitalised and they are masculine.
- How do you say 'on Mondays' (every Monday)? lundi / le lundi / à lundi / des lundis — le lundi
- Which month comes right after mars? mai / avril / juin / février — avril
- How do you write 'the 3rd of May'? le 3 mai / le mai 3 / trois mai / le troisième mai — le 3 mai
- 'premier' is used in a date for: every number / only the 1st of the month / only Mondays / only years — only the 1st of the month
- Which is correct? ___ trois heures. C'est / Il est / Il a / Est — Il est
Homework (15 minutes)
1) Listen and repeat all 16 words plus the 6 pronunciation drills. 2) Write out the full clock in French for 4:00, 4:15, 4:30 and 4:45 and say each one out loud. 3) Write your weekly diary in French: for each of the seven days, one sentence with 'le lundi, je…' and one time. 4) Write the twelve months in order with your own birthday and two family birthdays as dates (le 3 mai style), remembering premier for the 1st.
Lesson 23 of 45 · Part 3 · Food, Shopping & Going Out · See the full A0 → A2 roadmap · Français A0 → A2