Telling time in French isn’t just about memorising ‘il est une heure’ and hoping for the best. You need the right words and patterns to avoid showing up late or mixing up your rendezvous. This list hands you around 44 practical time‑telling expressions that cover everything from the simple o’clock hours to the trickier half‑past and quarter‑to forms.
Each entry gives you a straightforward meaning and a natural example sentence, so you can see exactly how the phrase behaves in a real French sentence – no guesswork, just vocabulary you’ll use when you glance at a clock or make plans. We’ve skipped the dusty textbook filler and kept only the practical bits that show up in daily life.
Ready to make the clock a little less mysterious? Scroll to the bottom of the article for the free printable tell time in French vocabulary list PDF and the free downloadable printable tell time in French flashcards, so you can practice saying the time like a pro.
Use this list as a starting point, then keep going in the Yak Yacker French section for more words, phrases, and study-friendly reference pages.
Quick Quiz
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Browse the Full List
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| fourrure | fur |
| frangine | sis |
| frire | fry |
| frotter | rub |
| goudron | tar |
| graisse | fat |
| gratte | axe |
| hi | hee |
| if | yew |
| Il est deux heures. | eel ay duh zuhr |
| Il est dix heures. | eel ay deez uhr |
| Il est huit heures dix. | eel ay weet uhr dees |
| Il est midi et demi. | eel ay mee-dee ay duh-mee |
| Il est midi. | eel ay mee-dee |
| Il est minuit. | eel ay mee-nwee |
| Il est neuf heures moins dix. | eel ay nuhv uhr mwan dees |
| Il est onze heures vingt. | eel ay onz uhr van |
| Il est quatre heures moins cinq. | eel ay ka-truhr mwan sank |
| Il est quatre heures. | eel ay kat ruhr |
| Il est sept heures. | eel ay set uhr |
| Il est six heures cinq. | eel ay seez uhr sank |
| Il est trois heures vingt-cinq. | eel ay trwah zuhr van-sank |
| Il est trois heures. | eel ay trwah zuhr |
| Il est une heure moins le quart. | eel ay ewn uhr mwan luh kar |
| Il est une heure. | eel ay ewn uhr |
Free Tell Time in French Vocabulary List PDF and Flashcards
Grab the purple tell time in French vocabulary list button for your 100% free, no-signup PDF, then use the teal tell time in French flashcards button for easy practice anytime. Both downloads are made to help you learn fast, with zero fuss and plenty of clock-watching confidence.
