neuf heures et demie
In French, half past nine is said as neuf heures et demie.
The phrase is used to describe the time that is thirty minutes after nine o'clock. To specify the time of day, you can add du matin to mean 'in the morning' or du soir to mean 'in the evening'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the number nine (neuf), the word for hours (heures) and the expression for half (et demie), literally meaning 'nine hours and half'.
Which one should you use?
While English speakers use the phrase 'half past' to denote the elapsed time, French speakers use 'and half' (et demie) to express the same time. Additionally, 'neuf heures trente' is used for the more precise 'nine thirty'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word demie is written in its feminine form to agree with the feminine noun heure.
Did you know?
- In France, you will often see 9h30 written on schedules, as the letter 'h' is used as a separator instead of a colon.
- The word neuf comes from the Latin 'novem', which is also the ancestor of the English word 'November' because it was originally the ninth month of the Roman calendar.
- In French, the word neuf is a homonym that can mean both the number 'nine' and the adjective 'new'.
Examples in context
- Il est neuf heures et demie.It's half past nine.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase neuf heures et demie.Tatoeba #2499492 by Ankio, translation #8507376 by Adelpa
- Le train arrive à neuf heures et demie.The train arrives at half past nine.
- Je t'appellerai à neuf heures et demie.I will call you at half past nine.
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are discussing when to meet for dinner.
- HugoOn se retrouve à quelle heure ?What time shall we meet?
- LéaEst-ce que neuf heures et demie te convient ?Does half past nine suit you?
- HugoOui, c'est parfait pour moi.Yes, that is perfect for me.
- LéaSuper, à tout à l'heure alors !Great, see you later then!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries et, neuf, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
