il est midi
The English phrase "it is noon" is translated into French as il est midi.
The phrase is used to state that the current time is twelve o'clock in the daytime.
What does it mean word for word?
The word midi literally means midday.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the impersonal pronoun il, which does not refer to a specific person but functions as a dummy subject for time.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say il est douze heures to mean it is noon. However, in French, midi is the standard way to express 12:00 PM.
Did you know?
- In France, le Midi is not just a time of day, but a term used to refer to the southern region of the country.
- While English uses 'noon' to mark the start of the afternoon, French speakers use midi as a common shorthand for the lunch hour itself.
- The word est in this phrase is one of the very few instances in modern French where a silent internal 's' is preserved in the spelling. This is because the word was so frequently used that it resisted the usual way French evolved to drop unpronounced middle consonants.
Examples in context
- On se voit pour déjeuner, il est midi pile !Let's meet for lunch, it's exactly noon!
- Regarde l'horloge, il est midi.Look at the clock, it is noon.
- Dépêche-toi, il est midi !Hurry up, it is noon!
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are deciding when to eat lunch.
- NathanQuelle heure est-il, Manon ?What time is it, Manon?
- ManonIl est midi, Nathan.It is noon, Nathan.
- NathanParfait, allons déjeuner.Perfect, let's go eat lunch.
- ManonD'accord, j'ai très faim.Okay, I am very hungry.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries est, il, midi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
