sept heures
The French phrase for seven o'clock is sept heures.
You use sept heures to denote the time when the clock shows seven hours. In French, it is necessary to include the word heures to specify the time. You cannot simply say sept to mean seven o'clock.
Which one should you use?
To specify exactly seven o'clock in an informal way, you can use sept heures pile, sept heures tapantes or sept heures tout rond. To specify seven o'clock in the evening, you can use the formal phrase sept heures du soir or the 24-hour clock version 19 heures, which is common in France.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In France, the 24-hour clock form 19 heures is used to mean seven o'clock in the evening.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because heures is plural, the word heure must take an s at the end.
Did you know?
- The French word sept is a direct descendant of the Latin word septem, which also gave English the word 'september' because it was originally the seventh month of the Roman calendar.
- If a French speaker says sept heures tout rond, they are imagining the clock face as a circle. The phrase literally means 'seven hours all round'.
- The phrase sept heures tapantes uses a word that refers to the striking of a bell. It describes the exact moment the clock strikes seven.
Examples in context
- Il est sept heures.It's seven o'clock.This sentence shows how to state the current time using sept heures.Tatoeba #8333650 by theachaean, translation #875819 by CM
- Réveille-moi à sept heures.Wake me up at seven o'clock.This sentence shows how to use sept heures to indicate a time to wake up.Tatoeba #936552 by sacredceltic, translation #1160674 by Eldad
- Viens ici avant sept heures.Come here before seven o'clock.This sentence shows how to use sept heures to indicate a deadline.Tatoeba #348694 by TRANG, translation #72347 by CN
- Il est sept heuresIt's seven o'clock
- On se voit à sept heures?Shall we meet at seven o'clock?
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are discussing their plans for dinner.
- NathanTu es libre à sept heures ?Are you free at seven o'clock?
- ManonOui, je peux venir à sept heures.Yes, I can come at seven o'clock.
- NathanParfait, on dîne ensemble alors.Perfect, let's have dinner together then.
- ManonD'accord, à tout à l'heure !Okay, see you later!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sept, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
