sept heures et demie
The English phrase seven thirty is translated into French as sept heures et demie.
This phrase is used to state that the time is seven hours and thirty minutes.
Which one should you use?
Sept heures et demie is the most common way to express half-past seven in everyday conversation, whereas sept heures trente is more digital or technical.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase sept heures et demie, the word demie is feminine because it agrees with the feminine noun heure.
Did you know?
- When writing the time, French uses the letter h as a separator instead of a colon. Seven thirty is written as 7h30.
- Because French uses a 24-hour clock for most formal schedules, 'seven thirty' in the evening would be expressed as dix-neuf heures trente.
- The word sept is a distant relative of the English word 'seven'. Both can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European word *septḿ̥.
Examples in context
- Je vais à l'école à sept heures et demie du matin.I go to school at seven thirty.This sentence is useful for expressing when you go to school using sept heures et demie.Tatoeba #6460993 by GB3, translation #6459994 by ilkeraltinok365
- Je me réveille à sept heures et demie.I wake up at seven thirty.
- Rendez-vous à sept heures trente.Meeting at seven thirty.
- J'arrive à sept heures trente à la gare.I will arrive at seven thirty at the train station.
- Le film commence à sept heures et demie.The movie starts at seven thirty.
- Le train part à sept heures et demie.The train leaves at seven thirty.
- Le dîner est servi à sept heures et demie.Dinner is served at seven thirty.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are discussing their evening schedule.
- GabrielTu arrives à quelle heure ce soir ?What time are you arriving tonight?
- ManonJe serai là à sept heures et demie.I will be there at seven thirty.
- GabrielParfait, on commence le film après.Perfect, we will start the movie after.
- ManonD'accord, à tout à l'heure !Okay, see you later!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries et, sept, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
