minuit
/mi.nɥi/
Twelve am in French is minuit.
minuit is used to represent midnight specifically.
What does it mean word for word?
The word minuit literally means midnight.
Which one should you use?
While minuit refers to twelve am (midnight), midi refers to twelve pm (noon).
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'at twelve am', you use the preposition à before minuit, resulting in à minuit.
How do you pronounce it?
/mi.nɥi/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to translate 'twelve am' literally as 'douze am', but the correct term is minuit.
Did you know?
- While minuit means 'midnight', the word midi for 'noon' is also used in French to describe the South of France.
- In French, the word minuit is masculine, despite the word it is derived from, nuit ('night'), being feminine.
- While English uses 'am' and 'pm' to distinguish between morning and afternoon, French speakers almost always rely on the 24-hour clock system in formal settings to avoid any confusion with minuit.
Examples in context
- Le train arrive à minuit.The train arrives at midnight.
- Le train part à minuit.The train leaves at midnight.
- Je serai rentré vers minuit.I will be back around midnight.
- Il est minuit pile.It is exactly midnight.
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are discussing a party schedule.
- NathanÀ quelle heure finit la fête ?What time does the party end?
- ChloéLa fête se termine à minuit.The party ends at midnight.
- NathanC'est un peu tard pour moi.That is a bit late for me.
- ChloéTu peux partir plus tôt.You can leave earlier.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry minuit, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
