midi
/mi.di/
In French, twelve o'clock is called midi.
midi is the standard way to say twelve o'clock when referring to midday. You can also use the expression midi pile to mean twelve o'clock sharp at midday, or the colloquial expression midi tapant to mean exactly twelve o'clock.
Which one should you use?
Use midi specifically for 12:00 PM (noon) to avoid confusion with midnight. For 12:00 AM (midnight), you should use minuit instead of midi.
How do you pronounce it?
/mi.di/
Did you know?
- The term midi is also the name for the South of France, referring to the Mediterranean region.
- The word midi is a compound of mi meaning 'middle' and di meaning 'day', literally translating to 'middle of the day'.
- Because midi is so specific to the middle of the day, you will often hear French people use it as a noun to mean 'lunchtime'.
Examples in context
- Il a eu le train de midi.He got the twelve o'clock train.This example shows the use of midi to describe a midday train.Tatoeba #399855 by sysko, translation #288386 by CM
- Il est presque midi.It's almost twelve o'clock.This example shows the use of midi to indicate it is almost twelve o'clock.Tatoeba #180400 by queenie, translation #10195316 by CK
- Nous arrivons au restaurant à douze heures pile.We're arriving at the restaurant at twelve o'clock sharp.
- On se retrouve au parc vers midi, ça te va?Let's meet at the park around noon, does that work for you?
- Il est midi rond, c'est l'heure de manger!It's exactly midday, it's time to eat!
- On se retrouve à midi ?Shall we meet at twelve o'clock?
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are deciding when to have lunch.
- GabrielTu as faim, Manon ?Are you hungry, Manon?
- ManonOui, on mange à midi ?Yes, shall we eat at twelve o'clock?
- GabrielC'est une bonne idée.That is a good idea.
- ManonParfait, à tout à l'heure.Perfect, see you soon.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry midi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries midi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
