quelle heure il est
In French, "what time it is" is expressed as quelle heure il est.
The phrase is used to refer to the current time of day. When telling the time, you can use the structure Il est + hour + heures + moins + minutes to express how many minutes remain until the next hour. To specify the time of day, you can add du matin for the morning, de l'après-midi for the afternoon or du soir for the evening.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase quelle heure il est literally translates to "what hour it is".
Which one should you use?
Quelle heure il est is used in indirect questions or subordinate clauses. For a standard, direct question such as "What time is it?", you should use the form Quelle heure est-il ?
How does it change in a sentence?
Quelle heure il est functions as a subordinate clause within a larger sentence rather than as a standalone question.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using combien de temps (which means "how much time") when you intend to ask for the current time of day.
Did you know?
- In very formal French, one might use Auriez-vous l'heure ? which literally asks 'Would you have the hour?' instead of using the standard Quelle heure est-il ?
- The French word for 'hour', heure, shares a common ancestor with the Greek word ὥρα, which originally meant 'season' or 'year'.
- Using the phrase quelle heure il est in a direct question is common in casual spoken French, even though grammar books insist on the inversion Quelle heure est-il ?
Examples in context
- Sais-tu quelle heure il est ?Do you know what time it is?Tatoeba #809650 by U2FS, translation #2882528 by CK
- Un homme avec une montre sait quelle heure il est, un homme avec deux montres n'en est jamais sûr.A man with a watch knows what time it is, a man with two watches is never sure.Tatoeba #3521302 by sacredceltic, translation #901521 by Spamster
- Je me demande quelle heure il est.I wonder what time it is.Tatoeba #11039070 by Fenrir, translation #682470 by Source_VOA
- Onze heures.Eleven o'clock.
- Cinq heures et quart.Five fifteen.
- Il est midi pile.It is exactly noon.
- Huit heures du matin.Eight in the morning.
- Deux heures de l'après-midi.Two in the afternoon.
- Sept heures du soir.Seven in the evening.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are sitting in a cafe.
- ManonDis-moi, Nathan, sais-tu quelle heure il est ?Tell me, Nathan, do you know what time it is?
- NathanJe ne sais pas quelle heure il est sans ma montre.I don't know what time it is without my watch.
- ManonRegarde ton téléphone pour voir quelle heure il est.Look at your phone to see what time it is.
- NathanAh, il est midi pile !Ah, it is exactly noon!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries est, heure, il, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
