SUMMARY

Click on a link below to jump to the right place on the page or simply scroll through to read everything in order.

Here is he EdPuzzle video with questions that I use in 1010. You might need to create a free EdPuzzle account to see the video. 

Othewise, here are some written explanations!

Basic structure

il est [00] heure(s) [00]
it is [00] hour [00]

You can specify the time of the day if you are using the 12 hour system (am/pm)

• du matin = in the morning

• de l'après-midi = in the afternoon

• du soir = in the evening (after dark)

Note:

We do not specify "minute(s)" for the minutes. We just give the number.

• 4:05am = il est quatre heures cinq

• 5:18pm= il est cinq heures dix-huit

"heure" is a féminin word: une heure. It means that for 1am/pm and 21:00, you will say UNE and not UN

• 1am/pm = Il est une heure 

• 21:00= il est vingt-et-une heure

"heure" always takes an S in the plural (so if more than 1:00)

• il est une heure (1:00)

• il est cinq heures (5:00)

• il est 9 heures trente-deux (9:32)

Any 12 hour will be said as "midi" or "minuit", with no "heure".

• 12:04pm = il est midi quatre (it's noon four)

• 12:04am = il est minuit quatre (it's midnight four)

Talking about minutes

For minutes, you can simply give the number and be on you merry way.

• 3:15 = il est trois heures quinze

• 3:30 = il est trois heures trente

• 3:45 = il est trois heures quarante-cinq

• 3:55 = il est trois heures cinquante-cinq

However, there are also expressions to replace certain amount of minutes.

15mn = 1 quarter of an hour so you can say "et quart"

• 3:15 = il es trois heures et quart

30mn = half an hour so you can say "et demi"

• 3:30 = il est trois heures et demi

45mn = three quarters of an hour, so you can say "trois quarts"

• 3:45 = il est trois heures trois quarts

However, we also enjoy torturing others by giving them the minutes befre he next hour. For instance, 3:40 is fifteen minutes before 4:00. You would then use the expression "moins" (minus) and the correct amount of minutes.

• 3:40 = il est 4 heures moins vingt ("it's 20mn til 4" or "20 to 4", as our British friends say)

• 4:55 = il est 5 heures moins cinq (it's 5 to 5)

And of course, feel free to use the word "quart" again to mean 15mn:

• 2:45 = il est 3 heures moins le quart

24hr system

Any official time (scheduling, time table; movies, bus, appointment...) will use the 24hr system. This is what you tend to call "military time". 

In this system, midnight = 00h00.
Then you start counting hours the same way for the morning until 12pm=12h00.
And then you keep adding on more: 1pm= 13h, 2pm=14h, 3pm=15h.... all the way until 11pm=23h.
Then at midnight, you start a new day at 0h.

Note:

Military time is a time made to be EXACT, so when using the 24hr system, you cannot use expression like "et demi" (and a half) or "moins le quart" (a quater to). You have to give the exact amoun of minutes, always.

• 1:30pm = 13h30 = il est 13 heures 30 OR il est 1 heure et demi de l'après-midi

• 11:55pm = 23h55 = il est 23 heures 55 OR il est minuit (midnight) moins le quart

• 12:15pm = 12h15 = Il est midi quinze OR Il est midi et quart

French spelling

In French, we use a small "h" instead of the column (:) to write time. This "h" represents the word "heure(s)".

• 12:00 = 12h00

• 03:45 = 3h45 = 15h45

• 24hr system = le système des 24h

• open 24hrs = ouvert 24h

We use the same litle "h" to indicate the time unit (it's a 2hrs drive), but it can nvr be plral s it is a symbol like $ or km.

• 1hr = 1h

• 5hrs = 5h

Notes on days of the week

If you want to talk about what you do on one specific day, as in "on Monday", just say the name of the day - there is no need to add a preposition of any kind.

• Lundi, je vais en classe.
  On Monday, I go to class.

If you are talking about habits, as in "every Monday" or "on Mondays", add LE in front of the day:

• Le lundi, j'ai français à 13h.
  On Mondays, I have French at 1pm.

Giving a date

In French, we say DAY - DATE - MONTH - YEAR (from the smallest to the biggest). The years are usully said fully (1990 is "one thousand ninety", not "ninety nineteen"), but you will sometimes hear historians refer to old dates in a similar way: 19 cent 90 (dix-neuf cent quatre-ving-dix).

• lundi 29 mai 2005  =  lundi vingt-neuf mai deux mille cinq

The number are said as number (no second or third or _th) EXCEPT the first (= le premier)

• le 1er avril = le premier avril

• le 3 janvier = le trois janvier

• le 29 mars 2023 = le vingt-neuf mars deux mille vingt-trois

If you want to give a date for an activity...

• • use LE in front of a day or a date

    1. 1. • J'arrive à Cookeville le lundi 28 mars.
            I arrive in Cookville on Monday, March 28

          • Il part le 15.
            He's leaving on the 15th.

          • Vous arrivez le 2 mars ?
            You are arriving on March 2nd

  • use EN in front of a month or a year.

    1. 1. • J'arrive à Cookeville en mars.
            I arrive in Cookville in March

          • Il part en 2024.
            He's leaving in 2024.

There are three ways to ask a question in French:

• questions with the intonation going up : very easy for closed questions, a bit random for open questions, and very informal/oral

• questions using "est-ce que" : easy for both open and closed questions, but relaxed and relatively oral

• questions by subject-veb inversion : quite complicated, but the most formal and perfectly grammatical

Questions with intonation up !

Easy, but absolutely NOT acceptable in written form or any kind of vaguely formal setting. In consist of saying the sentence as a statement but with an intonation going up. If you don’t go up with your voice, then your interlocutors will have no indication that it is a question and not a statement – especially without a question word.

• Tu aimes le chocolat ?
  You like chocolate?

• Tu n’aimes pas les chocolat Hershey ?
  You don’t like Hersey chocolates ?

If you have a question word, you should put it where the answer would be in the sentence.

• Tu vas au cinéma avec qui ?
  You are going to the movies with whom ?

Although, as it is very oral and informal (so no official rules), you may hear question words placed at the front, too. Good luck figuring out when it sounds ok or not :D

• Avec qui tu vas au cinéma ?
  With whom you are going to the movies ?

Questions using "est-ce que"

If you need more rules, there is the “est-ce que” option. However, you should avoid using it in writing, as in writing, everything should always be 100% perfect and fancy.

“est-ce que” works like a question marker: it isn’t translatable, it just indicates that what you are saying is a question.
You put it in front of a regular sentence. If you have a question word, you put it first, then “est-ce que”, then the rest of your sentence.

( [question word] ) [est-ce que] [ subject -verb-…..]

• Est-ce que tu manges de la pizza ?
  Are-you eating pizza ?

• Quand est-ce que tu manges de la pizza ?
  When do you eat pizza?

• Pourquoi est-ce que tu manges de la pizza ?
  Why do you eat pizza?

• Où est-ce que tu vas manger de la pizza ?
  Where are you going to eat pizza?

However… there ONE issue:  with the interrogative “qui” (who), “est-ce que“ becomes “est-ce qui“ if you are wondering about the subject of the main verb.

• Qui est-ce qui pleure dans le cours de français ?  (who is the subject of the verb crying)
  Who is crying in the French class ?

• Qui est-ce qui mange tous les KitKat de la prof ?   (who is the subject of the verb eating)
  Who is eating all the teachers’ KitKat ?

• Qui est-ce que tu regardes ?   (tu is the subject of the verb watching)
  Who are you looking at ?

• Qui est-ce que vous aimez ?    (vous is the subject of the verb liking/loving)
  Who do you like ?

Questions by inversion

The most perfect way of asking a question is by inversing the place the subject and the conjugated verb in the sentence. This inversion is indicated by a little dash. Of course, this method is also the most complicated.

• Tu aimes le chocolat --> Aimes-tu le chocolat ?
  You like chocolate --> Do you like chocolate ?

• Vous allez regarder la télévision. --> Allez-vous regarder la tv ?
  You are going to watch TV --> Are you going to watch TV ?

If you have a question word, you should place it in front of everything:

• Pourquoi aimes-tu le chocolat?
  Why do you like chocolate?

• Quand allez-vous regarder la télévision ?
  When are you going to watch TV ?

However, there are a few tricky points:

In the present tense, with il/elle/iel/on, you need to add a “-t-” between the reversed verb and subject, for better pronunciation (unless there is already one).

• Mange-t-il le chocolat ?
  Did he eat chocolate ?

• Pourquoi est-elle grande ?  -->  already a ‘t’ for liaison in “est”
  Why is she tall ?

• Quand va-t-elle partir en vacances ?
  When is she going to leave in vacation ?

You can only reverse a pronoun (je, tu, il, elle…). If you have a nominal clause (ex: le Chocolat) or a name (Juliette), then you must ADD the pronoun in addition

• Juliette est-elle dans la classe ?
  Is Juliette in the classroom.

• Pourquoi le sac de pomme est-il dans le garage ?
  Why is the bag of apples in the garage?

• Avec qui ton fils a-t-il mangé la pizza ?
  With whom did your son eat the pizza?

• Quand Kurtis va-t-il écouter le dernier single de Justin Bieber ?
  When is Kurtis going to listen to the last JB single?

Indefinite articles: un, une, des

Indefinite articles are translated by “a”, “an”, or “some” in English.
However, like everything in French, they agree in gender and numbers with the noun they are paired with.

When to use it?

As a general rule, if in English you would say “a” or “an”, use “un” or “une” in French.

If in English it is a plural and there is no article, then check if you could use “some...” in the sentence. If so, use “des”. If not, then you can probably say "all the..." and you should use "les".

• • • A l’université, il y a un professeur sympa.
      At the university, there is a nice teacher.

    • Un ami et une amie habitent avec moi.
      A friend (male) and a friend (female) live with me.

    • William a des enfants.I
      WiIliam has children. (= some children).

    • Je mange des chips.
      I’m eating chips. (some chips)

ATTENTION!
In the negative, you use de (d') instead of un/une/des if you are negating the existence of the thing. Since there are "none", you can't say "one" or "some"!

• A l’université, il n'y a pas de professeur sympa.
  At the university, there isn't any nice teacher.

• William n'a pas d'enfants.I
  WiIliam doesn't have children.

• Je ne mange pas de chips.
  I'm not eating chips.

BUT 

• Un ami et une amie n'habitent pas avec moi.
  a friend (male) and a friend (female) live with me.
  -> in this sentence, you are not negating the existence of "un ami et une amie", so no need to replace un/une with de.

Definite articles: le, la, l', les

 Definite articles are translated by “the” in English. However, like everything in French, they agree in gender and numbers with the noun they are paired with.

NOTE : ‘le’ and ‘la’ becomes ‘l’ ‘ when the following noun starts with a vowel.

• ami --> l’ami
  the (male) friend

• amie --> l’amie
  the (female) friend

When to use it ?

As a general rule, if in English you would say “the”, use “le/la/l’ /les” in French.

• Je joue avec les enfants
  I play with the children.

• Il regarde la television.
  He is watching the TV.

Note that in French, you also use “le/la/l’” or “les” in statements about likes and dislikes and for general truth as you mean “all the ___”.

• J’aime les enfants
  I like children.

• Je déteste la pizza.
  I hate pizza.

• Les éléphants sont gris.
  Elephants are grey.