This is a list of 30 common words for talking about time in French, each with IPA, audio, a translation and an example sentence. Play any word to hear it, check yourself in the quiz and download the list for Anki or Quizlet.
Time in French: l'heure, la minute, le matin, l'après-midi, le soir, la nuit, minuit. The table below gives all 30 words with IPA, audio, a translation and an example sentence. A quiz of 10 questions checks what you remember, and the list can be downloaded for a spreadsheet, Quizlet or Anki.
| Word | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| l'heure /œʁ/ | hour | Le train part dans une heure. The train leaves in an hour. |
| la minute /minyt/ | minute | Attends une minute devant la porte. Wait a minute in front of the door. |
| le matin /matɛ̃/ | morning | Je travaille le matin à la maison. I work at home in the morning. |
| l'après-midi /apʁɛmidi/ | afternoon | Nous faisons du sport l'après-midi. We exercise in the afternoon. |
| le soir /swaʁ/ | evening | Je lis le soir dans ma chambre. I read in my room in the evening. |
| la nuit /nyi/ | night | Les rues sont calmes pendant la nuit. The streets are quiet during the night. |
| minuit /minyi/ | midnight | Le film commence à minuit ce soir. The movie starts at midnight tonight. |
| midi /midi/ | noon | Nous déjeunons ensemble à midi. We have lunch together at noon. |
| l'horloge /ɔʁlɔʒ/ L'horloge is feminine. | clock | L'horloge indique trois heures dans la salle. The clock shows three o'clock in the room. |
| la montre /mɔ̃tʁ/ | watch | Ma montre est dans mon sac. My watch is in my bag. |
| tôt /toː/ | early | Je me lève tôt chaque matin. I get up early every morning. |
| tard /taʁ/ | late | Nous rentrons tard après le concert. We return late after the concert. |
| maintenant /mɛ̃tnɑ̃/ | now | Je dois partir maintenant pour l'école. I have to leave for school now. |
| plus tard /ply taʁ/ | later | Je te téléphone plus tard ce soir. I will call you later tonight. |
| bientôt /bjɛ̃toː/ | soon | Le bus arrive bientôt devant la gare. The bus will arrive soon in front of the station. |
| toujours /tuʒuʁ/ | always | Elle arrive toujours à l'heure. She always arrives on time. |
| jamais /ʒamɛ/ | never | Je ne prends jamais le train. I never take the train. |
| parfois /paʁfwa/ | sometimes | Nous mangeons parfois au restaurant. We sometimes eat at a restaurant. |
| souvent /suvɑ̃/ | often | Il vient souvent chez ses parents. He often visits his parents. |
| la semaine /səmɛn/ | week | Je travaille cinq jours par semaine. I work five days per week. |
| le siècle /sjɛkl/ | century | Cette église date du dix-huitième siècle. This church dates from the eighteenth century. |
| le passé /pase/ | past | Il parle souvent de son passé. He often talks about his past. |
| le présent /pʁezɑ̃/ | present | Il faut vivre dans le présent. You have to live in the present. |
| l'avenir /avniʁ/ L'avenir is masculine. | future | Elle pense souvent à son avenir. She often thinks about her future. |
| l'emploi du temps /ɑ̃plwa dy tɑ̃/ | schedule | Mon emploi du temps change chaque semaine. My schedule changes every week. |
| la date limite /dat limit/ | deadline | La date limite est vendredi prochain. The deadline is next Friday. |
| le calendrier /kalɑ̃dʁie/ | calendar | Le calendrier est accroché au mur. The calendar is hanging on the wall. |
| la date /dat/ | date | Quelle est la date de votre anniversaire ? What is the date of your birthday? |
| le réveil /ʁevɛj/ | alarm clock | Mon réveil sonne à sept heures. My alarm clock rings at seven o'clock. |
| la décennie /desɛni/ | decade | La décennie commence avec de nouveaux changements. The decade begins with new changes. |
The list on this page has 30 words. The first ones are l'heure (hour), la minute (minute), le matin (morning). Each comes with IPA, audio, a translation and an example sentence.
Take the quiz on this page, then download the list for Anki or Quizlet and review a few words every day. In Lingo7 you can read books in French with a translation under every sentence and meet the same words in context.
Press the play button next to a word or an example sentence to hear it. The IPA under each word shows the sounds too: l'heure is pronounced /œʁ/.