Numbers and time
Numbers are essential for everyday situations: shopping, telling time, making appointments, understanding prices, and giving phone numbers.
Cardinal numbers
0–20
| Number | French | Number | French |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | zéro | 11 | onze |
| 1 | un | 12 | douze |
| 2 | deux | 13 | treize |
| 3 | trois | 14 | quatorze |
| 4 | quatre | 15 | quinze |
| 5 | cinq | 16 | seize |
| 6 | six | 17 | dix-sept |
| 7 | sept | 18 | dix-huit |
| 8 | huit | 19 | dix-neuf |
| 9 | neuf | 20 | vingt |
| 10 | dix |
21–69
| Number | French |
|---|---|
| 21 | vingt et un |
| 22 | vingt-deux |
| 30 | trente |
| 31 | trente et un |
| 40 | quarante |
| 50 | cinquante |
| 60 | soixante |
Pattern: tens + hyphen + units (except for 21, 31, 41, 51, 61 which use et un)
70–99 (The French counting system)
This is where French gets interesting:
| Number | French | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | soixante-dix | sixty-ten |
| 71 | soixante et onze | sixty-and-eleven |
| 72 | soixante-douze | sixty-twelve |
| 79 | soixante-dix-neuf | sixty-nineteen |
| 80 | quatre-vingts | four-twenties |
| 81 | quatre-vingt-un | four-twenty-one |
| 90 | quatre-vingt-dix | four-twenty-ten |
| 91 | quatre-vingt-onze | four-twenty-eleven |
| 99 | quatre-vingt-dix-neuf | four-twenty-nineteen |
Note: Belgium and Switzerland use septante (70), octante/huitante (80), and nonante (90).
100 and beyond
| Number | French |
|---|---|
| 100 | cent |
| 101 | cent un |
| 200 | deux cents |
| 201 | deux cent un |
| 1,000 | mille |
| 2,000 | deux mille |
| 1,000,000 | un million |
| 1,000,000,000 | un milliard |
Notes:
- Cent takes an "s" when multiplied and not followed by another number: deux cents but deux cent un
- Mille never changes: deux mille
- Million and milliard take de before nouns: un million d'euros
Number format
French uses spaces or periods for thousands and commas for decimals:
- 1 234 or 1.234 = one thousand two hundred thirty-four
- 3,50 € = three euros fifty cents
Ordinal numbers
| Cardinal | Ordinal | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | premier / première | first |
| 2 | deuxième / second(e) | second |
| 3 | troisième | third |
| 4 | quatrième | fourth |
| 5 | cinquième | fifth |
| 6 | sixième | sixth |
| 7 | septième | seventh |
| 8 | huitième | eighth |
| 9 | neuvième | ninth |
| 10 | dixième | tenth |
| 21 | vingt et unième | twenty-first |
Pattern: Add -ième (drop final "e" if present, "f" becomes "v" in neuf)
Telling time
Asking the time
- Quelle heure est-il ? — What time is it?
- Vous avez l'heure ? — Do you have the time?
- Il est quelle heure ? — What time is it? (informal)
Hours
| Time | French |
|---|---|
| 1:00 | Il est une heure. |
| 2:00 | Il est deux heures. |
| 12:00 (noon) | Il est midi. |
| 12:00 (midnight) | Il est minuit. |
Minutes
| Time | French | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| 3:05 | Il est trois heures cinq. | + minutes |
| 3:10 | Il est trois heures dix. | + minutes |
| 3:15 | Il est trois heures et quart. | + et quart |
| 3:20 | Il est trois heures vingt. | + minutes |
| 3:30 | Il est trois heures et demie. | + et demie |
| 3:35 | Il est quatre heures moins vingt-cinq. | moins (minus) |
| 3:40 | Il est quatre heures moins vingt. | moins |
| 3:45 | Il est quatre heures moins le quart. | moins le quart |
| 3:50 | Il est quatre heures moins dix. | moins |
24-hour clock
Common in schedules and formal contexts:
- 13h00 = treize heures = 1:00 PM
- 20h30 = vingt heures trente = 8:30 PM
Time expressions
| French | English |
|---|---|
| à... | at... (time) |
| vers... | around... |
| de... à... | from... to... |
| du matin | in the morning (AM) |
| de l'après-midi | in the afternoon |
| du soir | in the evening |
| pile | exactly, on the dot |
Examples:
- Le train part à huit heures. — The train leaves at eight o'clock.
- On se retrouve vers midi. — Let's meet around noon.
Days of the week
| French | English |
|---|---|
| lundi | Monday |
| mardi | Tuesday |
| mercredi | Wednesday |
| jeudi | Thursday |
| vendredi | Friday |
| samedi | Saturday |
| dimanche | Sunday |
Notes:
- Days are not capitalised in French
- Le lundi = on Monday / on Mondays
- Lundi prochain = next Monday
Months
| French | English |
|---|---|
| janvier | January |
| février | February |
| mars | March |
| avril | April |
| mai | May |
| juin | June |
| juillet | July |
| août | August |
| septembre | September |
| octobre | October |
| novembre | November |
| décembre | December |
Usage:
- en janvier = in January
- au mois de mars = in (the month of) March
Dates
French dates use cardinal numbers (except for the first):
| Format | Example |
|---|---|
| Spoken | le quinze mars |
| Written | le 15 mars / 15/03/2024 |
| First of month | le premier mai |
| With year | le 20 juillet 2024 |
Asking the date:
- Quelle est la date aujourd'hui ? — What's today's date?
- On est le combien ? — What's the date? (informal)
Answering:
- Nous sommes le 15 mars. — It's March 15th.
- On est le 15. — It's the 15th.
Seasons
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le printemps | spring |
| l'été (m) | summer |
| l'automne (m) | autumn/fall |
| l'hiver (m) | winter |
Usage:
- au printemps — in spring
- en été — in summer
- en automne — in autumn
- en hiver — in winter