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How to Say ‘It is twenty to eight.’ in French

Il est huit heures moins vingt.

eel eh weet uhr mwan van

[eel eh weet uhr mwan van]

Phrase Breakdown

Il est huit heures

eel eh weet uhr

It is eight o'clock

Pronounce the 't' of 'huit' and link it: 'wee-teur'.

Example

Il est huit heures, debout !

It's eight o'clock, get up!

Words in this phrase

[eel]

Part of the expression Il y a, meaning 'there is/there are'.

Example

Il y a souvent des bouchons le matin.

There are often traffic jams in the morning.

est

[eh]

Third person singular present of be.

Example

C'est important.

It is important.

huit

[weet]

eight

The number “eight,” used as part of the time expression.

Example

Je pars à huit heures.

I’m leaving at eight o’clock.

heures

[uhr]

o'clock / hours

Used after a number to tell the time in French.

Example

Dans « Pour 20 heures. », « heures » indique qu'on parle de l'heure.

In “Pour 20 heures.”, “heures” shows that we are talking about time.

moins vingt.

mwan van

twenty to

Subtracts 20 minutes, so the whole phrase means 7:40. Say it as 'mwan van'. The 'gt' is silent.

Example

Il est neuf heures moins vingt.

It is twenty to nine.

Words in this phrase

moins

[mwan]

minus / to

Used to tell minutes before the hour.

Example

Il est neuf heures moins cinq.

It is five to nine.

vingt

[van]

twenty

The number 20.

Example

Environ vingt euros, pas trente-cinq.

About twenty euros, not thirty-five.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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