🕒

How to Say ‘It's only quarter to’ in French

Il n'est que moins le quart

eel n eh KUH mwan Luh kar

[eel n eh KUH mwan Luh kar]

💬 Usage Tip: Ne … que means "only", not "not": je n'ai que dix euros "I only have ten euros". Moins le quart counts back, so it means quarter to the hour.

Phrase Breakdown

Il n'est que

eel n eh KUH

It's only

'Ne... que' means 'only'. It is said quickly as 'eel nay kuh'.

Example

Il n'est que huit heures.

It's only eight o'clock.

Words in this phrase

[eel]

Impersonal subject used for weather expressions.

Example

Aujourd'hui, il fait beau.

Today, the weather is nice.

[n]

not

Used to indicate negation or absence.

Example

Ce distributeur n'est pas encore disponible.

This ATM is not available yet.

est

[eh]

Third person singular present of be.

Example

C'est important.

It is important.

que

[KUH]

only (with ne)

« Ne ... que » means only.

Example

Je n'ai que dix euros.

I only have ten euros.

moins le quart

mwan Luh kar

quarter to (the hour)

'Moins' sounds like 'mwan', nasal with a silent 's'. 'Quart' sounds like 'kar', with a silent 't'.

Example

Il est midi moins le quart.

It's quarter to twelve.

Words in this phrase

moins

[mwan]

minus / to

Used to tell minutes before the hour.

Example

Il est deux heures moins dix.

It is ten to two.

[Luh]

The (masculine singular)

Definite article used before masculine singular nouns.

Example

Le chat est noir.

The cat is black.

quart

[kar]

quarter

A fourth part; with 'd'heure' it means fifteen minutes.

Example

Il est trois heures et quart.

It's a quarter past three.

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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