🕘🌙

How to Say ‘9 pm’ in French

Vingt et une heures

van eh oon UR

[van eh oon UR]

💬 Usage Tip: French times often use the 24-hour clock, so 9 pm is vingt et une heures. Une matches heures, and it joins it in one sound (vant-ay-oon-nur).

Phrase Breakdown

Vingt et

van eh

Twenty and

Say 'van-TAY'. The 't' of 'vingt' is pronounced here because it links to 'et'.

Example

Vingt et un euros.

Twenty-one euros.

Words in this phrase

Vingt

[van]

twenty

The number 20; '20 heures' means 8 pm.

Example

Vingt euros par personne.

Twenty euros per person.

[eh]

and

Joins two thoughts or questions together.

Example

Et vous êtes venu aussi?

And did you come too?

une heures

oon UR

one o'clock (completing 9 p.m.)

Say 'u-NUHR', gliding 'une' into 'heures'. Together, 'vingt et une heures' means 9 p.m. on the 24-hour clock.

Example

Le train part à vingt et une heures.

The train leaves at 9 p.m.

Words in this phrase

une

[oon]

one

Feminine form of 'one', here part of the number twenty-one.

Example

Il est une heure.

It is one o'clock.

heures

[UR]

o'clock

Used after a number to tell the time of day.

Example

Le dîner est à huit heures.

Dinner is at eight o'clock.

Guides for French learners

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.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.

Get the Full Learning Experience

This lesson is just a preview. Download PrettyFluent to practice pronunciation, roleplay conversations, and master vocabulary with spaced repetition.

Pronunciation Feedback

AI-powered feedback on what you say out loud

Spaced Repetition

Retain vocabulary long-term with smart practice

Immersive Roleplaying

Practice real conversations with AI partners

Lessons for Your Situation

Request lessons tailored to your specific needs

Get Full Lesson

What Learners Are Saying

“Moved to Lyon for a culinary apprenticeship. The food and restaurant lessons were exactly what I needed — my French colleagues were genuinely impressed.”

Tom H., 38, Chef

“Studying in Paris and the academic French I learned in school was useless for daily life. This app filled the gap in weeks, not months.”

Nina W., 29, Graduate Student

“Learning a language has never been as immediately impactful. Now I can charm the locals and navigate the food scene like a boss.”

Alex M., 42, Software Engineer