▶️🕘🌙

How to Say ‘It starts at nine pm.’ in French

Il commence à vingt et une heures.

eel koh-MAHNSS ah van eh oon UR

[eel koh-MAHNSS ah van eh oon UR]

🇫🇷 In France: Event times, posters and programmes in France use the 24-hour clock, so expect 21h written on the Fête de la Musique schedule.

Phrase Breakdown

Il commence

eel koh-MAHNSS

It starts

Say 'eel ko-MAHNSS'. The 'en' is nasal.

Example

Il commence à pleuvoir.

It's starting to rain.

Words in this phrase

[eel]

Impersonal subject.

Example

Il faut partir.

It's necessary to leave.

commence

[koh-MAHNSS]

starts

Form of 'commencer', to begin.

Example

Le film commence bientôt.

The film starts soon.

à vingt et une heures.

ah van eh oon UR

at 9 p.m.

Say 'a van-tay u-NUHR'. 'À' gives the time something happens.

Example

On mange à vingt et une heures.

We eat at 9 p.m.

Words in this phrase

[ah]

A preposition indicating position or direction.

Example

À la maison.

At the house.

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

[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