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How to Say ‘At the latest forty-eight hours in advance’ in French

Au plus tard quarante-huit heures à l'avance

oh tar ka-RAHNT weet uhr ah l' ah-VAHNSS

[oh tar ka-RAHNT weet uhr ah l' ah-VAHNSS]

🇫🇷 In France: A 48-hour cutoff is common for group bookings and popular weekend slots. Smaller places often expect only a same-day call.

Phrase Breakdown

Au plus tard

oh tar

at the latest

Sets the deadline. Say 'oh plu tar', with no 's' or 'd' sounds.

Example

Payez lundi au plus tard.

Pay by Monday at the latest.

Words in this phrase

[oh]

at the

A phrase used to indicate location, time, or a condition.

Example

Elle est au parc.

She is at the park.

plus

tard

[tar]

late

Adverb meaning at a late time; the d is silent.

Example

Il rentre tard.

He comes home late.

quarante-huit heures

ka-RAHNT weet uhr

forty-eight hours

Link 'huit' and 'heures' with a 't' sound: 'wee-teur'.

Example

Attendez quarante-huit heures.

Wait forty-eight hours.

Words in this phrase

quarante

[ka-RAHNT]

forty

The number 40.

Example

Mon père a quarante ans.

My father is forty.

huit

[weet]

eight

The number 8; with 'quarante', forms 48.

Example

Il reste huit places.

There are eight seats left.

heures

[uhr]

hours

Used for telling time in the 24-hour clock system.

Example

Les heures du studio sont affichées à l'entrée.

The studio hours are displayed at the entrance.

à l'avance

ah l' ah-VAHNSS

in advance

Completes the time limit. 'L'avance' flows as one word.

Example

Prévenez-nous à l'avance.

Let us know in advance.

Words in this phrase

[ah]

A preposition indicating position or direction.

Example

À la maison.

At the house.

[l']

the

Used before singular when the item is known.

Example

L'homme est là.

The man is there.

avance

[ah-VAHNSS]

advance

In 'à l'avance', it means beforehand.

Example

Réservez à l'avance.

Book in advance.

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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