How to Say ‘What time is it?’ in French
Quelle heure est-il ?
kel ur ay eel
[kel ur ay eel]
💬 Usage Tip: French asks this as [What hour is it?], using [quel/le] + noun rather than a direct word-for-word match to English. You can reuse [quelle] before other singular nouns, like [Quelle adresse ?]
Phrase Breakdown
Quelle
[kel]
what
Interrogative word used here in asking for time.
Quelle heure est-il maintenant ?
What time is it now?
heure
[ur]
hour
Literally “hour,” but in this phrase it means “time.”
À quelle heure part le train ?
At what time does the train leave?
est
[ay]
is
Third-person singular of être, meaning “is.”
Quelle heure est-il chez vous ?
What time is it where you are?
-il
[eel]
it
Subject pronoun “it,” attached in inversion.
Quelle heure est-il, s'il vous plaît ?
What time is it, please?
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