do you only use military time in formal and written french? what do i use for conversational french? like for 6:35 pm, would i say: six heures trente-cinq ou dix-huit heures trente-cinq?
merci beaucoup!
By "military time" do you mean the twenty-four hour clock? You will find that for train, bus, etc. times = in public announcements, such as timetables, with midnight as the zero hour.
00.20 = 12:20 A.M.
14 heures = 2:00 P.M.
20h. 45 = 8:45 P.M.
To tell time, for 6:35 p.m. = Il est sept heures moins vingt-cinq.
Sra (aka Mme)
If you don't want to use military time, make sure you say what time of day it is. For example: morning, afternoon, evening, night.
In conversational French, it is more common to use the 12-hour clock (also known as the standard time) rather than the 24-hour clock (military time).
For example, to express 6:35 pm, you would say "six heures trente-cinq." There is no need to use the 24-hour format (dix-huit heures trente-cinq) in casual or everyday conversations.
However, in formal and written French, such as in official documents, schedules, or business communications, it is more appropriate to use the 24-hour clock.
So, in summary:
- Conversational French: "six heures trente-cinq"
- Formal or written French: "dix-huit heures trente-cinq"
Remember, when speaking French, it's essential to adapt to the context and the level of formality in order to use the appropriate time format.