If d'ici une heure can mean within an hour or by 1:00, how can one know which meaning to take from it?

Question

Accepted Answer

Hi Ann,
I think you would know from the context but you could always use 13 heures for 1 pm, taking away the confusion.
e.g.
Nous aurons la réponse d'ici une heure. (We'll have the answer within one hour.)
Nous aurons la réponse d'ici treize heures. (We'll have the answer by 1 pm.)
Hope this helps!

Answer

Yes, it does help. So in other words, it was a tricky question. But that's okay, I guess. Maybe it will help me to remember....when speaking I will use treize heures.

Answer

Additionally, if you get given a time in France (or Belgium), it's almost certainly going to be 24 hour clock (aka military time aka l'Heure Officielle) eg., 13h45 (treize heures quarante-cinq).

Beware, however, potential for confusion if someone tries to help you by translating to 12 hour clock!