Telling the time specifically

Ian L.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Telling the time specifically

I was marked wrong for including "Il est dix-neuf heures et demie." as a way of specifically saying "It is 7:30PM. "  Please explain?
Asked 6 years ago
CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi Ian,

If I can be more categorical -

you don't use, et quart , et demie, moins le quart with the 24 hour clock...

Hope this helps!

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

This is mixing the familiar and the formal ways of telling time. The "et demie" is informal but the "dix-neuf" is formal. So, either say 

dix-neuf heures trente or sept heures et demie du soir

Ian L.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Thanks again Chris.
Ian L.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Thanks Cecile. It does!

Nezih D.B1Kwiziq community member

Hi,

"you don't use, et quart , et demie, moins le quart with the 24 hour clock..."

Could you please add this info into the lesson? It is not the best way to find out such information in the comments. 

Regards

AurélieNative French expert teacher in Kwiziq

Bonjour Nezih !

This information was already in the lesson, but I agree it didn't pop out as much as it should have.I've now updated the lesson to make it more obvious :)

Bonne journée !

Ian L. asked:

Telling the time specifically

I was marked wrong for including "Il est dix-neuf heures et demie." as a way of specifically saying "It is 7:30PM. "  Please explain?

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