what to use to mentione minutes above 12?

Question

Hi,When the time expressed uses hour numbers under 12 (with either clock), you use et quart/et demie/moins le quart, and not quinze/trente/quarante-cinq.Does it also mean that, et quart/et demie/moins le quart can be used with under 12 and above 12 both?Thanks,Rahul

Christian Huter · Accepted Answer

If I understand correctly, you would like to know whether "et quart/et demie/moins le quart/moins vingt,..." can be used with numbers above 12. They cannot.
For example, "treize heures et demie", is not correct.The lesson is explicit about this:"When the time expressed uses hour numbers above 12 (in the "24-hour clock" -> 13h, 14h...), you use instead quinze, trente, quarante-cinq, probably for pronunciation (and elegance) reasons."Now, maybe you are also interested (like me) what rules govern times around 12 o'clock. According to https://dictionnaire.lerobert.com/guide/ecriture-de-l-heure-chiffres-ou-lettres:
"Seules les heures 1 à 11, ainsi que les mots midi et minuit, peuvent s'employer avec les mots quart et demie."
Therefore, it would be wrong to use "douze heures et demie" for 12:30 PM. Instead one would use "midi et demi(e)". "douze heures trente" would also be possible.
For completeness, 12:30 AM is "zéro heure trente" (24 hour clock) or "minuit et demi(e)". 
 
Remark: Concerning "midi/minuit et demi" and "... demie". At least, according to this article in "Le Figaro" both forms are correct: https://www.lefigaro.fr/langue-francaise/expressions-francaises/2017/04/26/37003-20170426ARTFIG00009--demi-demie-demis-quelle-difference.php