Module 2 of the free French course (CEFR A1, completed), lesson 29 of 30: Half past is et demie: trois heures et demie. On this page: 7 words with their genders and respellings, the rule, a watch-out line and the audio — the study notes behind the workbook's lesson 29.
| French | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| et demie | half past | ay duh-MEE |
| et quart | quarter past | ay KAHR |
| moins le quart | quarter to | mwa(n) luh KAHR |
| trois heures et demie | half past three | trwah zuhr ay duh-MEE |
| six heures et quart | quarter past six | see zuhr ay KAHR |
| sept heures moins le quart | quarter to seven | set uhr mwa(n) luh KAHR |
| la minute | the minute | lah mee-NEWT |
Respellings follow the course’s say-it key; the stressed syllable is in capitals. Print this lesson’s flashcards (PDF) — the words on the front, the English and respelling on the back.
Each word is read twice — say it back in the gap. Computer-generated voice; credits on the course page.
Half past is et demie: trois heures et demie. Quarter past is et quart: six heures et quart. Quarter to borrows from the NEXT hour: sept heures moins le quart.
Read a clock aloud three times a day this week and the system installs itself.
moins le quart borrows from the NEXT hour: sept heures moins le quart is 6:45, not 7:45.
This free course is the reading half. The writing half — write-in lessons, daily practice pages with built-in review, self-checks and a full answer key — is the companion workbook series, The French Ladder: one workbook per module, fifteen in all, released band by band with the Basic band (Modules 1–5) first.
Turn this lesson’s words into flashcards, then space your reviews — the two habits the research behind our study guides backs hardest.
New lessons and French workbook news, first
One email when the numbers change. Double opt-in, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.