Après midi

Brigitte B.A2Kwiziq community member

Après midi

Question on a test: “What are all the possible ways to say 3 o’clock”  Marked incorrect for NOT choosing the following highlighted answer. Why do I need “de l’après-midi” if I am using “quinze”? Isn’t it obvious that I am speaking of the afternoon?

Il est quinze heures de l'après-midi.



Asked 1 day ago
CélineKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Bonjour Brigitte,

You're correc that in French, you do NOT use "de l'après-midi" after "quinze heures" because it is "obvious that I am speaking of the afternoon". As the lesson explains, "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."

Il est trois heures de l'après-midi. = It is three PM.​​

Il est quinze heures. = It is three PM.


I checked the test question and the answers are all correctly marked. If the issue persists, do not hesitate to get in touch with our Helpdesk via the "Report issue" button in your Results board.

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

Brigitte B. asked:

Après midi

Question on a test: “What are all the possible ways to say 3 o’clock”  Marked incorrect for NOT choosing the following highlighted answer. Why do I need “de l’après-midi” if I am using “quinze”? Isn’t it obvious that I am speaking of the afternoon?

Il est quinze heures de l'après-midi.



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