Après midi

Question

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.

Céline Pickard · Accepted 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.

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I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !