write 4pm

Question

so i wrote quatre heures de l'apres midi and it marked wrong, told it shoulb be seize heures. when i used 24 hour clock was told it only for railway etc timetables, please what is right?

Accepted Answer

Bonjour,
Thank you all for you feedback! As Chris mentioned both are acceptable and used in everyday speech. This lesson has now been updated, along with the questions from the kwiz. When necessary, hints have been included to clarify which "clock" to use in your answers.
I hope this is helpful.
Merci et bonne journée !

Answer

Hi Carol,This is indeed tricky (what's new about learning french?)Have a look here:-https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision/grammar/how-to-tell-time-in-french-am-vs-pmI don't think that the 24 hrs clock is just for timetables, it is used widely in my experience after 12noon. I think that to say "quatre heures de l'apres midi" would be understood in normal spoken word but doesn't get you the correct answer on tests.Jim

Answer

I think it shouldn't be left to guesswork in the lessons which form of telling time is expected. Both can be, and actually are, used in everyday speech.