Date and time notation in France

Date

In France, the all-numeric form for dates is in the order "DDD. DD/MM/YYYY", using a stroke as the separator. Example: mer. 31/12/1992. The expanded form is "mercredi 22 décembre 2010".

The first day of the week in France is Monday [lundi (lun.)].

Time

The 24-hour notation is used in writing with an h for heure, meaning hour). Example: 14h05..

Generally speaking, French speakers also use the 24-hour clock when they speak. Sometimes the 12-hour clock is used orally, but only in informal circumstances. Since there is no one-to-one equivalent of "AM" and "PM" in French, context must be relied on to figure out which one is meant. To clarify, people may use some sentences like "9 heures du matin" (literally "9 o'clock in the morning") or "9 heures du soir" (literally "9 o'clock in the evening)... but most French speakers would still find using the 24-hour clock a more convenient way of expressing time clearly.

See also

• French Republican Calendar