Clock
French clock practice: the last entry is fifteen minutes before closing
Read six French afternoon clock faces, then distinguish last entry at 17:45 from closing at 18:00 using an explicit fifteen-minute rule.
- A1
- 6 times to read
- Pick the French
- Learn this in the A1 notebook →
In short
Dernière entrée is the last admission time; fermeture is closing. For this notice, closing is 18:00 and the last entry is fifteen minutes earlier: 18:00 minus 15 minutes gives 17:45. On an afternoon clock, that is six heures moins le quart.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
All six clocks below show afternoon arrival times. Read each face first, choosing its everyday French expression. Then compare it with the notice: Dernière entrée : 17 h 45. Fermeture : 18 h. The service can be open while no longer admitting new visitors.
What time is it? Pick the French that matches.
The minute hand marks thirty minutes after three. In this afternoon context, that is 15:30.
The hands show four exactly. The stated afternoon context makes it 16:00.
Thirty minutes after four is quatre heures et demie, or 16:30 here.
The clock shows five exactly; in the afternoon that is 17:00.
Half past five is cinq heures et demie, or 17:30 in this activity.
Fifteen minutes before six is six heures moins le quart, corresponding to 17:45.
Read both limits
Horaires de visite
Dernière entrée17 h 45
Fermeture18 h
Écart15 minutes
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| Closing | 18:00 |
| Subtract fifteen minutes | 18:00 − 00:15 |
| Last entry | 17:45 |
To ask about arriving near the limit, give your time explicitly: Je peux entrer à dix-sept heures quarante-cinq ? The question concerns entry. À quelle heure fermez-vous ? asks about the later closing time. Keep those two purposes separate when reading or asking about opening hours.