Waking up today, I was still feeling a bit of the Day 1 momentum—there’s nothing like the little victory of saying “Bonjour! Je m’appelle…” to someone who actually responds in French. But now it’s time to tackle something that feels a bit more like a real-life challenge: numbers and telling time. Because, really, what’s the use of traveling to France and not being able to buy a croissant because I can’t count my euros?
Counting from 1 to 10: Learning to Dance with Numbers
The first task of the day was learning how to count from 1 to 10. French numbers have a rhythm of their own, almost like a little dance. The sounds are musical:
- Un (1) – nasal, almost like humming.
- Deux (2) – a soft d and a kind of silent eux sound.
- Trois (3) – pronounced trwah, with that tricky r again.
- Quatre (4) – think kat, but give it a French flair.
- Cinq (5) – this one is fun, like saying sank.
- Six (6) – yes, it’s sees not six!
- Sept (7) – pronounced set.
- Huit (8) – sounds like wheat, which helps remember it.
- Neuf (9) – pronounced nuhf.
- Dix (10) – say it like dees.
The toughest part was the pronunciation of trois and quatre. It felt like I was trying to sing and speak at the same time. But after repeating them like a mantra, they started to roll off the tongue more easily.
Telling Time: What Time is It?
After numbers, the logical next step was learning how to ask for the time and tell it. In French, it’s not just about saying “It’s three o’clock.” There’s a bit of poetry to it:
- Quelle heure est-il? (What time is it?)
- Il est trois heures. (It’s three o’clock.)
French doesn’t use AM and PM like in English, but rather specifies the time of day using matin (morning), après-midi (afternoon), or soir (evening), if needed. And if you’re feeling fancy, you could say midi for noon or minuit for midnight.
The next challenge was telling times like “half past” and “quarter to”:
- Il est trois heures et demie. (It’s half past three.)
- Il est quatre heures moins le quart. (It’s a quarter to four.)
Vocabulary for the Day:
- Un, deux, trois… (1, 2, 3…)
- Onze, douze, treize… (11, 12, 13…) – felt like leveling up with double digits.
- Matin (morning)
- Après-midi (afternoon)
- Soir (evening)
- Midi (noon)
- Minuit (midnight)
- Demie (half)
- Quart (quarter)
Cultural Insight: The 24-Hour Clock
In France, the 24-hour clock is widely used, especially for schedules like train times and movie listings. So, while learning to say “Il est dix-sept heures” (It’s 5 PM), it’s also helpful to get familiar with military-style timekeeping. It adds a layer of precision that’s quite practical.
Practice in Action: A Mini Conversation Challenge
I decided to set up a little role-play scenario with a friend. We pretended we were in a café, and I had to ask what time it was (Quelle heure est-il?) and respond when they told me. It felt more dynamic and a lot like practicing for a real trip to Paris. I even ordered an imaginary café au lait to make it feel authentic!
Common Pitfalls:
- Mixing up “demie” and “quart”: It’s easy to switch these around. Remember, demie is for “half past,” and quart is for “quarter to.”
- Forgetting to specify morning, afternoon, or evening: This can cause confusion if you say Il est huit heures and someone doesn’t know if you mean morning or evening.
Fun Fact: French Nursery Rhymes for Counting
A surprising tip from a French friend: children’s nursery rhymes are a great way to memorize numbers! There’s one that goes:
“Un, deux, trois, nous irons au bois…”
(One, two, three, we’ll go to the woods…)
Learning to count in French can be a bit like going back to childhood, where songs and rhymes help make it stick.
Reflection:
Today was definitely more challenging than Day 1. Numbers and telling time might seem straightforward, but they have their own nuances in French. It’s almost like learning to keep a rhythm in a new language. But as I count the hours spent learning today, I feel like I’ve taken another meaningful step.
Tomorrow’s plan is to tackle days of the week and months of the year. Because, eventually, I’ll want to know how to say when my birthday is!
À demain! (See you tomorrow!)
