Telling time 

To ask “What time is it?” use the phrase: Quelle heure est-il? (formally) or Il est quelle heure? (informally). To tell the time in French, use the phrase: Il est … heure(s):

Il est une heure de l’après-midi.

It’s 1 PM. 

Add the plural marker “s” to the end of heure in the plural:

Il est deux heures dix.

It’s ten past two o’clock.

To say “a quarter past” in French, use the phrase et quart. To say “half past”, use the phrase et demie. Notice that the hours are stated first:

Il est quatre heures et quart de l’après-midi.

It’s 16:15.

Il est dix heures et demie.

It’s 22:30.

To express “to” use moins. To express “past”, just say the number of minutes after heure(s). To say “a quarter to”, use the phrase moins le quart:

Il est huit heures moins vingt.

It’s 19:40.

Il est sept heures vingt.

It’s 19:20.

Talking about dates

Use a cardinal number preceded by le to express dates:

Mon anniversaire est le vingt-et-un Octobre.

My birthday is on October 21st.

The first day of a month is an exception, as it is expressed with the ordinal number le premier:

Inès est née le premier avril.

Ines was born on the first of April.

To say the date of today, use the expression nous sommes or on est:

Aujourd’hui, nous sommes le dix-sept mars.

Today is March 17th.

To ask today’s date, use the phrase: C’est quelle date aujourd’hui? You can also say: On est le combien aujourd’hui?