French Phrase
Le petit‑déj, c’est à quelle heure ?
Meaning
This sentence asks for the scheduled time of the breakfast. It’s a casual way to check when a morning meal or a breakfast meeting will take place.
When to use
Use it in informal settings—among friends, coworkers, or classmates—when you need to know the exact time of a breakfast gathering or when a café will serve the morning menu.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Lepetit-déj,c’estàquelleheure?
Le (definite article)
The masculine singular definite article used before a noun, here introducing 'petit‑déj'.
petit‑déj (colloquial noun)
Shortened, informal form of 'petit déjeuner' (breakfast), common in spoken French.
c’est (contraction)
Contraction of 'cela est', used to refer to a previously mentioned thing; here it points back to 'le petit‑déj'.
à quelle heure (interrogative phrase)
Standard way to ask 'at what time?'; 'quelle' agrees in gender with 'heure' (feminine).
Punctuation in spoken French
A comma after 'petit‑déj' mimics a short pause, typical in informal speech.
🗨In Conversation
Le petit‑déj, c’est à quelle heure ?
When is breakfast?
Il commence à 8h30, on se retrouve devant la cafétéria.
It starts at 8:30, we’ll meet in front of the cafeteria.
✕Common Mistakes
Le petit‑déj, c’est à quel heure ?
‘heure’ is feminine, so the interrogative adjective must be ‘quelle’, not ‘quel’.
Le petit‑déjeuner c’est à quelle heure ?
When using the full noun, the article ‘le’ should stay, but the comma is optional; the more formal version drops the comma.
C’est à quelle heure le petit‑déj ?
While understandable, the preferred order in spoken French places ‘c’est’ before the noun as in the original sentence.
↔Alternatives
À quelle heure est le petit‑déjeuner ?
At what time is breakfast?
C’est à quelle heure le petit‑déj ?
What time is the breakfast?
On mange le petit‑déj à quelle heure ?
What time are we having breakfast?
Cultural Tip
In France, breakfast (le petit‑déjeuner) is usually light and taken between 7 am and 9 am. The slang 'petit‑déj' is common among younger speakers and in casual conversation. Using 'c’est' before the question adds a conversational tone, similar to saying 'so, what time is breakfast?' in English. In formal contexts you’d use the full form 'petit déjeuner' and the structure 'À quelle heure est le petit déjeuner ?'.