French Phrase
Tu te couches à quelle heure ?
Meaning
Literally, “You go to bed at what hour?” It is the informal way to ask someone what time they usually go to sleep.
When to use
Use this question in casual conversation with friends, family, or peers when you want to know their bedtime or schedule. It’s informal; in a more formal setting you’d use a different word order or a less familiar verb.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Tutecouchesàquelleheure?
Tu (subject pronoun)
Second‑person singular informal pronoun used as the subject of the verb.
te (reflexive pronoun)
Reflexive pronoun required with the verb se coucher; it agrees with the subject.
couches (verb form)
Present‑tense form of the reflexive verb se coucher for ‘tu’ (you go to bed).
à (preposition for time)
Introduces the specific time at which an action occurs.
quelle (interrogative adjective)
Feminine form of ‘quel’ that agrees with the feminine noun heure.
heure (noun)
Means ‘hour’; used in time‑of‑day questions.
🗨In Conversation
Tu te couches à quelle heure ?
What time do you go to bed?
Je me couche à dix heures.
I go to bed at ten o’clock.
✕Common Mistakes
Tu couches à quelle heure ?
Missing the reflexive pronoun ‘te’; the verb must be reflexive: se coucher.
Tu te couches à quel heure ?
‘Heure’ is feminine, so the interrogative adjective must be ‘quelle’, not ‘quel’.
À quelle heure tu te couches ?
Word order is acceptable in spoken French, but the standard written form places the interrogative phrase after the verb.
↔Alternatives
À quelle heure vas‑tu te coucher ?
At what time are you going to bed?
Quand te couches‑tu ?
When do you go to bed?
À quelle heure te mets‑tu au lit ?
At what time do you get into bed?
Cultural Tip
In France, bedtime varies by age and lifestyle, but many people tend to go to bed between 10 p.m. and midnight. The verb se coucher is slightly more formal than aller au lit, which is used in very casual speech or with children. Remember that the reflexive pronoun ‘te’ is mandatory; omitting it sounds ungrammatical.