French Phrase
Ou jusqu'à minuit ce soir.
Meaning
The sentence offers an alternative time limit, meaning 'or until midnight tonight.' It is often used when suggesting a later deadline or extending an activity.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to propose a later cutoff time as an option, for example when arranging a meeting, a party, or a deadline.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Oujusqu'àminuitcesoir
ou (conjunction)
Used to present an alternative or addition, equivalent to English 'or'.
jusqu'à (preposition)
Means 'until' and is followed by a noun or time expression; it contracts with the following vowel.
minuit (noun)
Masculine noun meaning 'midnight'; no article is needed after 'jusqu''.
ce soir (adverbial phrase)
Means 'this evening' or 'tonight', used to specify the time frame.
🗨In Conversation
On doit partir à 22h, non ?
We have to leave at 10 p.m., right?
Ou jusqu'à minuit ce soir.
Or until midnight tonight.
✕Common Mistakes
Où jusqu'à minuit ce soir.
Use "ou" without accent for the conjunction 'or'; "où" means 'where'.
Ou jusqu'à le minuit ce soir.
Do not add an article before "minuit" after "jusqu'"; the correct form is "jusqu'à minuit".
Ou ce soir jusqu'à minuit.
Place "ce soir" after the time expression; moving it before can sound unnatural.
↔Alternatives
Ou bien jusqu'à minuit ce soir.
Or rather until midnight tonight.
Ou jusqu'à minuit ce soir même.
Or until midnight tonight itself.
Ou jusqu'à minuit ce soir, si tu veux.
Or until midnight tonight, if you want.
Cultural Tip
In spoken French, "jusqu'à" often elides with the following vowel, sounding like "jusqu'". Also, be careful not to confuse "ou" (or) with "où" (where), which have the same spelling but different accents and meanings.