French Phrase
Il est dix heures.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘It is ten o’clock.’ In French the literal translation is ‘He is ten hours,’ but the construction is the standard way to state the time of day.
When to use
Use this phrase when you need to tell someone the exact hour on the hour, for example when answering a question like ‘Quelle heure est‑il ?’ or when announcing the start time of a meeting.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ilestdixheures
Subject pronoun (Il)
Il is the third‑person singular subject pronoun used for impersonal expressions like telling time.
Verb être (est)
Est is the present‑tense form of être for il/elle/on, used to link the subject with a time expression.
Cardinal number (dix)
Dix means ‘ten’ and is used unchanged before the noun heures when telling the hour.
Noun heures (plural)
Heures is the plural of heure (hour). In time‑telling the noun is always plural except for ‘une heure’.
🗨In Conversation
Quelle heure est‑il ?
What time is it?
Il est dix heures.
It’s ten o’clock.
✕Common Mistakes
Il sont dix heures.
The verb must agree with the singular subject ‘Il’; use ‘est’ not ‘sont’.
Il est dix heure.
Heure is singular only for ‘une heure’; after any number other than one, use the plural ‘heures’.
Il est à dix heures.
The preposition ‘à’ is not used when simply stating the time; it’s used for ‘at ten o’clock’ in a phrase like ‘Je viendrai à dix heures’.
↔Alternatives
Il est 10 h.
It’s 10 a.m./p.m.
Il est dix heures pile.
It’s exactly ten o’clock.
Il est dix heures du matin.
It’s ten in the morning.
Cultural Tip
In French‑speaking countries people often say the time in the 24‑hour format, especially in formal contexts, e.g., ‘Il est dix heures’ for 10:00 and ‘Il est vingt‑deux heures’ for 22:00. In casual conversation you’ll also hear the abbreviated ‘10 h’ written on schedules and digital clocks.