Breakdown of Il est neuf heures du matin.
être
to be
il
he
neuf
nine
du
of the / from the (masculine singular, with plural des)
Questions & Answers about Il est neuf heures du matin.
Why does it use il est (he is) instead of c'est (it is)?
When telling the time in French, we always use the impersonal il est (meaning "it is" in this specific context), never c'est. It is a fixed rule you just have to memorize for clock time!
Do I have to include the word heures? In English we just say "It is nine."
How is neuf heures pronounced here?
Why is it du matin instead of dans le matin (in the morning)?
When specifying the time of day with the clock, French uses de (of) plus the definite article. Du is the mandatory contraction of de + le. So you are literally saying "nine hours of the morning".