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)
l'heure
the hour / o'clock (f)
le matin
the morning
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".
Learn Il est neuf heures du matin and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free