Learn French: Il est tard, où est l'hôtel ? - It is late, where is the hotel?

Il est tard, où est l'hôtel ?

It is late, where is the hotel?

Breakdown of Il est tard, où est l'hôtel ?

Questions & Answers about Il est tard, où est l'hôtel ?

Why do we use Il est instead of C'est to say "It is late"?

In French, we use the phrase Il est (literally "he is") to talk about the time of day, including general concepts like early or late. So, just like you say Il est trois heures (It is three o'clock), you say Il est tard (It is late). Using C'est for the time of day is a very common beginner mistake!

Can I say Il est tard heures to mean "It is a late hour"?

No, tard is a word meaning "late," not a number. You only use the word heure or heures (hours/o'clock) immediately after a number, like in Il est deux heures (It is two o'clock). To just say "It is late," Il est tard all by itself is exactly what you need.

I thought ou meant "or". Why does it mean "where" in this sentence?

It is all about the little accent mark! Ou (without an accent) means "or". But où (with the accent mark pointing down and to the left) means "where". They sound exactly the same when spoken, but that tiny accent changes the entire meaning when reading and writing.

Why is it l'hôtel instead of le hôtel?