Learn French: La garde de la nuit commence à huit heures. - The night watch starts at eight o'clock.

La garde de la nuit commence à huit heures.

The night watch starts at eight o'clock.

Breakdown of La garde de la nuit commence à huit heures.

the hour / o'clock (f)

la nuit

the night

Questions & Answers about La garde de la nuit commence à huit heures.

Why is it la garde (feminine) instead of le garde?

In French, some words change meaning depending on their gender. La garde refers to the action of guarding, the watch duty, or a collective group of guards. Le garde is a masculine noun referring to a single male guard (the person).

Why do we use heures here instead of just saying the number, like in English?

In French, you must always include the word heures when telling time. You cannot just drop it and say commence à huit the way we say "starts at eight" in English.

Do I pronounce the "t" in huit when saying huit heures?

Yes, you make a liaison here. Even though the "h" in huit is an "aspirated h" that usually blocks liaisons (which is why we say le huit and not l'huit), time expressions like huit heures are an exception. You pronounce the "t" so it flows together.

Could I say la garde de nuit instead of la garde de la nuit?

Yes, in fact, la garde de nuit is the more common fixed expression for "the night shift" or "the night watch" in modern everyday French. Using de la nuit specifically means "the watch of the night" and sounds a bit more literary, dramatic, or specific to one particular night.