Le bus arrive à quinze heures.

The bus arrives at three p.m.

Breakdown of Le bus arrive à quinze heures.

• le bus: the bus
• à: at
• arriver: to arrive
• l'heure: the hour
• quinze: fifteen

Questions & Answers about Le bus arrive à quinze heures.

Why is the present tense arrive used for a scheduled future event?

French often uses the present for fixed schedules and timetables. Le bus arrive à quinze heures can refer to a timetable fact (today or generally). You could also use the future (arrivera) without changing the basic meaning; the present just sounds natural for timetables.

Can I say Le bus arrivera à quinze heures? What’s the difference?

Yes. Le bus arrivera à quinze heures is perfectly correct and emphasizes the future. The present (arrive) is common for timetables or habitual facts; the future can feel a bit more like a one-off future plan.

How do I ask what time the bus arrives?

Two common ways:

• À quelle heure arrive le bus ?
• Le bus arrive à quelle heure ? (more conversational) You can also ask: Quand arrive le bus ?

Why is it le bus and not un bus?

Le bus uses the definite article to refer to a known, specific bus (for example, the one on a schedule or the next bus you’re expecting). Un bus would mean some bus or any bus. You could also say ce bus (this bus) if you want to point one out specifically.

Why use à for time? Could I use en, dans, or au?

• à marks clock time: à quinze heures.
• en quinze heures means it takes 15 hours to do something (duration).
• dans quinze heures means in 15 hours from now.
• You don’t say au quinze heures because clock times don’t take an article in French; it’s just à + heure(s).

Why is heures plural here?

Numbers greater than 1 take the plural: deux heures, quinze heures. Use the singular only with 1: à une heure. Special cases: à midi, à minuit (no heures).

How would I say this with the 12-hour clock?

Use trois heures and add a period of the day if needed:

• Le bus arrive à trois heures de l’après-midi. In casual speech, many people just say à trois heures if the context is clear.

How do I write the time numerically in French?

Preferred in French: à 15 h (with a space before h). Examples:

• 15 h 00 or 15 h
• 15 h 30 Digital displays often use a colon (15:00), but in running text the h format is standard. Avoid English-style 3 pm in French.

How do you pronounce the sentence?

Approximation: luh byss a-reev a kɛ̃z ur. IPA: [lə bys aʁiv a kɛ̃z‿œʁ] Notes:

• bus = [bys], final s pronounced.
• quinze heures links with a [z] sound: [kɛ̃z‿œʁ].
• The French u in bus is the rounded front vowel (not like English “oo”).

Is there liaison in quinze heures?

Yes, usually. You pronounce a [z] link: quinze heures → [kɛ̃z‿œʁ]. In careful speech, it’s recommended. There’s no liaison issue in arrive à, but the mute e may drop, sounding like arriv à.

Do I need the accent on à? What if I write a?

Yes, you need the accent. à is the preposition. a (without accent) is the verb avoir in the 3rd person singular (he/she/it has). Writing a quinze heures is a mistake here.

Can I front the time for emphasis?

Yes: À quinze heures, le bus arrive. This is a natural way to emphasize the time. You can also say: C’est à quinze heures que le bus arrive.

How do I say “around 3 p.m.”?

Use vers:

• Le bus arrive vers quinze heures. You can also write vers 15 h.

How do I add minutes or say quarter past/half past/quarter to?

• Exact minutes: à 15 h 10 / à quinze heures dix.
• Quarter past: à quinze heures et quart or à trois heures et quart.
• Half past: à quinze heures et demie (demie agrees with the implied feminine heure); but à midi et demi.
• Quarter to: à trois heures moins le quart (2:45).

How do I negate it?

Le bus n’arrive pas à quinze heures.
Example: Le bus n’arrive pas à 15 h, mais à 15 h 10.

Which auxiliary does arriver take in the past?

With compound tenses, arriver uses être:

• Le bus est arrivé à quinze heures. Agreement with the subject: La navette est arrivée, Les bus sont arrivés.

Should I ever use venir instead of arriver here?

No. For scheduled arrivals, use arriver. Venir means “to come” toward the speaker and isn’t used for timetable statements like this. Stick with Le bus arrive …

Is there any difference between bus, autobus, and autocar?

• bus / autobus: city bus (both are correct; bus is most common).
• autocar (car): coach for longer distances between towns.