Date and time notation in France
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{{More citations needed|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox
| title = Date and time notation in France
| label2 = Full date
| data2 = {{time|df=dmy|dateonly=yes|hide-refresh=yes|hide-tz=yes|lang=fr}}
| label3 = All-numeric date
| data3 = {{time|df-cust=d/m/Y|hide-refresh=yes|hide-tz=yes|lang=fr}}
{{time|df=iso|dateonly=yes|hide-refresh=yes|hide-tz=yes|lang=fr}}
| label4 = Time
| data4 = {{time|df=24|timeonly=yes|hide-refresh=yes|hide-tz=yes|lang=fr}}
{{time|df-cust=H|timeonly=yes|hide-refresh=yes|hide-tz=yes|lang=fr}} h {{time|df-cust=i|timeonly=yes|hide-tz=yes|lang=fr}}
}}
France most commonly records the date using the day-month-year order with an oblique stroke or slash (”/”) as the separator with numerical values, for example, 31/12/1992. The 24-hour clock is used to express time, using the lowercase letter "h" as the separator in between hours and minutes, for example, 14 h 05.
Date
In France, the all-numeric form for dates is in the order "day month year", using an oblique stroke or slash as the separator. Example: {{lang|fr|31/12/1992}}. Years can be written with two or four digits, and numbers may be written with or without leading zero. Since three months have four-letter names, the nomenclature of months in the French language most often uses three- to four-lettered abbreviations as follows: jan., fév., mars, avr., mai, juin, juil., août, sept., oct., nov., déc. When months are strictly limited to three letters, {{lang|fr|juin}} (June) and {{lang|fr|juillet}} (July) are sometimes abbreviated as {{lang|fr|JUN}} and {{lang|fr|JUL}} respectively, in
The expanded form is "{{lang|fr|22 décembre 2010}}", optionally with the day of the week: "{{lang|fr|le mercredi 22 décembre 2010}}". The first day of the month is a special case: a suffix is added to the number, "{{lang|fr|le 1er avril 2001}}", where 1er is spoken "premier", meaning first.Resources of the Language Portal of Canada (in French) https://www.noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca/en/cles-de-la-redaction/date-regles-decriture.html#jour-semaine{{Better source needed|reason=This article is about notation in France, citation is from Canada|date=July 2023}}
The first day of the week in France is Monday.
Time
The 24-hour notation is used in writing with an {{lang|fr|h}} as a separator ({{lang|fr|h}} for {{lang|fr|heure}}, meaning hour). Example: {{lang|fr|14 h 05}} (1405 [14:05] hours or 2:05 pm). Though the correct{{fact|date=February 2025}} form includes spaces on both sides of the {{lang|fr|h}}, it is common to see them omitted: {{lang|fr|14h05}}. The minutes are usually written with two digits; the hour numbers can be written with or without leading zero.
Generally speaking, French speakers also use the 24-hour clock when they speak. Sometimes the 12-hour clock is used orally, but only in informal circumstances. Since there is no one-to-one equivalent of "am" and "pm" in French, context must be relied on to figure out which one is meant. To clarify, people may use some sentences like "{{lang|fr|9 heures du matin}}" (literally "9 o'clock in the morning") or "{{lang|fr|9 heures du soir}}" (literally "9 o'clock in the evening)... but most French speakers would still find using the 24-hour clock a more convenient way of expressing time clearly.
See also
References
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{{Europe topic|Date and time notation in}}
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