Understanding numbers, prices, dates and times in spoken French

Why numbers are hard to catch by ear

In writing, 16 and 60 look nothing alike. Spoken, « seize » and « soixante » start with the same sound, and the end of the word is often swallowed in fast speech. French adds its own complications: 70 is « soixante-dix », 80 « quatre-vingts » and 90 « quatre-vingt-dix ». So you have to wait for the end of the number before writing it down in your head.

Another difficulty is « liaison ». « Six euros » is pronounced with a [z] (« si-zeuros »), and so is « dix ans » (« di-zans »). « Deux heures » becomes « deu-zheures ». An ear waiting for the number's isolated sound may not recognize it.

Prices: listen for the unit

A price is said in two parts: « trois euros cinquante » means €3.50. The cents are often given without the word « centimes ». But the most common trap is not the figure, it is the unit: per kilo, per item, per tray, per person, per month. A question like « Combien coûtent deux kilos ? » (how much do two kilos cost?) requires a small calculation.

In the market example below, the cherries cost €6 a kilo, but the seller offers two kilos for €10.

Dates and times: 24-hour or 12-hour clock

In official announcements (station, airport, town hall), the time is given on the 24-hour clock: « dix-huit heures quinze » (18:15). In conversation, you will more often hear « six heures et quart » (quarter past six), « midi et demi » (half past twelve), « huit heures moins le quart » (7:45). Both systems can appear in the same exam.

For dates, spot the small words that change everything: « à partir du » (from), « jusqu'au » (until), « du 3 au 10 » (from the 3rd to the 10th), « avant le » (before). « À partir du lundi 4 » and « jusqu'au lundi 4 » give two opposite answers.

The correction trap

Documents like to correct a piece of information along the way: a time changes, a platform is switched, someone corrects themselves. The first figure you hear then serves as a distractor, and it is often among the options. Keep the latest version of the information, and watch out for the words « finalement » (in the end), « pardon » (sorry), « non, plutôt » (no, rather), « désormais » (from now on), « au lieu de » (instead of).

A three-step method

• Before listening: read the options. If they include 13 h, 15 h and 30 h, you already know you will need to tell « treize », « quinze » and « trente » apart.
• While listening: wait for the end of the number (« soixante… dix-sept ») and catch the unit (per kilo, per person, per month).
• After listening: if two figures were said, ask yourself which one came last, or which one exactly matches the question.

To review how to say numbers, dates and times, see also the lesson on numbers, dates and times. To practise in exam-day conditions, do a practice set with the box "Show the correct answer and explanation after each question" unticked: each document can then be heard only once.

A common mistake

✗ Hearing « le train de 14 h 32 partira voie 5 » and answering platform 5, when the announcement then adds « changement de voie : départ voie 7 ».

✓ Listening to the end and keeping the last piece of information: platform 7 (« voie 7 »).

When information is corrected, the first version is often offered as a distractor. It is the final version that counts.

Frequently asked questions