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Annual French Expression
| Meaning | to begin daylight saving time, turn the clocks forward | |
| Literally | to pass to summer time | |
| Register | normal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[pah say ah leur day tay] |
| IPA | [pa se a lœʀ de te] | |
Usage notes: Daylight saving time* is a twice annual, manual time change that occurs in about half of the world. The dates and details vary slightly by country** but the basic idea is the same: in the wee hours of a spring Sunday – in March or April – clocks are set forward by one hour, stealing 60 minutes of sleep from citizens that morning.
Par exemple…
| Quand est-ce qu’on passe à l’heure d’été cette année ? | When do we set the clocks forward this year? | |
| N’oublie pas qu’on va passer à l’heure d’été dimanche matin ! | Don’t forget to set your clock forward Sunday morning! |
The corresponding fall time change is much more welcome, as it restores that stolen hour of sleep.
Le passage à l’heure d’été marks the beginning of daylight saving time, which has three possible names in French:
| Literal translation | ||
| l’heure d’été | summer time | |
| l’heure avancée | advanced time | |
| l’horaire d’été | summer timetable |
* Yes, saving. Despite its omnipresence, the phrase "daylight savings time" is incorrect.
** In Metropolitan France, daylight saving time begins at 2 am on the last Sunday in March and ends at 3 am on the last Sunday in October – find out the dates. For other countries, see Daylight saving time around the world.
Related lessons
- Passer à l’heure d’hiver
- More expressions with passer
- Passer conjugations
- Telling time
- Months and seasons
- Weather
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