Passer à l'heure d'été - Lawless French Expression


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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.