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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.
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