French · Travel & Getting Around

"What time does it leave?" in French: À quelle heure il part ?

À quelle heure il part ?

Say it: a kell UR eel PARphrase/a kɛl œʁ il paʁ/

What time does it leave? in French is À quelle heure il part ? You hear it for trains, buses, and boats. À quelle heure part le train ? is a slightly more formal word order.

At the ticket desk

Pardon, à quelle heure il part, le prochain pour Lyon ?
Excuse me—what time does the next one to Lyon leave?
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How to pronounce À quelle heure il part ?

Say it

a kell UR eel PAR

/a kɛl œʁ il paʁ/

À quelle heure: a kell UR. Il part: eel PAR—final t usually silent. Keep a space before the ?

"What time does it leave?" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
À quelle heure il part ?What time does it leave?

Everyday spoken order.

À quelle heure part le train ?What time does the train leave?

Inversion, a bit more formal.

Il part à quelle heure ?What time does it leave?

Same meaning, tag order.

À quelle heure vous partez ?What time do you leave?

Asking a person, not a vehicle.

How to use À quelle heure il part ? in real life

  1. 1At the ticket desk

    Pardon, à quelle heure il part, le prochain pour Lyon ?

    Excuse me—what time does the next one to Lyon leave?

    Topic le prochain tacked on.

  2. 2Checking the board with a friend

    À quelle heure il part ? Je ne vois pas l'horaire.

    What time does it leave? I can't see the schedule.

    Full phrase as headword.

  3. 3Ferry queue

    Dis-moi : à quelle heure il part exactement ?

    Tell me—what time does it leave exactly?

    Exactement for precision.

Mistakes English speakers make with À quelle heure il part ?

Incorrect: À quelle heure il leave ?

Correct: À quelle heure il part ?

Use part, not English leave.

Incorrect: À quelle heure il part?

Correct: À quelle heure il part ?

In French, put a space before ?

Good to know

Boards use départ and voie. Staff answer with Il part à 14 h 22 more often than a full sentence. Spoken French keeps À quelle heure il part ? without inversion.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Rushing for a regional train

  1. ChatPal

    À quelle heure il part, ton train ?

    What time does your train leave?

  2. You

    À quelle heure il part ? Attends, je regarde l'appli.

    What time does it leave? Wait—I'm checking the app.

  3. ChatPal

    Dépêche-toi. À quelle heure il part s'il est déjà annoncé ?

    Hurry. What time does it leave if it's already announced?

  4. You

    Dans huit minutes. On court.

    In eight minutes. Let's run.

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"What time does it leave?" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "What time does it leave?" in French

How do you ask what time it leaves in French?

À quelle heure il part ?

Can I invert the verb?

Yes: À quelle heure part le train ?

How do times get answered?

Often Il part à 15 h 10.

Is there a space before ?

Yes in standard French punctuation.

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