Late or early in French

William C.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

What is used most often in French, the “être” expression or the “avoir” expression? The “avoir” expression sounds like an intangible expression of quantity, j’ai deux bouteilles de lait mais j’ai deux heures de retard ou deux heures d’avance.

This question relates to:French lesson "Expressing timeliness in French - late/early - precise"

Asked 8 years ago

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AurélieKwiziq Head of French, Native French Teacher

Bonjour William ! Based on my own usage, I'd say I tend to use the "avoir" expression more often, but I don't know if you can make a rule of it :) Both are perfectly colloquial. Bonne journée !

Like08 years ago

William C. asked:

Late or early in French

What is used most often in French, the “être” expression or the “avoir” expression? The “avoir” expression sounds like an intangible expression of quantity, j’ai deux bouteilles de lait mais j’ai deux heures de retard ou deux heures d’avance.

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