What is the exact difference between il est and c'est?
Look at these sentences:
Je suis désolé d'être en retard
I'm sorry I'm late
Notice that to say that you are late/early/on time in French, you use the expressions:
(être) en retard
(être) en avance
(être) à l'heure
See also Expressing timeliness (late, early) - precise
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Je suis désolé d'être en retard
I'm sorry I'm late
Nous voulons vraiment arriver à l'heure
We really want to arrive on time
Julie arrive en retard tous les jours.
Julie arrives late every day
Tu étais en retard ce matin!
You were late this morning!
La réunion a commencé en avance
The meeting started early
Je ne suis jamais à l'heure!
I am never on time!
Ne venez pas en avance, s'il-vous-plaît!
Don't come early, please!
Vous êtes vraiment en avance!
You are really early!
Stéphane est arrivé à l'heure à l'école
Stéphane arrived on time to school
Q&A Forum 12 questions, 18 answers
Hi Stephen,
This topic comes up frequently on the Q&A Forum.
If you take a look at the following Kwiziq lesson -
and the Q&A at the end of it you will see there is not a simple answer.
Hope this helps!
Stephen asked:View original
Query on a grammatical issue
What is the exact difference between il est and c'est?
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B2 writing exercise
Why was it an error when I used “à l’heure” in the writing exercise “My kids’ back to school” B2?
It corrected me with “à temps” (for everything to be ready on time)
Thanks
Tammy
Asked 2 months ago
ChrisCorrect answer
Here is an explanation of the difference between à temps and à l'heure:
https://kwiziq.learnfrenchwithalexa.com/questions/view/are-a-temps-and-a-l-heure-not-interchangeable
Tammy asked:View original
B2 writing exercise
Why was it an error when I used “à l’heure” in the writing exercise “My kids’ back to school” B2?
It corrected me with “à temps” (for everything to be ready on time)
Thanks
Tammy
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the lesson stipulates the use of être then the relevant expression but i don't see this in some examples. e.g. Ne venez pas en avance
or Nous voulons vraiment arriver. Can someone clarify this for me.
Asked 6 months ago
Hi Gerry,
To be early = Être en avance
To be late = Être en retard
To be on time = Être à l'heure
We have just changed the verbs and meanings-
Ne venez pas en avance! Don''t come early !
Nous voulons vraiment arriver à l'heure = We really want to arrive on time.
Hope this helps!
Gerry asked:View original
the lesson stipulates the use of être then the relevant expression but i don't see this in some examples. e.g. Ne venez pas en avance
or Nous voulons vraiment arriver. Can someone clarify this for me.
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en avance means 'In advance' according to google translate. Am I missing someting?
Asked 7 months ago
Hi Okezie,
It depends on the context ...
This question was about how to say- late, early, on time. In this context you cannot say in advance.
En avance can actually mean: early, ahead of time, and in advance
For instance,
Nous prenons les paiements en avance = We take payments in advance
Les réservations doivent être faites en avance = Bookings have to be made in advance
Hope this helps!
Okezie asked:View original
en avance means 'In advance' according to google translate. Am I missing someting?
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Hi Brenda,
There's nothing wrong about the expression 'de bonne heure' for early but it is used slightly differently.
The lesson refers to a specific time and you can be 'en avance', à l'heure , ou 'en retard'. So the train expected at 13 42 will be any of these.
You would use 'de bonne heure' when you mean 'tôt' and the sense of earliness is less precise in my opinion.
Nous sommes partis de bonne heure ce matin pour éviter la circulation. (We left early this morning to avoid the traffic.)
Essaie de rentrer de bonne heure ce soir! (Try to come home early tonight !)
Hope this helps!
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Are "à temps" and "à l'heure" not interchangeable?
Bonjour.
I used the first one in a quiz to fill in the blank, and it was marked wrong: "Étais-tu ________ (à temps) pour ton rendez-vous? Were you on time for your appointment?"
But à temps was used in another quiz: "Il court ________ (pour) arriver au travail à temps. He runs [in order] to get to work on time."
Asked 1 year ago
GruffKwiziq language super star
Hi Sherry - that's a great question. The distinction between "à temps" and "à l'heure" is very much like the nuance between "in time" vs "on time" in English. So, depending on the context, they can be interchangeable, but if you want to get across something happening in advance of some deadline or event then use "à temps" (in time), whereas if you want to talk about something happening punctually with respect to a specific time then use "à l'heure" (on time). The wording in English is never going to be so clear cut, but it helps convey the nuances in the two meanings.
Hope that helps!
Sherry asked:View original
Are "à temps" and "à l'heure" not interchangeable?
Bonjour.
I used the first one in a quiz to fill in the blank, and it was marked wrong: "Étais-tu ________ (à temps) pour ton rendez-vous? Were you on time for your appointment?"
But à temps was used in another quiz: "Il court ________ (pour) arriver au travail à temps. He runs [in order] to get to work on time."
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My brother arrived late this morning, tard or en retard?
If the brother arrives late in the morning as apposed to being late is it still en retard or can it be tard?
Asked 2 years ago
Noticed Nimn's question afer posting but still am not sure why it cannot be Mon frère est arrivé tard (as opposed to en retard) ce matin. He's not late for the appointment just late in the morning? Can tard not be seen as an adjective?
AurélieKwiziq language super star
Bonjour Jennifer !
Yes I agree that in the absence of context, both tard and en retard could work in this sentence.
However, seen as we're testing specifically en retard here, I've therefore removed and updated this question to give it a clear context :)
Thank you very much for pointing this out !
Merci et à bientôt !
Yes I agree that in the absence of context, both tard and en retard could work in this sentence.
However, seen as we're testing specifically en retard here, I've therefore removed and updated this question to give it a clear context :)
Thank you very much for pointing this out !
Merci et à bientôt !
Jennifer asked:View original
My brother arrived late this morning, tard or en retard?
If the brother arrives late in the morning as apposed to being late is it still en retard or can it be tard?
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tard et retard
hello,
what's the difference between etre en tard, and etre en retard
Asked 2 years ago
GruffKwiziq language super star
Hi Nim - "etre en tard" doesn't exist.
'Tard' expresses the quality of lateness usually with with respect to time of the day or some other event, whereas the 'retard' means late in the sense of being behind a schedule, delayed or dropping behind.
Compare these French expressions with 'tard' with these French expressions with 'retard'.
Notice that 'tard' is an adjective, whereas the expression 'en retard' functions as adverb ('retard' on its own is a noun).
Hope that helps!
'Tard' expresses the quality of lateness usually with with respect to time of the day or some other event, whereas the 'retard' means late in the sense of being behind a schedule, delayed or dropping behind.
Compare these French expressions with 'tard' with these French expressions with 'retard'.
Notice that 'tard' is an adjective, whereas the expression 'en retard' functions as adverb ('retard' on its own is a noun).
Hope that helps!
Nim asked:View original
tard et retard
hello,
what's the difference between etre en tard, and etre en retard
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GruffKwiziq language super star
Hi Advika - there's no logic to which prepositions are used in most cases I'm afraid. You just have to learn them by heart. Best wishes, Gruff
Does this include the use of "de" in the example Je suis d'être en retard"? I was wondering why there needs to be the "de" before the verb être. Thank you.
GruffKwiziq language super star
Hi Robin, I think you missed reading the word désolé in the example with 'de':
"Je suis désolé d'être en retard"
An alternative translation in English might be "I'm sorry about being late" where 'about' is playing a similar role to 'de' (but notice in French the infinitive, être, follows, whereas in English we follow with the present participle in this example).
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Can "de bonne heure" be used to express "early".
For a question the correct answer was "en advance". Tu es en avance aujourd'hui. Could one say Tu es de bonne heure aujourd'hui.
Asked 2 years ago
AurélieKwiziq language super star
Bonjour William !
That's an interesting question: there is a nuance between these two expressions "de bonne heure" and "en avance".
"De bonne heure" means "early" in the sense of "at an early time of day",
whereas "en avance" means "early" as in "in relation to a specific given time".
Therefore, you use "de bonne heure" with verbs like "arriver", "partir", "se coucher", "se lever"...
but it sounds a bit weird with "être" as "to be early" implies the second case (i.e. given time).
However, it would work with "être là de bonne heure" (to be *there* early) as here both meanings are possible without a clear context.
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
William asked:View original
Can "de bonne heure" be used to express "early".
For a question the correct answer was "en advance". Tu es en avance aujourd'hui. Could one say Tu es de bonne heure aujourd'hui.
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AurélieKwiziq language super star
Bonjour Clarissa !
The word "tôt" means "early" as opposed to "tard" (late) in French, to indicate a time in the day, i.e. "early in the morning".
e.g. "Je me suis levé tôt." (I got up early.)
"Oh là là, il est tôt !" (Oh, it's early!)
"Tu es arrivé plus tôt que prévu." (You arrived earlier than expected.)
"En avance" and "en retard" indicate a relationship between those moments and a given time: you're early or late compared to that given time.
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
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