| Date and time notation in France | |
| Label2: | Full date |
| Label3: | All-numeric date |
| Data3: | |
| Label4: | Time |
| Data4: | h |
France most commonly records the date using the day-month-year format with an oblique stroke or slash as the separator with numerical values. The 24-hour clock is used to express time, using the letter French: h as the separator in between hours and minutes.
In France, the all-numeric form for dates is in the order "day month year", using an oblique stroke or slash as the separator. Example: French: 31/12/1992. Years can be written with two or four digits, and numbers may be written with or without leading zero. Since three months have four-letter names, the nomenclature of months in the French language most often uses three- to four-lettered abbreviations as follows: jan., fév., mars, avr., mai, juin, juil., août, sept., oct., nov., déc. When months are strictly limited to three letters, French: juin (June) and French: juillet (July) are sometimes abbreviated as French: JUN and French: JUL respectively, inCanada.
The expanded form is "French: 22 décembre 2010", optionally with the day of the week: "French: le mercredi 22 décembre 2010". The first day of the month is a special case: a suffix is added to the number, "French: le 1<sup>er</sup> avril 2001", where 1er is spoken "premier", meaning first.[1]
The first day of the week in France is Monday.
The 24-hour notation is used in writing with an French: h as a separator (French: h for French: heure, meaning hour). Example: French: 14 h 05 (1405 [14:05] hours or 2:05 pm). Though the correct form includes spaces on both sides of the French: h, it is common to see them omitted: French: 14h05. The minutes are usually written with two digits; the hour numbers can be written with or without leading zero.
Generally speaking, French speakers also use the 24-hour clock when they speak. Sometimes the 12-hour clock is used orally, but only in informal circumstances. Since there is no one-to-one equivalent of "am" and "pm" in French, context must be relied on to figure out which one is meant. To clarify, people may use some sentences like "French: 9 heures du matin" (literally "9 o'clock in the morning") or "French: 9 heures du soir" (literally "9 o'clock in the evening)... but most French speakers would still find using the 24-hour clock a more convenient way of expressing time clearly.