Pronunciation: [pa say a leur day tay]
Meaning: to turn the clocks forward, to shift to daylight saving time
Literal translation: to pass to summer time
Register: normal
Notes: In approximately half of the world,* clocks are manually changed twice a year:
In the spring, clocks are set forward one hour for "daylight saving time," which has three possible French translations:
- l'heure d'éte - literally, "summer time"
- l'heure avancée - "advanced time"
- l'horaire d'éte - "summer timetable"
In the fall, clocks are set back one hour: passer à l'heure d'hiver.
*Daylight saving time dates vary: In 2009, the US and Canada started daylight saving time on 8 March and end it on 1 November, while France and the UK started on 29 March and end on 25 October. For more information about which countries participate and when, please see Daylight saving time around the world.
Post your comments about the French expression passer à l'heure d'été on my French blog - just hit "comments" at the bottom of the post.
