Afternoon in French is après-midi. It names the part of the day after noon and before evening. Useful expressions include cet après-midi, “this afternoon,” and dans l’après-midi, “during the afternoon.” If you want to greet someone in the afternoon, Bonjour is the broadly useful greeting to learn, while Bon après-midi! wishes someone a good afternoon.
Quick answer:
Afternoon = après-midi, approximately “ah-preh mee-dee.” This afternoon = cet après-midi. Have a good afternoon = Bon après-midi!
How Do You Say Afternoon in French?
Say après-midi. The word combines après, “after,” and midi, “noon.” As a noun, write the two parts with a hyphen and keep the grave accent in après. Un après-midi tranquille means “a quiet afternoon.”
Example: Je suis libre cet après-midi. — I’m free this afternoon.
An afternoon is a period rather than one exact clock time. If you arrange a meeting and the precise hour matters, add it: cet après-midi à quinze heures, “this afternoon at three p.m.” The phrase cet après-midi alone tells the listener the general part of the day.
To compare the parts of a day in French, do not confuse après-midi with midi. À midi means “at noon,” while l’après-midi concerns the following part of the day. The word après changes the meaning, not just the length of the expression.
Useful Expressions with Après-Midi
1. Cet Après-Midi — This Afternoon
Cet après-midi is a common way to say “this afternoon.” Je travaille cet après-midi means “I’m working this afternoon.” You do not need an extra preposition before cet in this basic time expression.
The form cet is used in the masculine pattern before a vowel sound. You may also encounter feminine agreement, cette après-midi, because the noun permits both genders. The masculine examples in this article give you one consistent set to practice.
2. Dans l’Après-Midi — During the Afternoon
Dans l’après-midi means “during the afternoon” or “sometime in the afternoon,” depending on context. Je vous appellerai dans l’après-midi means “I’ll call you during the afternoon.” It leaves the precise time open.
Pendant l’après-midi can also refer to a period during the afternoon. Tout l’après-midi emphasizes “all afternoon,” as in J’ai étudié tout l’après-midi, “I studied all afternoon.” These phrases differ in how much of the period they imply.
3. Tous les Après-Midi — Every Afternoon
Tous les après-midi means “every afternoon.” Il marche tous les après-midi is “He walks every afternoon.” This describes a repeated habit across different days, rather than something lasting the whole afternoon on one day.
Compare tout l’après-midi, “all afternoon,” with tous les après-midi, “every afternoon.” The small changes in tout/tous and the article make a substantial difference. Learn the complete phrase to keep the two meanings separate.
4. Bon Après-Midi — Have a Good Afternoon
Bon après-midi! wishes someone a pleasant afternoon. It is useful when parting, in the same general way that Bonne journée! wishes someone a good day. It is not always the direct conversational equivalent of the English greeting “Good afternoon.”
When greeting someone during the day, Bonjour is a broadly useful choice. Later, Bonsoir is an evening greeting. The transition depends on situation and local habits, so avoid treating one exact clock time as a universal rule for all French speakers.
Afternoon in French: Quick Comparison
← Swipe horizontally to see the full table →
| French expression | English meaning | Main use |
|---|---|---|
| après-midi | afternoon | The noun |
| cet après-midi | this afternoon | A specific part of today |
| dans l’après-midi | during / sometime in the afternoon | An approximate time within the period |
| tout l’après-midi | all afternoon | The extent of one afternoon |
| tous les après-midi | every afternoon | A repeated habit |
| demain après-midi | tomorrow afternoon | The afternoon of tomorrow |
| lundi après-midi | Monday afternoon | A weekday plus the period |
| Bon après-midi ! | Have a good afternoon! | A parting wish |
| Bonjour ! | Hello! / Good morning or afternoon! | A daytime greeting |
How to Pronounce Après-Midi
Après-midi sounds approximately like ah-preh mee-dee. The è has an open vowel, and the final s of après is not pronounced as a separate consonant before the m of midi.
The French r is produced toward the back of the mouth. Keep the two i vowels in midi clear, rather than turning them into the short English vowel in “mid.” An English approximation can help you start, but listening is the better guide.
In cet après-midi, the final t of cet is heard before the following vowel. The phrase flows together; avoid a large pause after the demonstrative. Practice it in a full sentence such as Je suis libre cet après-midi.
Gender, Articles, and Spelling
Après-midi can be masculine or feminine. The Académie française’s dictionary entry accepts both and prefers the masculine. For a consistent beginner pattern, you can use un après-midi, cet après-midi, and Bon après-midi!
You may therefore also see feminine forms such as une bonne après-midi. Do not assume they are mistakes simply because you first learned the masculine. What matters within a phrase is keeping the agreement coherent.
The traditional plural spelling is unchanged: des après-midi. You may also encounter des après-midis under rectified spelling. In common scheduling phrases, learning examples such as tous les après-midi helps you recognize the expression without needing to resolve every spelling convention at once.
Keep the hyphen when using the compound noun. A literal phrase meaning “after noon” can appear as separate words in a suitable sentence, but the everyday noun meaning “afternoon” is the hyphenated après-midi.
Talking About Afternoon Plans
To specify another day, place the day word before après-midi: demain après-midi, “tomorrow afternoon,” and samedi après-midi, “Saturday afternoon.” A simple statement is Je viendrai demain après-midi — “I’ll come tomorrow afternoon.”
- Je suis libre cet après-midi. — I’m free this afternoon.
- On se voit demain après-midi? — Shall we see each other tomorrow afternoon?
- Le cours commence à deux heures de l’après-midi. — The class starts at two in the afternoon.
- Je travaille le mercredi après-midi. — I work on Wednesday afternoons.
- J’ai attendu tout l’après-midi. — I waited all afternoon.
A weekday with a definite article can describe a regular habit: le mercredi après-midi often means “on Wednesday afternoons.” Without that habitual structure, mercredi après-midi can point to a particular Wednesday in context.
For a precise hour, French can use de l’après-midi, as in deux heures de l’après-midi, or a twenty-four-hour time such as quatorze heures. Both can identify two p.m. The guide to telling the time in French develops these clock-time expressions. Choose the form that fits the conversation.
Example Sentences
These examples show today, tomorrow, and the whole afternoon. Notice whether the expression identifies a time or measures how long an activity lasts.
Use: Cet après-midi locates availability in today’s afternoon. It does not specify one exact hour.
Use: Demain identifies the day and après-midi identifies the part of that day.
Use: Tout l’après-midi describes the duration across the afternoon, not a habit repeated every day.
Common Mistakes
Do not confuse midi, noon, with après-midi, afternoon. Keep the accent and hyphen in the noun. When saying “this afternoon,” use the whole phrase cet après-midi, rather than translating English “in” and adding an unnecessary preposition.
Also distinguish a greeting from a parting wish. Bonjour greets someone during the day, while Bon après-midi commonly wishes them a good afternoon as you leave. Finally, keep tout l’après-midi, “all afternoon,” separate from tous les après-midi, “every afternoon.”
Frequently Asked Questions About Afternoon in French
Tap a question below to see the answer.
What is afternoon in French?
It is après-midi, written with a grave accent in après and a hyphen between the two parts.
How do you say this afternoon?
Say cet après-midi in the masculine pattern. For example, Je suis libre cet après-midi means “I’m free this afternoon.”
Is après-midi masculine or feminine?
Both genders are accepted. The Académie française prefers masculine, so un après-midi is a useful beginner pattern. Feminine agreement is also encountered.
How do I say good afternoon as a greeting?
Bonjour is the broadly useful daytime greeting. Bon après-midi! is commonly a wish meaning “Have a good afternoon!” when parting.
What is tomorrow afternoon in French?
Say demain après-midi. For a weekday, use a phrase such as lundi après-midi, “Monday afternoon.”
What is the difference between all afternoon and every afternoon?
Tout l’après-midi means “all afternoon.” Tous les après-midi means “every afternoon.” The first concerns duration, and the second concerns repeated frequency.
Summary
Afternoon in French is après-midi. Useful expressions include cet après-midi, demain après-midi, and dans l’après-midi. Keep the accent and the hyphen, and practice the phrase as a connected unit.
Use Bonjour to greet someone during the day and Bon après-midi! to wish them a good afternoon. Remember that “all afternoon” and “every afternoon” have different French expressions, so choose according to the time relationship you mean.
