1. Topic Introduction
Days and months are essential in French because they are used every day for:
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!- speaking about dates
- making plans
- talking about routines
- giving appointments
- describing events in time
French days and months follow clear grammar rules, but there are important differences from English.
Compare:
| French Sentence | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Nous sommes lundi. | It is Monday | noo som lun-dee |
| Mon anniversaire est en mars. | My birthday is in March | mon ah-nee-vair-sair eh ahn mars |
Important difference:
In French:
- days and months are normally not capitalised
- articles are often omitted in simple date expressions
2. Days of the Week
The seven days must be memorised in order because they are used constantly in speaking and writing.
| French | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| lundi | Monday | lun-dee |
| mardi | Tuesday | mar-dee |
| mercredi | Wednesday | mair-cruh-dee |
| jeudi | Thursday | zhuh-dee |
| vendredi | Friday | vahn-druh-dee |
| samedi | Saturday | sam-dee |
| dimanche | Sunday | dee-mahnsh |
3. Important Rule: No Capital Letter
Unlike English, French days are written in lowercase.
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| Lundi | lundi |
| Mars | mars |
This rule also applies to months.
4. Asking About the Day
French uses specific expressions to ask and answer about the day.
Question Forms
| French Question | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Quel jour sommes-nous ? | What day is it? | kel zhoor som noo |
| Nous sommes quel jour ? | What day is it? | noo som kel zhoor |
Answers
| French Answer | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Nous sommes lundi. | It is Monday |
| Aujourd’hui, nous sommes mardi. | Today is Tuesday |
Important:
French often uses nous sommes for calendar day statements.
5. Using Days with Activities
To say something happens on a day, French usually uses le.
Structure
| Structure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| le + day | on + day |
Examples
| French Sentence | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Je travaille le lundi. | I work on Monday | zhuh tra-vai luh lun-dee |
| Nous avons cours le mardi. | We have class on Tuesday | noo za-von koor luh mar-dee |
| Elle part le vendredi. | She leaves on Friday | el par luh vahn-druh-dee |
Important:
Le lundi often means every Monday.
6. Specific Day vs Habitual Day
French distinguishes habitual and specific day by article use.
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| le lundi | every Monday |
| lundi | Monday / this Monday depending on context |
Examples
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Je vais au sport le lundi. | I go to sport every Monday |
| Je viens lundi. | I am coming Monday |
This difference is very important in natural speech.
7. Months of the Year
The twelve months must also be memorised carefully.
| French | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| janvier | January | zhon-vyay |
| février | February | fay-vree-yay |
| mars | March | mars |
| avril | April | ah-vreel |
| mai | May | may |
| juin | June | zhwahn |
| juillet | July | zhwee-yay |
| août | August | oot |
| septembre | September | sep-tahmbr |
| octobre | October | ok-tohbr |
| novembre | November | no-vahmbr |
| décembre | December | day-sahmbr |
8. Using Months with En
French normally uses en before months.
Structure
| Structure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| en + month | in + month |
Examples
| French Sentence | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Je pars en mai. | I leave in May | zhuh par ahn may |
| Elle arrive en octobre. | She arrives in October | el ah-reev ahn ok-tohbr |
| Nous voyageons en juillet. | We travel in July | noo vwa-ya-zhon ahn zhwee-yay |
Important:
No article is used before months in this structure.
9. Asking About the Month
Question Forms
| French Question | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Quel mois sommes-nous ? | What month is it? |
| Nous sommes en quel mois ? | What month are we in? |
Answers
| French Answer | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Nous sommes en avril. | It is April |
| Nous sommes en novembre. | It is November |
10. Saying a Full Date
French date order is:
day + number + month
Structure
| Structure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| day + number + month | full date |
Examples
| French Date | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| lundi 4 janvier | Monday 4 January | lun-dee katr zhon-vyay |
| mardi 12 mars | Tuesday 12 March | mar-dee dooz mars |
| vendredi 25 décembre | Friday 25 December | vahn-druh-dee van-sank day-sahmbr |
Important:
French does not usually place commas like English.
11. Special Rule for the First Day of the Month
The first day uses premier instead of un.
| French Date | Meaning |
|---|---|
| le premier mai | the first of May |
| le premier janvier | the first of January |
Not:
le un mai in standard French date expression.
12. Asking for the Date
Question Form
| French Question | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Quelle est la date aujourd’hui ? | What is today’s date? | kel eh lah daht oh-zhoor-dwee |
Answers
| French Answer | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Nous sommes le 15 avril. | It is April 15 |
| Aujourd’hui, nous sommes le 2 juin. | Today is June 2 |
13. Using Days and Months Together in Sentences
Examples
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mon cours commence lundi en septembre. | My class starts Monday in September |
| Je voyage en août. | I travel in August |
| Son anniversaire est le 4 janvier. | His / her birthday is January 4 |
14. Days and Months with Seasons
French seasons often combine naturally with months.
| Season | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| spring | le printemps | luh pran-tahn |
| summer | l’été | lay-tay |
| autumn | l’automne | lo-ton |
| winter | l’hiver | lee-vair |
Examples
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| En juillet, c’est l’été. | In July, it is summer |
| En janvier, c’est l’hiver. | In January, it is winter |
15. Frequent Errors to Avoid
| Incorrect | Correct | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Je viens en lundi | Je viens lundi | no en with days |
| Je pars le mars | Je pars en mars | month uses en |
| Mars | mars | lowercase required |
16. Vocabulary
| French Word | Gender | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| le jour | masculine | day | luh zhoor |
| la semaine | feminine | week | lah suh-men |
| le mois | masculine | month | luh mwa |
| la date | feminine | date | lah daht |
| l’anniversaire | masculine | birthday | lah-nee-vair-sair |
| le calendrier | masculine | calendar | luh kah-lahn-dree-yay |
| le cours | masculine | class | luh koor |
| le voyage | masculine | trip | luh vwa-yazh |
17. Mini Paragraph
Nous sommes mercredi 12 avril. Mon anniversaire est en janvier. Je travaille le lundi et le jeudi. En juillet, nous voyageons avec notre famille.
Meaning:
It is Wednesday 12 April. My birthday is in January. I work on Monday and Thursday. In July, we travel with our family.
18. Memory Practice
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Nous sommes lundi. | It is Monday |
| Je viens mardi. | I am coming Tuesday |
| Elle part en juin. | She leaves in June |
| Mon anniversaire est en décembre. | My birthday is in December |
| Nous sommes le premier mai. | It is the first of May |
| Le vendredi, nous étudions. | On Fridays we study |
Summary Notes
| Concept | Key Rule |
|---|---|
| days | always lowercase |
| months | always lowercase |
| habitual day | use le + day |
| specific day | day alone often enough |
| months | use en |
| dates | day + number + month |
| first day | use premier |
| asking day | Quel jour sommes-nous ? |
| asking date | Quelle est la date aujourd’hui ? |
| key learning point | days and months follow fixed preposition rules |
The most important lesson today is this: French days and months are simple once their article and preposition rules are respected carefully.