1. Topic Introduction
Telling the date in French is essential for:
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- forms
- appointments
- writing emails
- official documents
- exams
- travel
French dates follow a fixed order that is different from English.
Compare:
| French | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| le 4 janvier | January 4 | luh katr zhon-vyay |
| le 12 mars | March 12 | luh dooz mars |
Important:
French order is always: day number + month + year
English often says: month + day
French does not.
2. Basic Structure of the Date
The standard French structure is:
| Structure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| le + number + month | the + day + month |
Examples
| French Date | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| le 5 avril | April 5 | luh sank ah-vreel |
| le 10 juin | June 10 | luh dees zhwahn |
| le 22 septembre | September 22 | luh van-duh sep-tahmbr |
Important:
le is almost always used when saying a date.
3. Full Date with Day of the Week
French can add the day before the date.
Structure
| Structure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| day + number + month | full calendar date |
Examples
| French Date | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| lundi 4 janvier | Monday 4 January | lun-dee katr zhon-vyay |
| mercredi 15 mai | Wednesday 15 May | mair-cruh-dee kanz may |
| vendredi 20 décembre | Friday 20 December | vahn-druh-dee van day-sahmbr |
Important:
The weekday stays lowercase.
4. Asking for the Date
French uses very clear standard questions.
Main Question
| French Question | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Quelle est la date aujourd’hui ? | What is today’s date? | kel eh lah daht oh-zhoor-dwee |
Another Common Question
| French Question | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Nous sommes le combien ? | What date is it? |
This second form is extremely common in spoken French.
Answers
| French Answer | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Nous sommes le 12 avril. | It is April 12 |
| Aujourd’hui, nous sommes le 8 juin. | Today is June 8 |
Important:
French often uses nous sommes when giving today’s date.
5. Special Rule for the First Day of the Month
The first day of the month does not use un in normal date expression.
French uses:
premier
Correct Form
| French | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| le premier janvier | January 1 | luh pruh-mee-yay zhon-vyay |
| le premier mai | May 1 | luh pruh-mee-yay may |
Incorrect Form
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| le un janvier | le premier janvier |
Important:
- Only day 1 uses premier.
- All other days use numbers.
6. Dates from 2 to 31
After the first day, French uses normal cardinal numbers.
Examples
| French Date | Meaning |
|---|---|
| le 2 mars | March 2 |
| le 7 août | August 7 |
| le 18 novembre | November 18 |
| le 31 décembre | December 31 |
7. Months Used in Dates
The month always follows the number.
| French Month | 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 |
Important:
Months remain lowercase.
8. Adding the Year
French places the year after the month.
Structure
| Structure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| number + month + year | full date |
Examples
| French Date | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| le 14 juillet 2025 | July 14, 2025 | luh kah-torz zhwee-yay duh mil van-sank |
| le 3 mars 2026 | March 3, 2026 | luh trwah mars duh mil van-sees |
9. Writing Dates in Numeric Form
French numeric format is:
day / month / year
Examples
| Numeric French | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 04/01/2026 | 4 January 2026 |
| 15/08/2025 | 15 August 2025 |
Important:
French does not use month/day/year.
This is very important in official writing.
10. Using Dates in Sentences
French dates often appear after verbs.
Examples
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mon examen est le 12 juin. | My exam is June 12 |
| Je pars le 5 septembre. | I leave on September 5 |
| Son anniversaire est le 4 janvier. | His / her birthday is January 4 |
Important:
Dates usually keep le after verbs.
11. Common Verbs with Dates
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| être | to be | Nous sommes le 8 mai. |
| commencer | to begin | Le cours commence le 3 avril. |
| partir | to leave | Je pars le 20 juillet. |
12. Difference Between Day and Date
French distinguishes day and date clearly.
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Quel jour sommes-nous ? | What day is it? |
| Quelle est la date aujourd’hui ? | What is today’s date? |
Compare
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Quel jour sommes-nous ? | Nous sommes mardi. |
| Quelle est la date aujourd’hui ? | Nous sommes le 14 avril. |
13. Frequent Errors to Avoid
| Incorrect | Correct | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| janvier 4 | 4 janvier | French order reversed |
| le un mai | le premier mai | special first day rule |
| Mars | mars | lowercase month |
14. Vocabulary
| French Word | Gender | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| la date | feminine | date | lah daht |
| le calendrier | masculine | calendar | luh kah-lahn-dree-yay |
| l’année | feminine | year | lah-nay |
| le mois | masculine | month | luh mwa |
| le jour | masculine | day | luh zhoor |
| l’anniversaire | masculine | birthday | lah-nee-vair-sair |
| l’examen | masculine | exam | leg-zah-mahn |
15. Mini Paragraph
Aujourd’hui, nous sommes le 14 avril 2026. Mon anniversaire est le 4 janvier. Mon examen commence le 12 juin. Nous partons le premier août.
Meaning:
Today is April 14, 2026. My birthday is January 4. My exam starts June 12. We leave on August 1.
16. Memory Practice
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Nous sommes le 8 mars. | It is March 8 |
| Je pars le 5 mai. | I leave May 5 |
| Le cours commence le 10 septembre. | The class starts September 10 |
| Son anniversaire est le premier janvier. | His / her birthday is January 1 |
| Aujourd’hui, nous sommes le 22 novembre. | Today is November 22 |
Summary Notes
| Concept | Key Rule |
|---|---|
| French order | day + month + year |
| article | usually le |
| first day | premier only |
| months | lowercase |
| numeric format | day / month / year |
| asking date | Quelle est la date aujourd’hui ? |
| giving date | Nous sommes le… |
| key learning point | French dates follow fixed order and article rules |
The most important lesson today is this: French dates become natural when you always think number first, month second, and premier only for day one.