The days of the week in French are lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi and dimanche; the months run from janvier to décembre. All are written in lower case and are masculine. Learn these five first: lundi (Monday), samedi (Saturday), janvier (January), la semaine dernière (last week) and le mois prochain (next month).
- Words
- 40: days, months, seasons, time phrases
- Capital letters
- No: lundi, janvier
- Week starts
- On Monday (lundi)
- Level
- A1
40 French calendar words
Days and months need no article in the list; both are masculine (un lundi, un mois de mai pluvieux). The other nouns come with theirs. The Contos web app uses this calendar pack for flashcard review.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| lundi | Monday |
| mardi | Tuesday |
| mercredi | Wednesday |
| jeudi | Thursday |
| vendredi | Friday |
| samedi | Saturday |
| dimanche | Sunday |
| janvier | January |
| février | February |
| mars | March |
| avril | April |
| mai | May |
| juin | June |
| juillet | July |
| août | August |
| septembre | September |
| octobre | October |
| novembre | November |
| décembre | December |
| le printemps | spring |
| l'été | summer |
| l'automne | autumn |
| l'hiver | winter |
| la date | date |
| le calendrier | calendar |
| le siècle | century |
| la décennie | decade |
| la saison | season |
| l'après-midi | afternoon |
| minuit | midnight |
| l'aube | dawn |
| après-demain | the day after tomorrow |
| avant-hier | the day before yesterday |
| la semaine dernière | last week |
| le mois prochain | next month |
| cette année | this year |
| le jour férié | public holiday |
| l'année bissextile | leap year |
| le jour de semaine | weekday |
| la quinzaine | fortnight |
Lundi or le lundi? Saying "on Monday" in French
French has no word for "on" before a day. On its own, lundi means this Monday, the next one or the last one. With le, le lundi means every Monday.
Lundi, je commence un nouveau travail.
On Monday I'm starting a new job.
Le lundi, je vais à la piscine.
On Mondays I go swimming.
On est quel jour ?
What day is it?
The everyday reply is On est jeudi: "we are Thursday".
Samedi soir, on va au cinéma.
On Saturday evening we're going to the cinema.
Add matin, après-midi or soir straight after the day, with no preposition.
Both uses turn up on the first pages of beginner stories. The first line says what day it is; the second makes a plan for this coming Saturday, so there is no article.
C'est lundi.Elle a réservé le restaurant pour samedi.The list gives le jour de semaine for a weekday. People more often say en semaine (on weekdays): en semaine, je me lève tôt. A working day is un jour ouvrable. The weekend is le week-end in France and la fin de semaine in Quebec.
How do you write the date in French?
A French date is le + number + month: le 14 juillet, le 3 mars. Use ordinary numbers, except for the first of the month, which is le premier (written le 1er): le 1er mai. The day comes first, so 03/04 is the third of April. Years are said as one number: 2027 is deux mille vingt-sept.
Mon anniversaire, c'est le 12 octobre.
My birthday is on the twelfth of October.
Nous sommes le combien aujourd'hui ?
What's the date today?
The reply: nous sommes le 14, or on est le 14.
Je pars en août.
I'm leaving in August.
Use en or au mois de with a month: au mois d'août.
Il est né en 1998.
He was born in 1998.
Several dates in the list matter in France. Le 14 juillet is the national holiday, and le 1er mai is a jour férié, a public holiday. When a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, many people font le pont, taking the Monday or Friday off to make a long weekend. Une année bissextile is a leap year, the one with le 29 février.
Seasons and time words: au printemps, en hiver
Three seasons take en and one takes au: en été, en automne, en hiver, but au printemps, because printemps starts with a consonant. All four are masculine.
L'automne frappait les vitres du musée endormi.| Past | Now | Future |
|---|---|---|
| avant-hier (the day before yesterday) | aujourd'hui (today) | après-demain (the day after tomorrow) |
| la semaine dernière (last week) | cette semaine (this week) | la semaine prochaine (next week) |
| le mois dernier (last month) | ce mois-ci (this month) | le mois prochain (next month) |
| l'année dernière (last year) | cette année (this year) | l'année prochaine (next year) |
- Word order changes the meaning: la semaine dernière is last week, but la dernière semaine is the final week of something.
- Une quinzaine is a fortnight, but in speech French counts it as quinze jours, and a week as huit jours.
- Minuit and midi take no article: à minuit, at midnight. L'après-midi is usually masculine: un bel après-midi.
- L'aube (dawn) is feminine and a little literary; in speech, tôt le matin is more common.
Days and months come back constantly in routines and work: see French daily routine vocabulary and French work vocabulary.
Read a French story that starts on a Monday: tap any word to see its meaning.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
Are days of the week capitalised in French?
No. Days and months are written in lower case: lundi, mardi, janvier, février. They take a capital only at the start of a sentence, so it is samedi 3 mai on a calendar or an invitation.
How do you say "on Monday" in French?
Just lundi, with no preposition: lundi, je travaille. For a habit, add le: le lundi, je vais au marché, which means every Monday.
How do you say the first of the month in French?
Le premier, written le 1er: le 1er janvier. Every other day uses an ordinary number: le deux, le trois, le vingt et un.
Is it en printemps or au printemps?
Au printemps. The other seasons take en (en été, en automne, en hiver) because they begin with a vowel sound. Printemps begins with a consonant, so it takes au.