Days and Months in French

Les Jours de la Semaine & Les Mois de l’Année: Days and Months in French

Learning how to say the days of the week and months of the year in French is essential for basic communication, whether you're scheduling an appointment, making plans, or simply understanding dates. In this post, we will explore how to write and pronounce the seven days of the week and the twelve months in French, along with useful phrases for discussing dates.

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Les Jours de la Semaine (The Days of the Week)

In French, the days of the week are:

Lundi (Monday) – luhn-dee [lœ̃.di]

Mardi (Tuesday) – mar-dee [maʁ.di]

Mercredi (Wednesday) – mehr-cruh-dee [mɛʁ.kʁə.di]

Jeudi (Thursday) – zhuh-dee [ʒø.di]

Vendredi (Friday) – vahn-druh-dee [vɑ̃.dʁə.di]

Samedi (Saturday) – sam-dee [sam.di]

Dimanche (Sunday) – dee-mahnsh [di.mɑ̃ʃ]

Examples:

• Nous avons un rendez-vous lundi. (We have an appointment on Monday.)
• Je vais au marché le samedi matin. (I go to the market on Saturday morning.)
• Dimanche est un jour de repos. (Sunday is a day of rest.)

Mnemonic Link to Similar English Words

• Monday = Lundi (Think "Lunar" for the moon)
• Tuesday = Mardi (Think "Mars")
• Wednesday = Mercredi (Think "Mercury")
• Thursday = Jeudi (Think "Jupiter")
• Friday = Vendredi (Think "Venus")
• Saturday = Samedi (Think "Sabbath")
• Sunday = Dimanche (Think "D for Dieu/God")

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Les Mois de l’Année (The Months of the Year)

The twelve months in French are:

Janvier (January) – zhahn-vyay [ʒɑ̃.vje]

Février (February) – fay-vree-yay [fe.vʁi.je]

Mars (March) – mars [maʁs]

Avril (April) – ah-vreel [a.vʁil]

Mai (May) – may [mɛ]

Juin (June) – zhwahn [ʒɥɛ̃]

Juillet (July) – zhwee-yay [ʒɥi.jɛ]

Août (August) – oot [ut]

Septembre (September) – sep-tahm-bruh [sɛp.tɑ̃bʁ]

Octobre (October) – ok-toh-bruh [ɔk.tɔbʁ]

Novembre (November) – noh-vahm-bruh [nɔ.vɑ̃bʁ]

Décembre (December) – day-sahm-bruh [de.sɑ̃bʁ]

Examples:

• Mon anniversaire est en avril. (My birthday is in April.)
• Nous partons en vacances en août. (We go on vacation in August.)
• Décembre est le dernier mois de l’année. (December is the last month of the year.)

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Asking and Answering Questions About the Date

How to Ask the Date in French:

1. Quelle est la date ? (What is the date?)
2. Quelle est la date aujourd’hui ? (What is today’s date?)

How to Answer:

• Aujourd’hui, c’est le 20 janvier. (Today is January 20th.)
• Nous sommes le 5 mars. (It’s March 5th.)
• C’est le 14 juillet. (It’s July 14th.)

How to Include the Day in the Answer:

• Aujourd’hui, nous sommes lundi 3 avril. (Today is Monday, April 3rd.)
• C’est dimanche 25 décembre. (It’s Sunday, December 25th.)

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Tips for Remembering the Days and Months

• Unlike English, French days and months are not capitalized unless they are at the beginning of a sentence.

• Many months in French look similar to English, making them easier to remember (e.g., septembre = September, octobre = October).

• Practice by writing the date in French every day to reinforce your learning!

By mastering the days and months in French, you’ll be well on your way to improving your language skills and making daily conversations easier. Bonne chance! (Good luck!)

Days of the Week Matching Game

Match the English days with their correct French counterparts.

How to Play: Drag the English day and drop it onto the correct French word. If you match correctly, it will turn green!

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Dimanche

Mercredi

Lundi

Jeudi

Mardi

Samedi

Vendredi

Months Matching Game

Match the English months with their correct French counterparts.

How to Play: Drag the English month and drop it onto the correct French word. If you match correctly, it will turn green!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Mars

Avril

Juillet

Août

Janvier

Février

Septembre

Octobre

Novembre

Décembre

Mai

Juin