French

Days of the Week in French With Examples and Pronunciation

Days of the week in french with pronunciation

The days of the week in French are basic words and sources of everyday vocabulary. Knowledge is essential for developing the language. There are 7 days in the week, and in French, these are: lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche.

In addition to learning the vocabulary, it’s important to understand the grammatical rules associated with these days, such as the correct use of articles and prepositions.

Days of the Week in French

French DayEnglish EquivalentPronunciation
LundiMondayluhn-DEE
MardiTuesdaymar-DEE
MercrediWednesdaymehr-kruh-DEE
JeudiThursdayzhuh-DEE
VendrediFridayvahn-druh-DEE
SamediSaturdaysam-DEE
DimancheSundaydee-MAHN-sh
FrenchEnglish
Jour (m)Day
Semaine (f)Week
Jours de la semaineWeekdays
Date (f)Date

See also: Months of the year in French

Key Grammatical Rules

Using the days of the week correctly in French is simple if you remember these essential rules.

  • Lowercase Usage: Unlike in English, the days of the week in French are always written in lowercase, unless they begin a sentence.
  • Correct: C’est lundi aujourd’hui. – It’s Monday today.
  • Incorrect: C’est Lundi aujourd’hui.

  • The Article “le”: This is a key difference from English. You use the definite article “le” before a day of the week to say “on [day]” for a specific event or a habitual action.

  • For recurring actions: Le lundi, je vais à la piscine. (On Mondays, I go to the swimming pool.)
  • For a specific event: Mon anniversaire est le jeudi. (My birthday is on Thursday.)

  • Saying “It Is”: To state what day it is, you simply use “C’est” followed by the day.

  • C’est mardi. – It’s Tuesday.
  •  C’est dimanche. – It’s Sunday.

Important Note: The definite article “le” is also commonly used with other general time expressions:

  • Le matin – In the morning / Every morning
  • Le soir – In the evening / Every evening
  • Le week-end – On the weekend / Every weekend

Other Common Time Expressions

FrenchEnglish
Week-end (m)Weekend
Aujourd’huiToday
DemainTomorrow
Après demainDay after tomorrow
Avant-hierThe day before yesterday
Le jour suivantThe next day
Le jour d’avantThe previous day
Le dernier jourThe last day
Matin (m)Morning
Midi (m)Noon
Nuit (f)Evening
Minuit (m)Midnight

Examples in sentences

Here are various sentences showcasing the days of the week and related time expressions in practical use:

  • Mon anniversaire est le jeudi. – My birthday is on Thursday.
  • Ce soir, nous regarderons le film. – Tonight we will watch the movie.
  • C’est le dernier jour du printemps. – It’s the last day of spring.
  • Dis-moi la date des vacances. – Tell me the date of the holidays.
  • Il est minuit, j’ai sommeil. – It’s midnight, I’m sleepy.
  • L’école commence le lundi 17 septembre 202X. – School starts on Monday, September 17, 202X.
  • Mon jour préféré est le samedi. – My favorite day is Saturday.
  • Nous allons voyager vendredi prochain. – We are going to travel next Friday.
  • Je travaille du lundi au vendredi. – I work from Monday to Friday.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Being aware of these frequent errors will help you use the days of the week like a native speaker:

  1. Capitalization: Always remember to use lowercase for the days of the week in French. Capitalizing them is a common beginner’s mistake influenced by English.
  2. Omitting “Le”: For “on [day]s” or when referring to a specific day, remember to include the definite article “le.” Directly translating “on Monday” as “sur lundi” is incorrect.
  3. Gender Confusion: Days of the week are always masculine. Do not use “la” or “les” in singular contexts (e.g., “la lundi” is incorrect).
  4. Incorrect Prepositions: French uses “le” (or no preposition for “today,” “tomorrow”) where English uses “on.” Avoid literal translations like “sur lundi.”

Quiz and exercises

Here are some sample quiz questions and exercises for you to practice what you learned.

Quiz

  1. What is the French word for “Sunday”?
  2. How are the days of the week written in French?
  3. Do the days of the week in French begin with a capital letter?
  4. How do you say “It’s Wednesday” in French?
  5. What definite article is used before the days of the week in French?

Exercise
Translate the following sentences from English to French, using the days of the week provided:

  1. Today is Monday.
  2. The meeting is on Thursday.
  3. I have a class on Wednesday.
  4. We’re going out on Saturday.
  5. I don’t work on Sundays.

Answers
Quiz

  1. “Dimanche”
  2. The days of the week in French are: Lundi, Mardi, Mercredi, Jeudi, Vendredi, Samedi, and Dimanche.
  3. No, the days of the week in French are written in lowercase.
  4. “C’est mercredi.”
  5. The definite article “Le” is used before the days of the week in French.

Exercise

  1. Aujourd’hui, c’est lundi.
  2. La réunion est le jeudi.
  3. J’ai un cours le mercredi.
  4. Nous sortons le samedi.
  5. Je ne travaille pas le dimanche.
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