Language/French/Grammar/Use-of-an-année,-jour-journée,-matin-matinée,-soir-soirée
[CHANGED]
- The English language only has one word for 'morning', 'evening', 'day' or 'year'.
- The French language has 2, but each is used in different cases.
Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Possessive determiners, Omission of the article, How to use « il s'agit de » in French & Omission of the article in participle + noun constructions linked by de.
Common use[edit | edit source]
It is often said that the words ending in -ée
are used when an activity taking place in the morning, evening, etc. is emphasized.
- Je cours chaque matin/soir/jour
I run every morning/evening/day (where the frequency of the activity rather than the activity itself is emphasized)
- J'ai étudié toute la matinée/la soirée/la journée
I studied all morning/evening/day (where the duration of study is emphasized)
Different use[edit | edit source]
But there are other situations where the use is different. It seems like a simple convention:
- au début de la matinée/soirée/journée / en début de matinée/soirée/journée
at the start of the morning/the evening/the day
- tous les jours/les matins/les ans
every day/morning/year
- à la fin de la matinée/la soirée/la journée / en fin de matinée/soirée/journée
the morning/evening/the day
- Un beau matin/jour il est parti
One fine morning/day he up and left
- par une belle matinée/soirée/journée
on a beautiful morning/evening/day
- tôt le matin
early in the morning
- le jour de l'an
New Year's Day
- l'an 2000
the year 2000
- souhaiter la bonne année (une heureuse nouvelle année / un joyeux nouvel-an) à quelqu'un
to wish so a Happy New Year
- les années 80
the 80s
- le nouvel an / la nouvelle année
the New Year
- l'année précédente/suivante:prochaine
the previous/following year/next year)
Forms without -ée
with preceding numbers[edit | edit source]
With the preceding numbers the forms that do not end in -ée
are usually used:
- 2 fois par jour
2 times a day
- II a 10 ans
He is 10
However, if an adjective changes the noun, the activity is highlighted:
- cinq bonnes années
5 good years
- trois longues journées
3 long days
Types of Nouns (all lessons)[edit source]
Other Chapters[edit | edit source]
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Choice of some time adverbs relative to the moment of speaking
- Intransitive verbs and auxiliary « avoir »
- Stressed pronouns
- Unstressed and Stressed Pronouns
- Use of indefinite and partitive articles after the negative forms
- Adjectives which follow verbs or verbal expressions
- Use of neutral le where no equivalent exists in English
- Adjectives used as adverbs
- Ce, and compound forms of être
- Use of the definite article to indicate a habitual action
- Use of the definite article with quantities
- Inversion of subject and verb after some sentence initial adverbs
- The plural indefinite article des
- Past participles used as adjectives with the verb être
- Differences in the use of numbers in French and English Order of cardinal numbers and adjectives