Language/French/Vocabulary/Time-and-Dates
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Time and dates are an essential part of any language. In this lesson, you will learn how to express time and dates in French, including days of the week, months, seasons, and times of day.
The Days of the Week
In French, the days of the week are as follows:
lundi | lu(n)di | Monday |
mardi | mar(di) | Tuesday |
mercredi | mer-cre-di | Wednesday |
jeudi | jeu(di) | Thursday |
vendredi | ven-dre-di | Friday |
samedi | samedi | Saturday |
dimanche | di-man-che | Sunday |
Note that in French, days of the week are not capitalized.
Months and Seasons
In French, the months and seasons are as follows:
French | Pronunciation | English Translation |
---|---|---|
janvier | ja-nvi-er | January |
février | fe-vri-er | February |
mars | mars | March |
avril | a-vril | April |
mai | mai | May |
juin | juin | June |
juillet | juil-let | July |
août | a-ût | August |
septembre | sep-tem-bre | September |
octobre | oc-to-bre | October |
novembre | no-vem-bre | November |
décembre | dé-cem-bre | December |
The seasons in French are as follows:
- l'hiver (winter)
- le printemps (spring)
- l'été (summer)
- l'automne (fall)
Telling Time
Telling time in French is quite simple. Usually, you use the 24-hour clock.
To tell a specific time of day, we use the following structure:
Hour + Minutes
To say 7:30 am or pm, we say “sept heures et demie” as we would say “seven thirty” in English.
To say multiples of five minutes, we use the word "et" between the hour and the minute. For example,
- 7:05 a.m. is "sept heures cinq"
- 7:10 a.m. is "sept heures dix"
- 7:15 a.m. is "sept heures et quart"
- 7:20 a.m. is "sept heures vingt"
- 7:25 a.m. is "sept heures vingt-cinq"
- 7:30 a.m. is "sept heures et demie"
- 7:35 a.m. is "huit heures moins vingt-cinq"
- 7:40 a.m. is "huit heures moins vingt"
- 7:45 a.m. is "huit heures moins le quart"
- 7:50 a.m. is "huit heures moins dix"
- 7:55 a.m. is "huit heures moins cinq"
Note that when telling time in French, we use the 24-hour clock. Also, note that we use "moins" (minus) to indicate the minutes before the next hour when it is less than 30 minutes past.
The Date
In French, we write the date using the structure: Day + Month + Year.
For example, October 2, 2021, is written as “le 2 octobre 2021” or “2/10/2021”.
Here are some useful words and expressions for talking about dates:
- Aujourd'hui (today)
- Demain (tomorrow)
- Hier (yesterday)
- Quel jour sommes-nous? (What day is it?)
Holidays and Celebrations
French people celebrate many holidays throughout the year.
- Le jour de l'an (New Year's Day)
- La Saint-Valentin (Valentine's Day)
- Pâques (Easter)
- La Fête du Travail (May Day)
- La Fête Nationale (Bastille Day)
- Noël (Christmas)
Note that French people often say “Bonne fêtes” during the holiday season to wish others a good time during the various celebrations.
Exercise
Now that you have learned how to express time and dates in French, test your knowledge with this exercise:
- Translate the following times and dates into French:
* August 1st, 2022 * 8:15 p.m. * April 25th, 2023 * 12:00 p.m.
Sources