Language/French/Vocabulary/Time-and-Dates

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French Vocabulary → Numbers and Time → Time and Dates

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 lundi 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


Table of Contents - French Course - 0 to A1


Alphabet and Pronunciation


Nouns and Articles


Verbs and Tenses


Adjectives and Adverbs


Negation and Interrogation


Numbers and Time


Family and Relationships


Food and Drink


Hobbies and Interests


Geography and Travel


French Culture and Arts


French History and Society


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