French Time Expressions: Days, Months, and Seasons
Days and Dates
Days of the Week
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"Le lundi" (Monday) Example: "Je travaille le lundi" (I work on Mondays)
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"Les lundis" (on Mondays) Example: "Les lundis sont difficiles" (Mondays are difficult)
Important Rule
- Days of the week are masculine
- Use "le" for specific days
- Use "les" for recurring events
Months and Seasons
Months Structure
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"en + month" Example: "En janvier, il fait froid" (In January, it's cold)
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"au mois de + month" Example: "Au mois de juillet" (In the month of July)
Seasons Usage
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"en + season" Example: "En été, je vais à la plage" (In summer, I go to the beach)
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"au + season" (only for printemps) Example: "Au printemps, les fleurs poussent" (In spring, flowers grow)
Date Expressions
Basic Structure
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"le + number + month" Example: "Le 15 mars" (March 15th)
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Year expressions Example: "En 2024" (In 2024)
Complete Dates
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"Le 15 mars 2024"
- Note: No 'th', 'nd', or 'st' in French dates
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"Le premier avril"
- Exception: Use "premier" for the first of the month
Time Period References
Past References
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"La semaine dernière" (last week) Example: "Je l'ai vu la semaine dernière" (I saw him last week)
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"Il y a + time period" Example: "Il y a deux jours" (Two days ago)
Future References
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"La semaine prochaine" (next week) Example: "On se voit la semaine prochaine" (We'll see each other next week)
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"Dans + time period" Example: "Dans trois jours" (In three days)
Special Time Phrases
Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday
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"Aujourd'hui" (today) Example: "Aujourd'hui, je reste chez moi" (Today, I'm staying at home)
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"Demain" (tomorrow) Example: "À demain!" (See you tomorrow!)
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"Hier" (yesterday) Example: "Hier, il pleuvait" (Yesterday, it was raining)
Time Period Durations
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"Pendant" (during) Example: "Pendant les vacances" (During the holidays)
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"Durant" (throughout) Example: "Durant l'année" (Throughout the year)
French dates are usually written in the format DD/MM/YYYY, different from the American format.