French days of the week and Months of the Year
Welcome to Lesson 3! In this lesson, we’ll learn about the days of the week and the months of the year in French. Knowing these is essential for planning, scheduling, and discussing dates. Let’s dive in!
Understand basic usage in conversation.
1. The French week starts with Monday, not Sunday. Here are the days:
| days in french | Prononciation (english) | IPA | days in english |
|---|---|---|---|
| lundi | lun-dee | lœ̃di | Monday |
| mardi | mar-dee | maʁdi | Tuesday |
| mercredi | mare-cruh-dee | mɛʁkʁədi | Wednesday |
| jeudi | juh-dee | ʒødi | Thursday |
| vendredi | vahn-druh-dee | vɑ̃dʁədi | Friday |
| samedi | sam-dee | samdi | Saturday |
| dimanche | dee-monsh | dimɑ̃ʃ | Sunday |
📌 Pronunciation Tip:
The final ‘i’ in “lundi”, “mardi”, “mercredi”, etc., is pronounced like the ‘ee’ in ‘see’.
2. Months of the Year in French
Now let’s learn the months of the year:
| French Month | Phonetic Spelling (English) | IPA | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| janvier | zhan-vee-ay | ʒɑ̃vje | January |
| février | fay-vree-ay | fevʁije | February |
| mars | mars | maʁs | March |
| avril | ah-vreel | avʁil | April |
| mai | may | me | May |
| juin | zhwan | ʒɥɛ̃ | June |
| juillet | zhwee-ay | ʒɥijɛ | July |
| août | oot | ut | August |
| septembre | sep-tahm-bruh | sɛptɑ̃bʁ | September |
| octobre | ok-toh-bruh | ɔktɔbʁ | October |
| novembre | no-vahm-bruh | nɔvɑ̃bʁ | November |
| décembre | day-sahm-bruh | desɑ̃bʁ | December |
Practice Exercise
Answer the following questions in French
- What’s today’s date?
- When’s your birthday?
- What day is tomorrow?
- Can you give me the date for the next meeting?
- What was yesterday’s date?
- When was the last time we met?
- How do you say “March 15th” in French?
- Is April 21st a public holiday in France?
- What date is Bastille Day in France?
- When is the first day of winter?
Real-Life Application
Try writing your schedule in French, or think about your plans for the week and say them in French.
Conclusion
Great job finishing Lesson 3! In the next lesson, we’ll cover personal pronouns and the verb “être” (to be). See you soon!