In this grammar lesson you will learn about the French calendar.
In this lesson you will learn about:
- the French calendar: days & weeks
- the French calendar: months
- the French calendar: years
- the French calendar: dates
- how all the times unites are used in sentences
- how you can quiz yourself on the French calendar
- how to practice with flashcards on the French calendar
- how and why you should use the courses of Language Atlas to learn French
Please refer to the French A1 Curriculum to get a better overview of French grammar, if you are curious about this fits in French A1.
By the end of the lesson, you will know all about the French calendar!
Table of Contents
the French Calendar: Days & Weeks
| lundi | Monday |
| mardi | Tuesday |
| mercredi | Wednesday |
| jeudi | Thursday |
| vendredi | Friday |
| samedi | Saturday |
| dimanche | Sunday |
| la semaine | the week |
| le week-end | the weekend |
In French, the days of the week don’t begin with a capital letter.
Also, when you mention a day in the week, you always have to use le before it.
Je déteste le lundi.
I hate Mondays.
Le samedi est mon jour préféré.
Saturday is my favourite day.
Le mercredi, je joue au football.
On Wednesday, I play football.
[This is called soccer in U.S. English]
The only time when you don’t have to put le before a day is when you mention a one time event, or ask which day it is.
Je vais au musée mardi.
I am going to the museum on Tuesday.
Dimanche, je vais au cinéma.
Sunday, I am going to the cinema.
Quel jour sommes-nous ? Aujourd’hui, nous sommes jeudi
What day is it? – Today it’s Thursday.
the French Calendar: Months
| janvier | January |
| février | February |
| mars | March |
| avril | April |
| mai | May |
| juin | June |
| juillet | July |
| août | August |
| septembre | September |
| octobre | October |
| novembre | November |
| décembre | December |
In French, the months don’t begin with a capital letter.
Mon anniversaire est en septembre.
My birthday is in September.
La réunion a lieu en mars.
The meeting is in March.
Août est mon mois préféré.
August is my favourite month.
the French Calendar: Years
There are two ways to pronounce years before 2000.
- You can pronounce years before 2000 as a full number: thousands + hundreds + tens + ones
1922
mille neuf cent vingt–deux
1984
mille neuf cent quatre-vingt–quatre
1776
mille sept cent soixante–seize
- You can pronounce years before 2000 by spliting at the hundreds: hundreds + tens + ones
1922
dix-neuf cent vingt–deux
1984
dix-neuf cent quatre-vingt–quatre
1776
dix-sept cent soixante–seize
The years after 2000 can only be pronounced in one way.
- You can pronounce years after 2000 only as a full number: thousands + hundreds + tens + ones
2005
deux mille cinq
2010
deux mille dix
2125
deux mille cent vingt–cinq
Please read numbers in French if you are having some difficulties with numbers in French.
the French Calendar: Dates
If you want to mention a date in French you have to use the following idiom:
- le+ number + month + year
le 2 août 2008
2nd August, 2008
le 3 mars 2013
3rd March, 2013
le 4 février 2015
4th February, 2015
As you can see, in French you use deux (2), trois (3), quatre (4…) and not deuxième (2e), troisième (3e), quatrième (4e…) for dates.
This is consistent for all numbers except for the 1st.
le 1er juin 2000
1st of June 2000
Finally there’s one more thing that you should be aware of.
You say le onze and not l’onze
le 11 octobre
le onze octobre
11th of October
Examples Sentences on the French Calendar
The final section of this lesson on the French calendar is about seeing the time units in action.
This is valuable because you can improve your understanding on the French calendar through examples.
Je déteste le lundi.
I hate Mondays.
Je vais au musée mardi.
I am going to the museum on Tuesday.
Le mercredi, je joue au football.
On Wednesday, I play football.
[This is called soccer in U.S. English]
Dimanche, je vais au cinéma.
Sunday, I am going to the cinema.
Le samedi est mon jour préféré.
Saturday is my favourite day.
Mon anniversaire est en septembre.
My birthday is in September.
La réunion a lieu en mars.
The meeting is in March.
Août est mon mois préféré.
August is my favourite month.
C’est l’an 2020.
It’s the year 2020.
En l’an 2005.
In the year 2005.
le 2 août 2008
2nd August, 2008
le 3 mars 2020
3rd March, 2013
le 4 février 2015
4th February, 2015
le 28 décembre 2020
28th December, 2020
le 1er juin 2000
1st of June 2000
le 11 octobre
le onze octobre
11th of October
1922
mille neuf cent vingt–deux
1984
mille neuf cent quatre-vingt–quatre
1776
mille sept cent soixante–seize
1922
dix-neuf cent vingt–deux
1984
dix-neuf cent quatre-vingt–quatre
1776
dix-sept cent soixante–seize
2005
deux mille cinq
2010
deux mille dix
2125
deux mille cent vingt–cinq
Quel jour sommes-nous ? Aujourd’hui, nous sommes jeudi.
What day is it? – Today it’s Thursday.
Quiz Yourself on the French Calendar
At the end of every lesson you can do a small quiz.
You will see the sentences of the previous chapter.
You will either need to fill in the blanks, choose the correct multiple choice option, or both.
Once you are done the correct answer will be shown.
You can redo the quiz as many times as you want.
How to Practice With Flashcards for This Lesson
Using flashcards is an absolute necessity when it comes to learning a language!
It is the best way to memorize what you learn, you can personalize your progression because it adapts to your actions, and all flashcards have audio to improve your hearing and pronunciation.
Please read our article on how to learn a new language for more information on flashcards and the best way to learn a new language.
There are two ways to practice with Flashcards for this lesson.
- Anki
- The Flashcards in our Courses
Anki is a free software with which you can create and practice flashcards.
After you have downloaded Anki for free, you can get our French A1 Anki Deck.
This Anki Deck contains 3,764 flashcards with which you can practice absolutely everything for French A1.
All the flashcards have text, images, explanations, and audio.
You can also use our courses that have flashcards integrated alongside lessons with audio, quizzes and much more!
However, I am sure you are wondering, what are your courses, and why should I take them?
The Courses of Language Atlas
Have you ever wondered what the best way is to learn a new language?
I have been learning languages for over 20+ years and I was always frustrated with books, courses, and classes that I had tried.
It never really seemed to work for me.
I wanted to learn a language in the most effective and efficient way, and there was nothing out there for me.
So I thought, “why not make something myself?“.
Using my experience and by doing research I created Language Atlas, a platform where people can learn French and Spanish in the most effective and efficient way.
I created free lessons and quizzes so that there would always be a easy and accessible way for people to learn or brush up on their language skills.
However, I also created courses that are much more comprehensive and in-depth.
These courses are easy to follow, clear, and allow you to become fluent in the most effective and efficient way.
The courses of Language Atlas have:
- 800+ Lessons with audio
- 800+ Quizzes
- 10,000 Flashcards with explanations, images, and audio
- A gamified way of learning a new language
- A vibrant community (including support from me)
You can register for free and try the French A0/A1 and Spanish A0/A1 Courses for free!
This includes over 60 lessons and quizzes, 500 flashcards that adapt to how you learn, and access to the community (including support from me).
All you have to do is study 30 minutes a day and you will be fluent in no time!
Don’t miss out – register for free and start learning!
