A precise guide on how to say the days of the week in French

When it comes to meeting up with friends, remembering an appointment, or scheduling an online meetup, having a date makes everything so much easier. Learning to recognize the days of the week in French will undoubtedly be beneficial to you, especially if you know how to pronounce them.

Before we get into how to spell each day of the week, we should go over pronunciation in French. Unlike English, which emphasizes syllables based on the length of the word or some of its endings, French emphasizes all syllables evenly. It is critical that you articulate each syllable evenly and clearly.

The days of week in French

English	French	Pronunciation
Monday	lundi	lun-dee
Tuesday	mardi	mar-dee
Wednesday	mercredi	mehr-cruh-dee
Thursday	jeudi	zhuh-dee
Friday	vendredi	van-druh-dee
Saturday	samedi	sa-muh-dee
Sunday	dimanche	dee-mansh

You have probably noticed that every day, except Sunday, ends with “di”. That is the first hack you can include in your toolbox. You can change it slightly for Dimanche to remember that the “di” part is at the beginning of the word.

How to use days of the week in French sentences

Now that you have mastered pronunciation and spelling, the next step is to include each word in a sentence.

Context: When you express your frustration:

“Monday evenings are always such a drag.”

French: “Le lundi matin, c’est toujours autant une horreur…”

Context: When you have to schedule a business meeting:

“I’ll be there on Tuesday at 3 PM. What about you?”

French: “Je serai là mardi à 3 heures. Et vous ?”

Context: When you have to share news with friends around a great drink:

“I’ve got to see you on Thursday, please tell me you’re free!”

French: “Il faut que je te voie jeudi, par pitié, j’espère que tu seras libre !”

English	French
I’ll arrive at your place on Sunday.	J’arriverai chez toi dimanche.
Wednesdays are my day off.	Le mercredi, c’est mon jour de congé./Les mercredis sont mon jour de congé.
Can my stay start on a Tuesday?	Est-ce que mon séjour peut commencer un mardi ?
Are you open on Friday nights?	Est-ce que vous êtes ouverts le vendredi soir ?
His birthday falls on a Monday, what a lucky chance!	Son anniversaire tombe un lundi, il en a de la chance !
Our offices will be closed next Tuesday and Saturday.	Nos bureaux seront fermés mardi et samedi prochain.
The 2022 Fifa World Cup will be starting on a Monday.	La Coupe du Monde de la Fifa 2022 commencera un lundi.
I don’t like to work much on Saturdays.	Je n’aime pas trop travailler le samedi.
Do you know if this mall opens on weekends?	Vous savez si ce centre commercial ouvre le week-end?

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Useful expressions related to time

Now that you have broadened your vocabulary with weekdays in French, adding a few time-related vocabulary words will help you be even more precise. This is especially useful when you want to make it known that you have a specific time or month in mind.

Both the singular and plural forms will be used. Only one phonetic transcription will be provided if both have the same pronunciation.

– Day, days – jour, jours (zhoor)

– Weekday, weekdays – jour, jours de la semaine (zhoor duh la suh-mehn)

– Weekend, weekends – week-end, week-ends (week-ehnd, week-ehndz)

The French indeed pronounce the “s” in the plural form of this word.

– Hour, hours – heure, heures (uhr)

– Minute, minutes – minute, minutes (mee-nyt)

You might want to get a closer look at color words in French and spell out more details about whatever you plan on doing, or what you are explaining to someone. Learning these will enrich your French vocabulary giving you the confidence to hold conversations effortlessly.

Frequently asked questions about days of the week in French

Q. Are the days of the week masculine or feminine in French?

A. In French, the days of the week are always masculine. They are frequently found following the masculine article “le,” which corresponds to “the.” “Un” is also the singular “a” translation and will be used frequently.

Q. Do you capitalize the days of the week in French?

A. No, they are never capitalized, and neither are French months.

Q. How do you abbreviate the days of the week in French?

A. The days of the week in French are abbreviated as follows:

– Lundi -> lun

– Mardi -> mar

– Mercredi -> mer

– Jeudi -> jeu

– Vendredi -> ven

– Samedi -> sam

– Dimanche -> dim

Q. How do I pronounce sounds that end in “n”, such as “lundi”, “vendredi”, or “dimanche”?

A. Nasal vowels are small clusters such as “an”, “en”, “in”, “on”, or “un”. Why the term “nasal”? Because making these sounds requires some air to pass through your nose, the “o” in words like “got” or “bond” can have a slightly different tinge.

Try practicing this way:

– Lundi -> “un” such as in “fun”

– Vendredi -> “en” such as “want”

– Dimanche -> “an” such as “want”

Once you’ve mastered those sounds, there’s one more thing to remember: instead of bringing your tongue to the roof of your mouth to make the “n” sound, as in “want”…  When pronouncing the days of the week in French, the airflow will do the trick. While it may seem counterintuitive at first, this valuable practice will significantly improve the effectiveness of your communication.

Conclusion

Learning how to pronounce the days of the week in French may take some time. You can look for audio available online to get the right pronunciation. If you want to sound like a native speaker, you need to broaden your vocabulary list by learning basic French words as they will help you undergo any type of conversation.

Don’t panic wondering how long it takes to learn French, instead focus on maintaining a steady learning routine. Develop a timetable and keep following it no matter what. We wish you happy learning!