In a month: en
Months are masculine and written without a capital letter. To say « in » a month, use en. You can also say au mois de.
- Je vais à Dakar en mars.I'm going to Dakar in March.
- Il fait chaud au mois d'août.It's hot in August.
A1Unit 8 of the A1 course · « Le temps qui passe »
Days, months, seasons and the date in French
French months and days don't take capital letters, and the date uses le with a plain number. Here is everything you need to give a date, talk about seasons and plan your week.
By the end of this unit you can: give the date, tell the time two ways and plan your week.
What this unit covers
- 1Les mois de l'année: Name the twelve months and say in which month something happens.
- 2Quel jour sommes-nous ?: Name the seasons, give the date and say when your birthday is.
- 3L'heure officielle et familière: Read the 24-hour clock and say the same time the everyday way.
- 4Ma semaine: Talk about your week, your habits and your appointments.
- 5On se voit quand ?: Fix a day and a time to meet a friend by text.
Grammar and usage, explained
Au printemps, en été
All four seasons are masculine. To say « in », use en: en été, en automne, en hiver. Printemps starts with a consonant, so it takes au instead: au printemps.
- En hiver, il fait froid à Montréal.In winter it's cold in Montréal.
- Au printemps, je vais à Genève.In spring I'm going to Geneva.
Saying the date
French puts le, then the number, then the month: le 14 juillet. Use plain numbers (le deux, le vingt), except for the 1st, which is le premier. You can add the day of the week before the number.
- On est le premier mars.It's the 1st of March.
- Aujourd'hui, on est mardi quinze octobre.Today is Tuesday the 15th of October.
- Quel jour sommes-nous ? Nous sommes jeudi.What day is it? It's Thursday.
Two clocks: official and everyday
Timetables, the radio and appointments use the 24-hour clock and say the minutes as a number: 14 h 30 is quatorze heures trente. In conversation, people use the 12-hour clock with et quart, et demie and moins le quart, and add du matin, de l'après-midi or du soir when it isn't obvious.
- Le film commence à vingt heures quinze.The film starts at 20:15.
- Le film commence à huit heures et quart du soir.The film starts at a quarter past eight in the evening.
Lundi or le lundi?
A day on its own means this coming one: lundi, je vais à Dakar (this Monday). With le, it becomes a habit: le lundi, j'ai piano (every Monday).
- Samedi, je vais au cinéma.On Saturday (this one) I'm going to the cinema.
- Le samedi, je vais au marché.On Saturdays I go to the market.
Scene: a friend in town
Your friend Fatou, from Abidjan, is in Lyon for a week. You text each other to find a day and a time to meet.
Vocabulary: 35 words and phrases
Tap 🔊 to hear each one, recorded by a native-sounding French voice.
Les mois de l'année
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| janvieren janvier (in January) | JanuaryMonths are masculine and take no capital letter. | |
| février | FebruarySay « fé-vri-yé ». | |
| mars | MarchThe s is pronounced: « marss ». | |
| avril | April | |
| maile premier mai (the first of May) | May | |
| juin | JuneDon't mix up juin (June) and juillet (July). | |
| juillet | JulySay « jwi-yé ». | |
| août | AugustJust one sound: « ou » (some people say « oute »). The a is silent. | |
| septembre | September | |
| octobre | October | |
| novembre | November | |
| décembre | December |
Quel jour sommes-nous ?
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| le printemps | springIn spring is au printemps. The p and s at the end are silent. | |
| l'été | summerMasculine: un bel été. In summer is en été. | |
| l'automne | autumn / fallThe m is silent: « o-tonn ». In autumn is en automne. | |
| l'hiver | winterThe h is silent, so l'hiver. In winter is en hiver. | |
| quel jour sommes-nous ? | what day is it?Everyday version: On est quel jour ? | |
| on est le…On est le douze mars. (It's the twelfth of March.) | it's the… (date) | |
| le premier | the first (of the month)Only the 1st uses premier. After that, plain numbers: le deux, le trois… | |
| anniversaire(masculine)Bon anniversaire ! (Happy birthday!) | birthday |
L'heure officielle et familière
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| l'après-midi | the afternoonLiterally « after midday ». Both un and une après-midi are correct. | |
| le soir | the eveningThat's why you say bonsoir in the evening. | |
| la nuit | the nightBonne nuit is only for when someone goes to bed. | |
| minuit | midnightLike midi: no heures after it. Il est minuit. | |
| du matin / de l'après-midi / du soirIl est huit heures du soir. (It's 8 pm.) | a.m. / p.m. (after a time) | |
| pileIl est six heures pile. (It's six o'clock sharp.) | on the dot / sharp | |
| à quelle heure… ?À quelle heure part le train ? (What time does the train leave?) | at what time…? |
Ma semaine
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| semaine(feminine)Bonne semaine ! (Have a good week!) | weekMonday to Friday is la semaine. Saturday and Sunday are le week-end. | |
| demainÀ demain ! (See you tomorrow!) | tomorrow | |
| week-end(masculine) | weekendIn Quebec you'll often hear la fin de semaine. | |
| le lundi | on Mondays (every Monday)With le, a day becomes a habit. Without it, it's one particular Monday, usually the next one. | |
| emploi du temps(masculine) | timetable / scheduleYour school or work week, hour by hour. | |
| rendez-vous(masculine)J'ai rendez-vous chez le médecin. (I have a doctor's appointment.) | appointment / meeting | |
| en retard | lateEarly is en avance. | |
| à l'heureLe train est à l'heure. (The train is on time.) | on time |
Example sentences
- Janvier, février, mars, avril, mai, juin.January, February, March, April, May, June.
- Mon anniversaire, c'est le vingt et un mars, au printemps.My birthday is on the 21st of March, in spring.
- Le train part à dix-huit heures trente, donc à six heures et demie du soir.The train leaves at 18:30, so at half past six in the evening.
- Ce week-end, j'ai rendez-vous samedi à dix heures.This weekend I have an appointment on Saturday at ten.
- D'accord, rendez-vous vendredi à dix-huit heures devant la gare.OK, let's meet on Friday at six pm in front of the station.
Practise it, don't just read it
This unit is part of French Ultimate's A1 course: 5 short lessons with an animated video each, speaking and listening practice, a reading and an end-of-unit test.
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