Days, Months, and Dates

1. The Days of the Week (Les jours de la semaine)

First, you need to memorize the seven days of the week. Most of them end with the sound "-di," which makes them a bit easier to remember.

To learn the correct pronunciation and practice them, let's watch this engaging video. It includes some fun exercises to help you remember the order.

Here are the days of the week for your reference:

Important Grammar Point: lundi vs. le lundi

This is a crucial distinction.

• Use the day alone (lundi, mardi, etc.) to talk about a single, specific day.

  Samedi, je vais au cinéma. (On Saturday, I'm going to the cinema.) - This specific, upcoming Saturday.

• Use the day with the definite article le (le lundi, le mardi, etc.) to talk about a repeated, habitual action.

  Le samedi, je vais au cinéma. (Every Saturday, I go to the cinema.) - It's a weekly habit.

This rule is clearly explained in the resource "4 Ways to Write the Date in French" under Method 2, should you wish to review it later.

2. The Months of the Year (Les mois de l'année)

Next, let's learn the twelve months. Many of them are similar to their English counterparts, which should help you learn them quickly.

A very important rule in French is that days of the week and months of the year are not capitalized, unlike in English.

For example, you write lundi not Lundi, and janvier not Janvier.

Now, let's learn their pronunciation.

Here is the list of months for your notes:

3. Stating the Full Date

Now that you know the days and months, let's put everything together to state the full date.

The Question

First, to ask for the date, you say:

Quelle est la date aujourd'hui ? (What is the date today?)

You might also hear:

On est quel jour ? or Quel jour sommes-nous ? (What day are we?)

The Structure

The standard French date format is Day - Month - Year. When you say it, the structure is:

le + [number] + [month] + [year]

• Example: le 15 mars 2024 (le quinze mars deux mille vingt-quatre)

The Exception: The 1st of the Month
For the first day of any month, you don't use the number un (one). Instead, you use premier (first).

• Written: 1er

• Spoken: le premier

• Example: le 1er mai (le premier mai)

This video explains the full structure, including the special case for "the first," very clearly.

So, to give the full date including the day of the week, the structure is:

[Day of the week] + le + [number] + [month] + [year]

• mardi, le 15 octobre 2024

4. Using Prepositions with Dates

When you talk about something happening in a certain month or year, you use the preposition en.

• Mon anniversaire est **en** juillet. (My birthday is in July.)
• Je suis né **en** 1998. (I was born in 1998.)
• Le projet commence **en** janvier 2025. (The project starts in January 2025.)

You can also use the phrase au mois de for months, which means "in the month of".

• Le rendez-vous est **au mois de** novembre. (The appointment is in the month of November.)

For a quick reference of all these rules, this web page is an excellent resource.

Summary of Today's Lesson

Fantastic work! Here is a visual summary that puts everything together in one place. It's a great tool to help you remember how to form the date correctly.

Conclusion

You've made excellent progress today. You are now equipped to handle dates in French, a skill that is indispensable in both everyday life and professional settings.

Key Takeaways:

• The days of the week and months of the year are never capitalized.
• Use le before a day (e.g., le lundi) to indicate a repeated action.
• The standard structure for stating the date is le + [number] + [month].
• For the 1st of the month, always use le premier.
• Use the preposition en to talk about an event happening in a specific month or year.

In our next lesson, we will move on to the next topic in this module: conjugating reflexive verbs. These verbs (like se lever - to get up, se laver - to wash oneself) are essential for describing your daily routine, which fits perfectly with our new ability to talk about time and dates.

À bientôt