Day 10: Days of the Week
Learn the seven days of the week in French and how to use them to talk about schedules and routines.
Pascal says: Bonjour! Booking a table, agreeing on a meeting time, planning your weekend — days of the week come up in almost every French conversation. Learn these seven words and you'll unlock a huge slice of everyday life.
🎯 Today's Mission
- Learn all seven days of the week.
- Understand the difference between samedi and le samedi.
- Learn how to ask what day it is.
Section 1: The Seven Days (Les Jours de la Semaine)
Pascal's Tip: Here's your first surprise: in France, the week starts on lundi (Monday), not Sunday. So if a French calendar looks 'off' to you, it's just following the French system!
| French | Pronunciation | English | |
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| | lundi | [lun-dee] | Monday | | mardi | [mar-dee] | Tuesday | | mercredi | [mair-kruh-dee] | Wednesday | | jeudi | [zhuh-dee] | Thursday | | vendredi | [von-druh-dee] | Friday | | samedi | [sam-dee] | Saturday | | dimanche | [dee-monsh] | Sunday |
Golden Rule: Days of the week are never capitalized in French (unless they start a sentence).
What is the first day of the week on a French calendar?
Which day comes after 'mardi'?
Section 2: Using Days in Sentences
To say something happens on a specific day, you don't need a preposition like in English.
- Lundi, je travaille. — On Monday, I work.
- Je vais au cinéma samedi. - I am going to the cinema on Saturday.
To talk about a recurring, weekly habit, you add "le" before the day.
- Samedi → this coming Saturday (a single event)
- Le samedi → on Saturdays / every Saturday (a routine)
How do you say 'On Saturdays, I play sports' (as a weekly habit)?
What is the meaning of 'Je vois un film vendredi'?
Section 3: Asking the Day
To ask what day it is, you say:
Quel jour sommes-nous? [kel zhoor som-noo] — What day is it?
You can answer in a couple of ways:
Nous sommes lundi. OR C'est lundi. (It's Monday.)
Someone asks you 'Quel jour sommes-nous?'. Today is Wednesday. How do you answer?
Lesson Summary
Pascal: Super! You've mastered the days of the week.
- You know the seven days, starting with lundi.
- You know that days are not capitalized in French.
- You understand the difference between a single event (samedi) and a weekly routine (le samedi).
You're now ready to start planning your week in French!
✨ Coming Up Next...
Pascal: Now that you know the days, let's learn about the months and how to say the date! Get ready to talk about birthdays and holidays. À demain!
Bonjour! Prêt à continuer la leçon? Allons-y!