Dates & Calendar
Dates & Calendar
French dates use plain counting numbers, not ordinal numbers like English's 'the third' — with a single, memorable exception for the first of the month.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
le + cardinal number + month — except the 1st
le deux mars (March 2nd, lit. 'the two March'), but le premier janvier (January 1st)
March 2nd, January 1st
Where English needs an ordinal ('the second of March', 'March second'), French just uses the plain counting number: le deux mars, le trois avril, le quinze août. The single exception is the 1st of the month, which does use the ordinal premier: le premier janvier, not le un janvier. This is actually simpler than English's ordinal-heavy date system for every day except the first, so it's one grammar point that gets easier, not harder, once you switch to French.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| quelle est la date aujourd'hui ? | kel eh lah daht oh-zhoor-DWEE | what's today's date? |
| le premier janvier | luh pruh-mee-AY zhahn-vee-AY | January 1st |
| lundi | luhn-DEE | Monday |
| mardi | mar-DEE | Tuesday |
| mercredi | mair-kruh-DEE | Wednesday |
| jeudi | zhuh-DEE | Thursday |
| vendredi | vahn-druh-DEE | Friday |
| samedi | sahm-DEE | Saturday |
| dimanche | dee-MAHNSH | Sunday |
| aujourd'hui | oh-zhoor-DWEE | today |
| demain | duh-MAN | tomorrow |
| hier | yair | yesterday |
| la semaine | lah suh-MEN | the week |
| le mois | luh mwah | the month |
| l'année | lah-NAY | the year |