jours de la semaine
The English phrase "days of the week" is translated into French as jours de la semaine.
This phrase is used to refer to the names of the seven days that make up a full week.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of jours (days), de (of), la (the) and semaine (week).
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to a specific day of the week in a general sense, French often uses the definite article le before the day name. To express that something happens every week on a certain day, such as "Mondays", you can use the plural form les lundis.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Unlike English, the names of the days of the week in French are not capitalized unless they start a sentence.
Did you know?
- While English names for days are often linked to Norse or Germanic gods, most French days are tied to the Roman solar system and planetary deities, such as mardi for Mars.
- In France, the first day of the week on calendars is lundi (Monday), whereas in the US and Canada it is often Sunday.
- The word semaine shares a common ancestor with the English word 'septenary', both stemming from the Latin word for 'seven'.
Examples in context
- Lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi et dimanche sont les sept jours de la semaine.Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the seven days of the week.This example lists the seven days of the week using jours de la semaine.Tatoeba #620731 by pjer, translation #1701518 by CM
- Dans notre prochain cours, nous allons étudier les jours de la semaine, les mois et les saisons.In our next class, we will study the days of the week, the months, and the seasons.This sentence uses jours de la semaine to describe topics for an upcoming class.Tatoeba #3787496 by Danquebec, translation #3786132 by AlanF_US
- Les jours de la semaine sont le lundi, le mardi, le mercredi, le jeudi, le vendredi, le samedi et le dimanche.The days of the week are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.This sentence uses the definite article with each day to list the jours de la semaine.Tatoeba #6006226 by Petrus, translation #6005874 by AlanF_US
- Je vous attends mercredi à 15 heures.I'll be waiting for you on Wednesday at 3 o'clock.
- La réunion est prévue vendredi matin.The meeting is scheduled for Friday morning.
- Je te vois mercredi soir.I'll see you on Wednesday evening.
- On se retrouve vendredi dans notre café préféré ?Shall we meet on Friday at our favorite café?
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are studying French together.
- LucasEst-ce que tu connais les jours de la semaine ?Do you know the days of the week?
- ChloéOui, je les connais tous par cœur.Yes, I know them all by heart.
- LucasSuper, alors répète les jours de la semaine pour moi.Great, so repeat the days of the week for me.
- ChloéD'accord, on commence par lundi !Okay, we start with Monday!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, la, semaine, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
