la semaine dernière
The English phrase "last week" is translated into French as la semaine dernière.
la semaine dernière is used as an adverb to refer to the week immediately preceding the current one.
Meaning: week before this one (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the definite article la (the), the noun semaine (week) and the feminine adjective dernière (last).
How does it change in a sentence?
Because semaine is a feminine noun, the adjective dernière must take the feminine form. The masculine form dernier would be incorrect here.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers might try to use la semaine passée to mean "last week". While this is grammatically possible, la semaine dernière is the much more common and natural way to express this time period.
Did you know?
- The word semaine is a direct linguistic descendant of the number seven, tracing back to the Latin septimānus.
- If you were to say la dernière semaine, you would likely be referring to the final week of a specific event or period, rather than simply 'last week'.
- The adjective dernière comes from the same Latin root as the English word 'extreme', both referring to the very end of something.
Examples in context
- C'était la semaine dernière.That was last week.This sentence is useful for identifying a point in time.Tatoeba #4717122 by sacredceltic, translation #3724400 by CM
- Je l’ai payé la semaine dernière.I paid him the money last week.This sentence is useful for describing when a payment was made.Tatoeba #373992 by zmoo, translation #259065 by CK
- J'ai fait ça la semaine dernière.I did that last week.This sentence is useful for stating when an action occurred.Tatoeba #8031172 by Aiji, translation #6273644 by CK
- Lors de la réunion de la semaine dernière, nous avons discuté des projets à venir.During last week's meeting, we discussed upcoming projects.
- J'ai passé un excellent moment avec toi la semaine passée !I had a great time with you last week!
- 199 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are talking about a film they saw.
- GabrielOn a vu ce film la semaine dernière.We saw this film last week.
- LéaOui, c'était super, Gabriel.Yes, it was great, Gabriel.
- GabrielTu veux le revoir ?Do you want to see it again?
- LéaNon, j'ai déjà vu assez de films.No, I have already seen enough films.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “last week” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries la, semaine, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
