mois de mai
The English phrase "month of may" is translated into French as mois de mai.
mois de mai refers to the fifth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of mois (month) and mai (May), joined by the preposition de (of).
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the full phrase mois de mai to mean "in the month of May", it is preceded by the contraction au (à + le). If you simply want to say "in May", French speakers typically use the shorter form en mai. Additionally, unlike English, the names of months in French, such as mai, are not capitalized unless they start a sentence.
Did you know?
- Historically, the 'month of may' in France is linked to the tradition of le brin de muguet, where people gift sprigs of lily of the valley on May 1st.
- The Latin ancestor of mois, 'mēnsis', is also the root for the English word 'menses', referring to the monthly menstrual cycle.
- The phrase au mois de mai is often associated with the 'pont de mai', a traditional long weekend created by bridging a public holiday with a nearby weekend.
Examples in context
- L'assemblée se tiendra au mois de mai.The assembly will be held in the month of May.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use mois de mai to indicate when an assembly will be held.Tatoeba #1730759 by Aiji, translation #12295695 by Miktsoanit
- La randonnée aura lieu au mois de mai.The hike will take place in the month of May.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use mois de mai to indicate when a hike will take place.Tatoeba #6561999 by felix63, translation #6563217 by txw
- Le mois de mai est le mois des mères.The month of May is the month of mothers.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use mois de mai to describe the month of May as a month for mothers.Tatoeba #1570961 by alexmarcelo, translation #2756649 by Max101
Example conversation
Chloé and Lucas are planning a vacation.
- ChloéOn part en voyage au mois de mai ?Are we going on a trip in the month of May?
- LucasOui, c'est une excellente idée, Chloé.Yes, that is an excellent idea, Chloé.
- ChloéLe temps est plus doux au mois de mai.The weather is milder in the month of May.
- LucasJe suis d'accord avec toi, Lucas.I agree with you, Lucas.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
