le vendredi
In French, le vendredi means "on Friday" when referring to a recurring habit or something that happens every Friday.
The phrase le vendredi is used to describe something that happens every Friday or as a general habit on that day. Note that in French, days of the week are not capitalized unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence.
Which one should you use?
While vendredi refers to a specific, upcoming Friday, the addition of the definite article in le vendredi changes the meaning to refer to Fridays in general or a recurring habit.
How does it change in a sentence?
The addition of the definite article le to a day of the week transforms the meaning from a specific day to a recurring one, effectively translating to "on Fridays."
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly attempt to translate the English preposition "on" by using sur before the day. Instead, you should use the definite article le to express "on Friday" in a habitual sense.
Did you know?
- In France, the custom of eating fish le vendredi is a lasting cultural remnant of Catholic fasting laws that forbade meat on Fridays.
- The word vendredi is derived from the Latin diēs Veneris, meaning 'day of Venus', the Roman goddess of love and beauty.
- The phrase le vendredi soir often refers to a specific social culture of unwinding after work, similar to the 'TGIF' sentiment in English.
Examples in context
- La réunion a lieu le vendredi.The meeting is taking place on Friday.This sentence shows how to use le vendredi to describe a recurring event.Tatoeba #3272368 by nimfeo, translation #3272365 by CN
- Es-tu libre le vendredi après-midi ?Are you free on Friday afternoon?This sentence shows how to use le vendredi when asking about availability during a recurring time.Tatoeba #14989 by nimfeo, translation #18478 by CN
- Le sabbat commence le vendredi soir.Shabbat begins on Friday night.This sentence shows how to use le vendredi to denote the start of a recurring ritual.Tatoeba #13420486 by Rovo, translation #13564004 by rul
- Notre société organise des réunions importantes chaque vendredi matin.Our company holds important meetings every Friday morning.
- On se voit au café vendredi soir ?Shall we meet at the cafe on Friday night?
- J'ai un rendez-vous chez le coiffeur ce vendredi après-midi.I have a hairdresser appointment this Friday afternoon.
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are talking about their weekly gym schedule.
- EmmaJe vais au sport le vendredi.I go to the gym on Fridays.
- HugoC'est super, moi j'y vais le lundi.That's great, I go on Mondays.
- EmmaTu veux venir avec moi le vendredi ?Do you want to come with me on Fridays?
- HugoNon, je travaille trop tard ce jour-là.No, I work too late on that day.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries le, vendredi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
