semaine
/sə.mɛn/
semaine is the French word for week.
The word refers to a period of seven consecutive days.
How does it change in a sentence?
semaine is a feminine noun. When referring to "the week", use the feminine article la, resulting in la semaine. To express the plural "weeks", use semaines.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /sə.mɛn/. It consists of 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- If you want to refer to the period of two weeks as a single unit of time, you can use the word quinzaine, which is derived from the number fifteen to account for both the start and end days.
- While le week-end is common, the official body protecting the language, the Académie Française, pushes for the use of la fin de semaine to avoid English influence.
- In France, the school and work week often begins on lundi (Monday), but the calendar week traditionally starts on dimanche (Sunday).
Examples in context
- Je vous présenterai le rapport la semaine prochaine.I will present the report to you next week.
- Notre réunion hebdomadaire est prévue le mercredi.Our weekly meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.
- J'ai prévu de partir en vacances dans une semaine.I'm planning to go on vacation in a week.
- La semaine prochaine, je pars en vacances.Next week, I am going on vacation.
- J'ai passé une semaine incroyable à Paris.I spent an incredible week in Paris.
- Il travaille toute la semaine.He works all week.
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are talking about their schedules.
- LéaTu es libre la semaine prochaine, Hugo ?Are you free next week, Hugo?
- HugoNon, j'ai beaucoup de travail.No, I have a lot of work.
- LéaC'est dommage pour notre projet.That is a shame for our project.
- HugoOn peut se voir la semaine suivante.We can meet the following week.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry semaine, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
